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Zurich is celebrating: New Nightjet trains increase comfort to Hamburg!
From December 2025, new Nightjet trains will offer modern night train comfort from Zurich to Hamburg - ideal for business travelers and holidaymakers.
Zurich is celebrating: New Nightjet trains increase comfort to Hamburg!
The night now begins more comfortably for travelers between Zurich and Hamburg. Today the new ÖBB Nightjet train was ceremoniously inaugurated at Zurich main station. The Zurich city councilor Andreas Hauri had the honor of christening it - and what better way to do it than with the name “City of Zurich”? With this modernized connection, the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) and the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) hope to bring a breath of fresh air to night train traffic, which has had to overcome several breakdowns in recent years. Technical problems and information chaos often burdened the user experience, but now everything should be better, because the new Nightjet trains are considered the “most modern night train in Europe” and replace the outdated rolling stock from Zurich.
The new connections between Zurich and Hamburg will be on rail from Thursday evening - a step that is intended to significantly increase the comfort of travelers. Instead of just seated cars, sleeping cars are also offered, which offer more privacy and amenities. The new sleeping car compartments have their own toilets and, in the most expensive category, even showers. A plus point for anyone who wants to arrive refreshed after a long journey.
Improved amenities and comfort
The new Nightjet trains also offer additional benefits such as improved mobile phone reception and WiFi, which is an absolute must-have for many business travelers. The trains offer space for a total of 254 passengers and, in addition to the sleeping cars, also include couchette cars with mini cabins. These guarantee the highest level of privacy through a card system for access and are a welcome option for anyone who values a peaceful night's sleep.
But that's not all: the route between Zurich and Vienna will be added to the program from June 2024, and ÖBB is also planning a connection to Amsterdam by 2027. These steps clearly show that ÖBB wants to stick to its night train concept not only in Switzerland but also internationally.
Towards more night train connections in Europe
The popularity of night trains is increasing across Europe. According to the ADAC, 42% of Germans can imagine traveling by night train. However, there are also challenges: direct connections are often rare and the price differences can be enormous. ÖBB has therefore made great efforts to improve its service quality and offer travelers various connections, including to Rome, Paris and Munich. Unfortunately, the Nightjet connection from Berlin to Paris will be discontinued on December 14, 2025 because France has canceled subsidies. But there is hope: The European Sleeper plans to bring this line back to life from March 2026.
In addition, SBB and ÖBB have big plans. SBB is planning a night train to Copenhagen and Malmö from April 2024, supported by a federal funding program. However, there are also critical voices regarding the subsidies, as savings are necessary. Nevertheless, ticket sales for the new train to Malmö are going well - a sign that night train traffic is on the mend again.
This shows that ÖBB has a good hand with the new Nightjet train to meet travelers' demand for more comfort and better connections. The night train remains important as an environmentally friendly alternative to air travel, considering that more and more people are willing to invest for a relaxing journey.