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London to Berlin by sleeper train? Maybe!

 

A possible link-up of Eurostar with a new Brussels-to-Berlin overnight sleeper train starting next May offers the possibility of leaving London in the afternoon and arriving in Berlin, fresh from bed and ready for breakfast.

The Brussels-to-Berlin route, with a few stops along the way in major cities such as Antwerp, Rotterdam, Amsterdam and Hanover, was scheduled to launch last year, but ran into a shortage of suitable rolling stock. Since Austria's rail operator ÖBB took over what was then seen as a fading business, more and more sleeper routes have opened, but few new cars have been built.

The new service, European Sleeper, has now refurbished and rebuilt enough for its ten-car train, including converting coach cars to couchettes. More may come on the market soon; Austria has ordered dozens of new sleepers and will likely sell off old stock as they come on line.

The London-to-Berlin route would still require a change in Brussels from Eurostar to sleeper, but the sleeper is conveniently scheduled to depart at about 7:30 pm, arriving in Berlin just before 7 am. Later in the year it will extend the route to Dresden and Prague. Fares on the route range from €49 for a seat to €79 for couchette to €109 for a sleeper compartment.

The best part of every trip is realizing that it has upset your expectations

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