PRIVATE operator European Sleeper will launch its third overnight train service between Amsterdam/Brussels and Milan on June 18.
The new service will operate three times a week, with the southbound train running as separate portions from Amsterdam and Brussels. They will be combined at Cologne into a single train for the leg to Milan, calling at Bern, Brig, Domodossola and Stresa. The northbound train will operate in reverse.
An additional station stop at Olten, in Switzerland, is under consideration to provide connections to Zürich, but calling at Basle has been ruled out. European Sleeper is negotiating with infrastructure manger Italian Rail Network (RFI) over access to Milan Central station.
Departures from Amsterdam Central and Brussels South will be at around 19.00 on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays, arriving in Milan between 09.00 and 10.00. Northbound departures will be between 19.00 and 20.00 on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, arriving in Amsterdam and Brussels between 09.00 and 10.00. Each train will include seating, couchette and sleeper accommodation. Tickets are expected to go on sale in January or February.
Operation of the new service in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany will take place using the safety certificate of Netherlands-based private company Train Charter Services (TCS). European Sleeper is currently in the process of selecting a partner for operation in Switzerland and Italy.
According to European Sleeper, the new service creates an important north-south European link, also providing connections to and from London at Brussels South. Last month, the company announced that overnight services will start on its second route, linking Paris, Brussels and Berlin, on March 26. Plans for a Brussels - Barcelona overnight train have been pushed back to 2027-28.
European Sleeper, which is largely crowd-funded, opened a new funding round on December 10, aiming to raise €1.3m, with a further €1m round planned in early January.
