Company to launch new night trains in Switzerland at airline-level prices

A start-up based in Berlin has unveiled plans for new night train services to and from Switzerland. The company hopes to offer sleeper carriages to 100 European destinations for the price of a plane ticket.

NOX: The new night train provider coming to Switzerland

The new start-up, called NOX, plans to launch its first night train service in 2027. The company says that by 2036, its night trains will connect 100 cities, including Stockholm, Copenhagen, Berlin, Warsaw, Frankfurt, Munich, Vienna, Paris, Amsterdam, Milan, Rome and Catania. 

Though its routes through Switzerland are yet to be fully ironed out, the services will likely depart from Zurich, Geneva and Basel, and may even stop in places like Olten, Lugano and Chiasso. Destinations are set to include Milan, Southern Italy, Barcelona, and existing night train routes to Austria, Hungary, Germany and the Netherlands.

NOX to run sleeper carriage only trains across Europe

Instead of carriages or compartments with seats, the night trains will only be fitted with private cabins. The startup plans to emphasise “privacy, good sleep and affordable prices", with a two-metre-long bed in one of the private cabins costing 79 euros (around 74 francs) for a single, and 149 euros (139 francs) for a double. 

The private cabins will be fitted with a luggage storage area, a comfortable chair and a fold-down table for eating or working in front of a large window. There will also be food available onboard, though it is unclear whether there will also be a dining carriage.

Who is behind the new night train project?

Promising to “make night trains an essential part of European travel”, NOX was founded by Janek Smalla and Thibault Constant. Smalla previously worked at FlixTrain, while Constant worked at French transport company Alstom and France’s national rail operator SNCF. Constant is also known for running the Simply Railway YouTube channel.

In their announcement, the pair confirmed that they have already reserved the train coaches they will refurbish. Smalla and Constant said NOX will have a “strict focus on standardisation and operational excellence” and aim to offer a “real alternative to short-haul flights”.

New night trains in Switzerland caught in budget limbo

The announcement comes at a turbulent moment for night trains in Switzerland. Though there were originally plans to launch new services between Swiss cities, Rome and Barcelona by the end of 2025, these plans were shelved thanks to austerity measures announced by the government.

However, with the Federal Council recently watering down its austerity measures following backlash, 10 million francs a year will be invested by 2030 in what the government calls “fundamentally profitable” international night and day trains. Though this still amounts to a 20-million-franc cut in funding, it’s hoped that it will revive some of the new routes.

This article originally appeared in IamExpat in Germany.