Daily Nightjet from Brussels to Vienna?

[TravellingPhil]

Hi,

Thinking about booking the Brussels to Vienna Nightjet for early October but tickets aren't available yet...which is fine, don't mind waiting. However, I've read that the plan is to make them daily from Autumn 2024. It would be useful for us to leave Brussels on a Monday evening rather than a Tuesday evening. Is this upgrade to a daily service likely to happen? Could it be that booking isn't available yet because OBB don't know yet?! There's a timetable cange due soon in Europe too isn't there as well? I guess that could also be a factor.

I know Nightjet have had issues with stock availability in recent years (which we fell foul of on a Zurich to Amsterdam trip in 2022), but has the rollout of the new fleet allievated this at all?

 

[30907]

Officially the service goes daily from 18/19 Sept (says Vagonweb), and I notice the thrice-weekly service (supposedly?) has two sleepers not one in each portion, which must stretch resources. There are still reports of vehicles being substituted and whole portions being cancelled - the older stock is getting unreliable.

I think @Austriantrain might be able to help?

 

[rvdborgt]

IIRC the daily service on Brussels/Paris-Berlin/Vienna has been postponed until the 2025 timetable.

 

[Austriantrain]

I think @Austriantrain might be able to help?

Not ATM unfortunately but I will be on the lookout and report back if I hear of advance info.

 

[30907]

Not ATM unfortunately but I will be on the lookout and report back if I hear of advance info.

Thanks. I've just asked on Drehscheibe-Online and replies say not till 2025 timetable.

 

[Nunners]

IIRC the daily service on Brussels/Paris-Berlin/Vienna has been postponed until the 2025 timetable.

Does that mean it'll go daily in December this year, or could it be later than that?

 

[rvdborgt]

Does that mean it'll go daily in December this year, or could it be later than that?

IIRC the plan was in December, but don't hold your breath.

 

[Austriantrain]

ÖBB are having enormous problems servicing their stock. There are really very long lines of LD rolling stock that are currently not in service and awaiting a slot at the shops. Of course, NJ stock is affected too.

 

[WessexEclectic]

ÖBB are having enormous problems servicing their stock. There are really very long lines of LD rolling stock that are currently not in service and awaiting a slot at the shops. Of course, NJ stock is affected too.

Would this be a partial explanation why the NJ service (Vienna-Brussels) I used @ 3 weeks ago was 3.5hrs late leaving Vienna? - said 'issue with rolling stock'.

 

[Austriantrain]

Would this be a partial explanation why the NJ service (Vienna-Brussels) I used @ 3 weeks ago was 3.5hrs late leaving Vienna? - said 'issue with rolling stock'.

Very possible, almost every vehicle needs thorough work done and faults are starting to accumulate.

 

[TravellingPhil]

Thank you for your replies..hopefully OBB will eventually get there with their rolling stock issues but it seems like a long slog.

We're actually planning an interrail trip around Europe in October, and for the first time, we're going to have a go and making it up and booking as we go along. It's just our positioning move from the UK on the first travel day we're thinking about. If we don't end up on the Nightjet, we'll start from Cologne instead of Vienna...so if I miss the availability of it, then so be it. Either way, I'm sure we'll end up in some interesting places. I've always carefully planned my European rail trips in the past so it feels quite free to have some flexibility!

 

[30907]

We're actually planning an interrail trip around Europe in October, and for the first time, we're going to have a go and making it up and booking as we go along. It's just our positioning move from the UK on the first travel day we're thinking about. If we don't end up on the Nightjet, we'll start from Cologne instead of Vienna

The Amsterdam/Cologne (old) and Hamburg/Hannover (new) NJs are both daily, and depending on your UK starting point should be comfortably reachable on Day 1.

 

[TravellingPhil]

I've gone ahead and booked this for the 1st October as it's now available.

However, I've booked a sleeper compartment for 2 with WC, but according to Vagonweb for NJ40425, the car I'm booked in is a 2nd class couchette car. I've always found Vagonweb reliable with it's data so a little concerned! I'm travelling on an Interrail reservation so don't want to download the ticket to double check (although the booking says 'sleeper bed'), as that would invalidate any cancellation rights I have.

I'm sure it's fine and I'm just worrying for nothing!

 

[30907]

Coincidentally, I picked this up off FB.
The OeBB website has the same info, but doesn't actually mention that Wien-Bruxelles is suspended, but the Nightjet website suggests it is!
https://www.lemonde.fr/en/economy/a...-train-temporarily-suspended_6675919_19.html#.
Applies mid August to mid/late October - digging in France and on the Berlin route.

My guess is that the remaining Brussels portion will be strengthened, it would be rather a waste of a train path otherwise, and that might mean renumbering the cars.

 

[Nunners]

Coincidentally, I picked this up off FB.
The OeBB website has the same info, but doesn't actually mention that Wien-Bruxelles is suspended, but the Nightjet website suggests it is!
https://www.lemonde.fr/en/economy/a...-train-temporarily-suspended_6675919_19.html#.
Applies mid August to mid/late October - digging in France and on the Berlin route.

My guess is that the remaining Brussels portion will be strengthened, it would be rather a waste of a train path otherwise, and that might mean renumbering the cars.

The le Monde article suggests that the other Brussels-Berlin/Vienna portions will be cancelled as well

 

[30907]

The le Monde article suggests that the other Brussels-Berlin/Vienna portions will be cancelled as well

Yes it does, but the OeBB site has Brussels-Vienna running (while Paris is flagged up as engineering works).

 

[danshrimp]

The le Monde article suggests that the other Brussels-Berlin/Vienna portions will be cancelled as well

Interesting, given that's not how the Man in Seat 61 understands it: (https://www.seat61.com/news.htm)

Paris-Berlin/'Vienna and Brussels-Berlin Nightjets suspended 12 Aug-25 Oct​

ÖBB have given up trying to run the Paris-Berlin, Paris-Vienna & Brussels-Berlin Nightjet sleeper train from 12 August to 25 October 2024, due to the amount of trackwork, mainly in France. The Brussels-Vienna route (which is normally combined with these other 3 routes) will continue to run.

Operators used to tell the civil engineers when they could dig up the track. Now track has been separated from train operations, infra companies tell operators when it’s convenient to run trains. Is the tail now wagging the dog? Are infrastructure companies out of control? It certainly looks like it!

My guess is that the remaining Brussels portion will be strengthened, it would be rather a waste of a train path otherwise, and that might mean renumbering the cars.

That seems likely. If I were @TravellingPhil I wouldn't worry too much unless you hear anything from ÖBB.

 

[TravellingPhil]

Hmmm...interesting. We'll see. The ability to book it has only just come online so I thought I'd grab a reservation.

It's not the be all and end all if it does get cancelled. The whole point of this trip is based around flexibility. We'll just start our interailing trip from Brussels or Cologne instead. The Eurostars there and back are booked, and I booked the hotel in Vienna on the flexible rate. The rest can just follow.

I think we'll enjoy our trip no matter which end we start from.

 

[Nunners]

Interesting, given that's not how the Man in Seat 61 understands it: (https://www.seat61.com/news.htm)

I would be more inclined to trust the Man in Seat 61. The wording in le Monde was slightly ambiguous anyway, possibly as a result of it's translation from French.

 

[30907]

Previously the Paris Nightjet would have run Vienna-Strasbourg, with Paris passengers using TGV thence - it's interesting that they haven't taken that option, but I suspect it doesn't work well with the new routing via Mannheim, and it would mean providing a loco 3x/week just for Mannheim-Strasbourg; anyone for Paris could go via Brussels at a pinch!

 

[popeter45]

Previously the Paris Nightjet would have run Vienna-Strasbourg, with Paris passengers using TGV thence - it's interesting that they haven't taken that option, but I suspect it doesn't work well with the new routing via Mannheim, and it would mean providing a loco 3x/week just for Mannheim-Strasbourg; anyone for Paris could go via Brussels at a pinch!

wouldnt a better option being Vienna-Mannhiem them one of the Frankfurt-Paris TGV/ICE's from there?

 

[30907]

wouldnt a better option being Vienna-Mannhiem them one of the Frankfurt-Paris TGV/ICE's from there?

Depends if you like your morning call at 0300 - it would work if a sleeper were detached there and you could sleep till 0600-0700 to catch the early Paris trains.
Köln would work better than Brussels with some modest retiming to allow passengers to catch the early Eurostar.