Sleeping in Style: Game-Changing Solo Pods Transform European Train Travel
Austrian operator OBB introduces a cutting-edge fleet of 33 night trains, promising a revolutionary experience for European rail travel With enhanced comfort and innovative single 'pod' cabins, solo travelers will enjoy a remarkable journey like never before
Join CNN Travel's Unlocking the World, a weekly newsletter, to stay updated on the latest aviation news, food and drink recommendations, accommodation options, and other travel updates. As Europe's rail revolution gains momentum, a key industry player has decided to enhance their services to operate 24/7.
A new fleet of 33 night trains, spearheaded by Austria's state railway ÖBB, will be introduced in December 2023. These trains prioritize solo travelers, offering pod-like single berths alongside standard couchettes and sleeping cars.
How Europe's night trains came back from the dead
From ensuite doubles to solo pods
The solo 'pods' allow for privacy in a dormitory-style setup.
OBB
The seven-carriage trains will each have a capacity of 254 passengers, and will be composed of two seating cars, three couchettes and two sleeping cars.
The sleeper trains are about to receive a significant upgrade. Each compartment in the sleeping cars will now come equipped with its own bathroom, complete with a shower. The beds have been improved to ensure enhanced comfort. Additionally, there will be increased room for storing large items such as sports equipment, strollers, and even six bicycles.
Passengers can pick from ensuite cabins that sleep two (in bunk beds) in either the Comfort Plus or Comfort spaces (the latter is slightly less spacious).
Ensuite two-berth compartments are as close to a hotel on wheels as it gets.
OBB
Couchettes have four berths in each compartment, though they are not ensuite.
Four-berth couchettes are a good solution for families.
OBB
The true innovation can be seen in the "Mini Cabins" - individual pod-like berths within the couchette cars, arranged in two layers similar to a dormitory. Each person has the ability to isolate their own personal space.
The solo pods allow travelers to lock themselves away from others in the dormitory-style cabin.
OBB
Solo travelers will enjoy ample privacy in a cozy yet functional room, furnished with a foldaway breakfast table featuring a mirror, a reading lamp, storage space, and lockers for shoes and handbags.
Additionally, every train will provide an accessible couchette, accommodating up to two wheelchair users and two additional individuals, equipped with an accessible toilet.
'Hotels on rails': Plans for new network of European sleeper trains unveiled
Train travel is the future
Leonore Gewessler, the Austrian minister for climate action, expressed that the new trains signify the train's dominance in the future of short and medium haul travel.
She stated, "Choosing the train contributes to climate protection, especially when it comes to night trains. Therefore, we are collaborating to enhance and extend the European night train network."
Boarding a train in Vienna in the evening and waking up revitalized in another European metropolis the following morning will soon become an even easier and more convenient experience. These trains have received approval for use in Austria, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. Commencing December 10, they will be operating on the Vienna-Hamburg and Innsbruck-Hamburg routes. Tickets will go on sale starting October 11.
ÃBB, which celebrates its centenary this year, now has Europes largest fleet of sleeper trains, running across the continent.
