Paris-Brussels-Berlin/Hamburg Sleeper no more

Until 13 December 2008 a nightly sleeper train took travellers from Paris, Brussels Brüssel and Liege to Bielefeld, Hannover, Wolfsburg and Berlin and Dortmund, Münster, Osnabrück, Bremen and Hamburg and back.

This sleeper has been scrapped in the new timetable. It has been there at least since the early 1990s.

The Paris-Brussels-Berlin/Hamburg sleeper will now be a thing of the past unless we can get lots of people to protest. Remember that a year ago City Night Line stopped selling sharer tickets for sleeper compartments? Well, they have come back because a lot of people wrote in to protest. So City Night Line DO listen. Please help to get as many people to write.

Why is the substitute no good?

Instead of the convenient Paris-Brussels-Berlin sleeper City Night Line have put extra carriages on the Paris-Munich sleeper that are then tagged on the train from Zurich to Berlin, but

• In winter (November to March) it only goes on weekends.
• It no longer goes to Bielefeld or any of the Hamburg route stops.
• It takes more than an hour longer from Paris to Berlin – more on connecting routes
• It no longer serves Brussels and Liege
• It takes more than ½ a day longer from London via Paris

The train was a vital connection between Brussels and Berlin, linking the Belgian and EU capital with the German as well as north and eastern Germany.

The train was the only viable train connection between London and northern and eastern Germany. The new connection will require an afternoon (on the outward journey) and a morning (on the return), so 2 extra days off work (instead of none).

DB says there was insufficient use, but saver tickets were always booked out and the train always seemed full. The real reason seem to be higher access charges or problems with traction on the on the Belgian rail network.

This is a great shame. It will mean that travellers will fly instead, increasing carbon emissions.

Further details about the replacement and map of routes

What can you do about it?

• Write to DB to protest
• Write to other organisations to protest and ask them to put pressure on DB
• Things to remember

Write to Deutsche Bahn:

Although this is branded City Night Line, the train is run by DB Autozug GmbH in Dortmund:

DB AutoZug GmbH
Kundendienst City Night Line
Königswall 21
44137 Dortmund
GERMANY
Fax: +49 231 7293399

The email to use is: kundendienst@nachtzugreise.de

Write to other organisations:

If you live in London or used to take the train from/to London, write to:

Frau Bethge
Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany
23 Belgrave Square
London SW1X 8PZ
United Kingdon

Email: Verk-1@lond.auswaertiges-amt.de
Fax: +44 20 7824 1449

If you are German living in London, write to the mayor of your home town in Germany

You could also contact your local paper in Germany, especially if you used to take the train for the Hamburg route (Dortmund, Münster, Osnabrück, Bremen, Hamburg).

If you live or work in Brussels, write to:

Herr Norbert Schuldt
Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany
rue Jacques de Lalaingstraat 8 - 14
1040 Brüssel
Belgium

Email: norbert.schuldt@diplo.de
Fax: +32 2 787 28 00

Ask the head of your company, mission or department to see if they forward a general complaint to Deutsche Bahn.

We need as many people as possible to write in to complain.

Please remember:

Send us a copy by email so we have a record of the number of letters and emails of complaint.

Make your letter individual:

• Say which route you used/intended to use.
• Say whether you used the train, or intended to use it in 2009.
• Write on your business letterhead if you can: Business travellers pay more and this may cut more clout.
• If you did not use the sleeper in the last year because you could only book an entire compartment, say so. They are now again bookable as shared compartments.
  

See the German version of this page.

There is now a news section on this site too:

11.01.2009 – Other Services Affected – Belgian Railways Seem to be Difficult Throughout

27.10.2008 – MEPs Write to CEOs of Railway Companies to Complain

What can you do about it?

• Write to DB to protest
• Write to other organisations to protest and ask them to put pressure on DB

The new City Night Line timetable in PDF can be downloaded here for 2009

Deutsche Bahn Timetable information (not always correct for night trains!).

Have a look at Mark Smith's website (The Man at Seat 61) who has detailed information about rail travel in Europe.

This map shows the route of the train and the massive detour of the substiture coaches

© Andrea Woelke 2008