Trivia: logical journeys involving a change between two sleeper trains

[A S Leib]

Which cases are there of journeys where you could reasonably take two back-to-back night trains (which I'm defining as "trains with couchettes / beds", not the 24-hour Thameslink services) in which that is not the only possibility?

For example, I wouldn't count Cerbère – Paris – Nice as there's daytime trains which get you there quicker than Intercités de Nuit to Paris and back. I wouldn't count Amsterdam – Prague – Warsaw as you could get the European Sleeper then daytime trains, changing at Ostrava, to Warsaw and arrive in Warsaw half an hour before the sleeper leaves Prague. To make things more interesting, I'd also exclude any stations / routes only served by overnight trains, so e.g. no Topeka – Chicago – Omaha.

One that seems to fit is Brussels – Passau. Looking at November due to ÖBB giving up on Brussels due to track work until then, the Nightjet to Vienna leaves Midi at 18:33 and gets to Köln Hbf at 21:50, with the Amsterdam – Vienna Nightjet leaving at 22:27 and getting to Passau at 06:13. It's not a perfect example, as the Brussels – Köln is quicker enough with the Eurostar that journey planners suggest the 19:25 departure, but it is a case otherwise fitting the criteria.

 

[The exile]

Assuming the first still runs, Zuerich - Bar, changing at Belgrade. The sleepers come off at Zagreb, but it is/was still possible to do the whole journey without leaving the train.
Western origin of a sleeper to Prague then overnight to Humenne might also still be possible/ the most viable option.

 

[ABB125]

Something like La Spezia to Zürich, changing in Villach, is probably doable? Or perhaps Zagreb to La Spezia or Rome?

 

[nwales58]

It 'feels wrong' to be using a night train without being on it overnight, as in Brussels-Passau?

For 2 nights how about Budapest-Bucharest on IC79 arriving 0842 then 1047 TCDD through couchette to Istanbul, summer months only. Some risk on not making that connection but earlier CFR and ATC sleepers Arad-Bucharest would work.

Also 2 nights: Berlin-Stockholm-Narvik. Despite 10h in Stockholm there is no earlier connection beyond Boden.

anywhere-Wien-Kiev?

 

[Iskra]

You can use multiple night trains for journeys quite easily in Italy, although probably not logically overnight. I have got off one night train early in the morning, then changed onto another to finish my journey. You can also do the same in Sweden but the opposite way round, heading North towards Narvik start in one in the seats then I switched to a berth on a different train further North.

 

[A S Leib]

It 'feels wrong' to be using a night train without being on it overnight, as in Brussels-Passau?

That's the other issue with the Brussels – Köln section (22:27-06:13 from Köln is sufficiently overnight), although if it's possible to reserve a bed / couchette for that section, I'd count it.

I'm surprised about Narvik as I thought it just had the sleeper, but as there's at least one daytime service from Luleå, it counts.

 

[nwales58]

I'm surprised about Narvik as I thought it just had the sleeper, but as there's at least one daytime service from Luleå, it counts.

Arriving in Stockholm from Berlin it's too late to get further than Boden so the next train to Gallivare and beyond is a sleeper

 

[Segedunum]

Assuming the first still runs, Zuerich - Bar, changing at Belgrade. The sleepers come off at Zagreb, but it is/was still possible to do the whole journey without leaving the train.
Western origin of a sleeper to Prague then overnight to Humenne might also still be possible/ the most viable option.

Trains only get as far as Tovarnik at the moment then resume in Šid - sadly nothing on the short cross-border stretch.

 

[eldomtom2]

Quite a lot of long-distance Amtrak trains are timed to connect with each other.

 

[Jealgu]

Amsterdam/Brussels/Paris to Vienna to Bucharest or Kyiv

Vienna/Budapest to Bucharest to Chisinau

 

[A S Leib]

Vienna/Budapest to Bucharest to Chisinau

Are there any non-sleeper Bucharest – Chisinau trains?

 

[Jealgu]

Are there any non-sleeper Bucharest – Chisinau trains?

Bucharest - Iasi, iasi-socola, socola- chisinau

 

[dutchflyer]

Are there any non-sleeper Bucharest – Chisinau trains?

There is just 1 such train, its classic old-style Russky broad gauge overniight type-so has platskart and coupe-sleepers, much more basic as one is used to in West-EUR. These cars have been modernised since it became Moldova Railways/Caileferate. Still gets the weelsets changed at border from normal to broad gauge.

 

[FormerBritInMe]

Quite a lot of long-distance Amtrak trains are timed to connect with each other.

Unfortunately due to timekeeping issues it is often advisable to plan on a night in a hotel rather than trying to connect. Especially since most of our long distance trains only run once a day (some even less). If you have a through ticket booked, Amtrak will put you up overnight if your connection is missed, but there is no guarantee there will be a sleeper compartment available on the next days train. In that case they will put you in coach and refund the fare difference.

The only exception might be eastbound connecting to the Chicago to New York Lake Shore Limited which leaves around 2130 and is generally a safe connection unless things go really pear shaped with the western train.

 

[Route115?]

Wsn't it the case that back in the days MPs used to get free sleeper travel & it wasn't unknown for them to travel up to Newcastle or Preston, change trains & come back again - but it might be just be one of those stories.

 

[dutchflyer]

Back to the original Q: again I have to mention-as I also did recently for coaches and buses to cross a country; THAIland-one can get from the farthest out north train station (Chiang Mai, or if so inclined also a little closer by BKK but out of TH, the new stop from VTE=Vientiane, the capital of LAOS), and then south from BKK to the furthest, Sungai Kolok-on the east coast at the Malay border. The buses/coaches even start further north-the rails dont go that far.
There is a daytime ´sprinter/express´ CM-BKK (which once even used BREL/UK bult sprinter sets) but it gets in BKK too late to connect into the Sungay sleeper. OR-as above, soon one can also get again INto Malaysia/Butterworth as the sleeper to there will be reinstated again soon-or at least is promised.
In TH all overnite trains offer also sleepers-in which classes varies.
In Indonesia-on Java island, about the only island with an extensive railnetwork: overnite capital JKT=Jakarta to Surabaya, then overnite to the far eastern tip to connect with the Bali ferry. As above: also a daytime express JKT-SBY, but would not connect into the 2nd train.