Sweden: Snälltåget confirms daily Malmö-Berlin sleeper for summer 2020

[jamesontheroad]

Swedish operator Snälltåget has confirmed the schedule for Malmö-Berlin in 2020. The service goes from thrice-weekly (i.e. using one train) to daily from 22 June - 30 August. There will also be additional departures during the spring and autumn (although I haven't dug into these just yet).

Snälltåget has bought ten carriages that were formerly used by DB CityNightLine, which will be the first air-conditioned sleeper carriages in their fleet. The lack of air conditioning has been a problem during the ferry crossing between Sweden and Germany - the couchettes can get a little (ahem) foosty during the crossing with six strangers sharing a couchette compartment.

Press release: http://www.mynewsdesk.com/se/snallt...ngar-med-nattaaget-malmoe-berlin-2020-2950114

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/snalltaget/photos/a.614869755217308/2587584207945843/?type=3&theater

 

[AlbertBeale]

Swedish operator Snälltåget has confirmed the schedule for Malmö-Berlin in 2020. The service goes from thrice-weekly (i.e. using one train) to daily from 22 June - 30 August. There will also be additional departures during the spring and autumn (although I haven't dug into these just yet).

Snälltåget has bought ten carriages that were formerly used by DB CityNightLine, which will be the first air-conditioned sleeper carriages in their fleet. The lack of air conditioning has been a problem during the ferry crossing between Sweden and Germany - the couchettes can get a little (ahem) foosty during the crossing with six strangers sharing a couchette compartment.

Press release: http://www.mynewsdesk.com/se/snallt...ngar-med-nattaaget-malmoe-berlin-2020-2950114

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/snalltaget/photos/a.614869755217308/2587584207945843/?type=3&theater

Although you refer to "sleepers", will they in fact all be couchettes (as I think is the case on the current service), or will there be actual sleeper compartments too?

 

[jamesontheroad]

Although you refer to "sleepers", will they in fact all be couchettes (as I think is the case on the current service), or will there be actual sleeper compartments too?

You are correct: each carriage has ten couchette compartments with six beds.

What I don’t yet know is whether these ten carriages will now form two identical fakes of five cars each, allowing for daily service in both direction, or whether they’ll be mixed with the non-air-conditioned stock currently in use to form trains of more than five cars. I think the ferry can take rakes of more than five carriages but they might need to be split and rejoined.

Thing is, that would mean a mix of air-conditioned and non-air-conditioned stock. Test bookings for next year don’t seem to offer customers a choice, so I’m assuming they will replace the older carriages.

 

[AlbertBeale]

You are correct: each carriage has ten couchette compartments with six beds.

What I don’t yet know is whether these ten carriages will now form two identical fakes of five cars each, allowing for daily service in both direction, or whether they’ll be mixed with the non-air-conditioned stock currently in use to form trains of more than five cars. I think the ferry can take rakes of more than five carriages but they might need to be split and rejoined.

Thing is, that would mean a mix of air-conditioned and non-air-conditioned stock. Test bookings for next year don’t seem to offer customers a choice, so I’m assuming they will replace the older carriages.

That's a disappointment, if the service will continue not to include sleeper compartments as well as couchettes... Given where Sweden is (geographically!) within Europe, I'd have thought there was scope for quite a lot of overnight rail traffic to the rest of Europe - in which case, surely some of that capacity would need to be sleepers rather than couchettes.

 

[jamesontheroad]

That's a disappointment, if the service will continue not to include sleeper compartments as well as couchettes... Given where Sweden is (geographically!) within Europe, I'd have thought there was scope for quite a lot of overnight rail traffic to the rest of Europe - in which case, surely some of that capacity would need to be sleepers rather than couchettes.

I agree. Snälltåget have a business plan (which seems to be working given today's announcement) which is to focus on couchette accommodation only. Since the ferry's canteen provides catering, there is no bistro car either (there is on Snälltåget's winter seasonal trains to the Swedish ski resorts). You can book an entire compartment to yourself if you don't want to share.

(SJ still offer a mix of seats, couchettes, 3-bed sleepers, and 2-bed en-suite sleepers on their night trains, but they also have a very different mix of year-round essential service and seasonal demand to the north).

In terms of Sweden's connectivity to Europe - you are absolutely right. The demand is clearly there to restore night trains. The Swedish government set aside funds earlier this year to research and develop the business case, and to make a proposal (probably in the new year) about what sort of rolling stock the government should procure and what sort of services should then go out to tender. The Danish government also recently made the first positive sounds in a very long time about night trains. (If the Danes are interested, you know things are serious).

More interestingly than all of the above, ÖBB recently published a market investigation in the EU Journal which called for two options. One was for 8 sleepers and 8 couchettes to be hired for operation in most of their existing markets (but also Belgium, a few months before the Brussels Nightjet extension was officially confirmed). The other option was for 4 sleepers and 4 couchettes to be hired between 2020 and 2023 with the capacity to operate in Germany, Denmark and Sweden and with maintenance to be carried out in Hamburg. That immediately brings to mind a Nightjet revival of the old Alfred Nobel route, Stockholm to Hamburg.

 

[M28361M]

The lack of air conditioning has been a problem during the ferry crossing between Sweden and Germany - the couchettes can get a little (ahem) foosty during the crossing with six strangers sharing a couchette compartment.

Will the air conditioning work during the ferry crossing? Does the loco remain powered up while on the ferry to supply electricity to the coaches, or is there some other power source?

 

[Gag Halfrunt]

Assuming that the ferry was built to carry passenger trains, there would logically be power supply connections at the appropriate voltage on the vehicle deck.

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

That must be about the only train ferry left now in Europe?

 

[Mag_seven]

That must be about the only train ferry left now in Europe?

Nope - you still have the train ferry between Sicily and mainland Italy - I travelled on it last week!

 

[JonasB]

What I don’t yet know is whether these ten carriages will now form two identical fakes of five cars each, allowing for daily service in both direction, or whether they’ll be mixed with the non-air-conditioned stock currently in use to form trains of more than five cars. I think the ferry can take rakes of more than five carriages but they might need to be split and rejoined.

Ten carriages is quite a long train so my guess is that they will use them for two trains of five each.

I agree. Snälltåget have a business plan (which seems to be working given today's announcement) which is to focus on couchette accommodation only. Since the ferry's canteen provides catering, there is no bistro car either (there is on Snälltåget's winter seasonal trains to the Swedish ski resorts). You can book an entire compartment to yourself if you don't want to share.

(SJ still offer a mix of seats, couchettes, 3-bed sleepers, and 2-bed en-suite sleepers on their night trains, but they also have a very different mix of year-round essential service and seasonal demand to the north).

Sleepers would be nice, but it is a good sign that they are investing in the route. And used couchettes are probably a lot cheaper than sleepers. And who knows what their long term plan is? When SJ ran the route they offered both couchettes, 2nd class sleeper and 1st class sleeper. But they left the route in 2011 and the sleepers used on the route were scrapped a few years later. A decision I suspect they regret now. There have also been day trains on the route, when I went to Berlin on a school trip in the late 90's we took the night train to Malmö and then the morning train from Malmö to Berlin via the ferry.

In terms of Sweden's connectivity to Europe - you are absolutely right. The demand is clearly there to restore night trains. The Swedish government set aside funds earlier this year to research and develop the business case, and to make a proposal (probably in the new year) about what sort of rolling stock the government should procure and what sort of services should then go out to tender. The Danish government also recently made the first positive sounds in a very long time about night trains. (If the Danes are interested, you know things are serious).

More interestingly than all of the above, ÖBB recently published a market investigation in the EU Journal which called for two options. One was for 8 sleepers and 8 couchettes to be hired for operation in most of their existing markets (but also Belgium, a few months before the Brussels Nightjet extension was officially confirmed). The other option was for 4 sleepers and 4 couchettes to be hired between 2020 and 2023 with the capacity to operate in Germany, Denmark and Sweden and with maintenance to be carried out in Hamburg. That immediately brings to mind a Nightjet revival of the old Alfred Nobel route, Stockholm to Hamburg.

There certainly is demand, the problem is the rolling stock. The Öresund bridge requires emergency brake override and the carriages need to be able to handle the Danish voltage and frequency. The ferries also have their special requirements and the loading gauge stops the current carriages from being used to the continent. But hopefully ÖBB might help us.

Will the air conditioning work during the ferry crossing? Does the loco remain powered up while on the ferry to supply electricity to the coaches, or is there some other power source?

The loco does not go on the ferry, I suspect the ferry provides power or the batteries are used.

Nope - you still have the train ferry between Sicily and mainland Italy - I travelled on it last week!

And the Copenhagen-Hamburg route for a few more days! (As well as some freight only routes.)

 

[supervalkoinen]

Does anyone have experience of taking a dog on the overnight service?

 

[jamesontheroad]

Dogs are not permitted on the Malmö - Berlin night train.

Snälltåget do permit dogs on their other night train to Jamtland, either in the designated pet compartment of the seated carriages, or in a private compartment. SJ have similar rules - if you’re in a sleeper compartment you must book the whole compartment.

Note that (compared to the UK) throughout Sweden there is a much higher standard of care to passengers with allergies. All intercity and most (perhaps all?) local trains have dedicated compartments for passengers with pets.

 

[supervalkoinen]

Dogs are not permitted on the Malmö - Berlin night train.

Thanks for the info. Their website doesn't make that clear, suggesting that you contact them.

 

[jamesontheroad]

Thanks for the info. Their website doesn't make that clear, suggesting that you contact them.

It may still be worth contacting them - but the online booking engine has a clear “no dogs” icon next to the train, and the FAQ page specifically says that dogs are permitted on the Jamtland sleeper. At the very least it might remind them that there is demand.

 

[jamesontheroad]

From Welt, yesterday, with a bit of Google Translate.

Up to 300 train passengers, who are allowed to stay in the vehicle deck at sea: triggered by a request from WELT, the BG Verkehr association has now brought this to the fore. The Hamburg-based authority, which is also responsible for maritime shipping and its safety, is subordinate to the Federal Ministry of Transport.

She now wants to investigate whether the international regulations on ship safety on the "Sassnitz" are complied with.
​

Full article: https://www.welt.de/reise/nah/artic...ch-ist-die-Fahrt-auf-der-Faehre-Sassnitz.html

The up-shot seems to be that there are some new (or only recently discovered) concerns that it’s not entirely safe for Malmö-Berlin sleeper passengers to stay in the train during the four-hour crossing.

​

 

[Struner]

Staying on the car deck of a ropax is indeed not SOLAS compliant. Rules were tightened after the Herald of Free Enterprise and Estonia disasters. R.I.P.

 

[30907]

Fortunately the southbound service reaches Sassnitz before bedtime!

 

[jamesontheroad]

Bad news, from Göteborgs Posten this afternoon. There will probably be no Malmö-Berlin night train this year. Our hopes post-Covid-19 are now going to have to focus on the Trafikverket proposal for a Malmö-Köln/Aachen sleeper, under discussion in this thread.

My rough translation of the key bits, with my emphasis:

Stena Line is closing another line
Stena Line permanently closes one of the oldest lines, Trelleborg / Sassnitz. Corona pandemic is a direct triggering cause.

16:15 - 8 April 2020

"Due to Covid-19, we will lose the entire high season this year and do not expect passenger traffic to recover in the foreseeable future," says CEO Niclas Mårtensson in a statement.

Stena Line cancelled the ferry service between Trelleborg and German Sassnitz on March 14. The Gothenburg company now announces that it will be permanently closed.​

​

 

[30907]

Bad news, from Göteborgs Posten this afternoon. There will probably be no Malmö-Berlin night train this year. Our hopes post-Covid-19 are now going to have to focus on the Trafikverket proposal for a Malmö-Köln/Aachen sleeper, under discussion in this thread.

My rough translation of the key bits, with my emphasis:

Stena Line is closing another line
Stena Line permanently closes one of the oldest lines, Trelleborg / Sassnitz. Corona pandemic is a direct triggering cause.

16:15 - 8 April 2020

"Due to Covid-19, we will lose the entire high season this year and do not expect passenger traffic to recover in the foreseeable future," says CEO Niclas Mårtensson in a statement.

Stena Line cancelled the ferry service between Trelleborg and German Sassnitz on March 14. The Gothenburg company now announces that it will be permanently closed.​

​

Bad news, but IMO Covid19 is the last straw for a route that was already struggling - the peak service was cut from two ferries to one some years back - and although it is a short crossing compared with the Rostock route, Mukran is a pretty remote location (unless you live on Ruegen itself!). Not surprising that most traffic uses Rostock (think Portsmouth vs Newhaven only much more so!).

As for the night train, it should be possible to re-route via Rostock, though the safety issue of passengers remaining in the couchettes will also apply.

 

[JonasB]

Bad news, from Göteborgs Posten this afternoon. There will probably be no Malmö-Berlin night train this year. Our hopes post-Covid-19 are now going to have to focus on the Trafikverket proposal for a Malmö-Köln/Aachen sleeper, under discussion in this thread.

​

That is certainly bad news. So far I haven't seen any press release from Snälltåget about it, so hopefully they are working on an alternative solution.

 

[duesselmartin]

Would it be feasable to run the train over land? ie. Berlin Padborg Copenhagen?

 

[rg177]

Would it be feasable to run the train over des land? ie. Berlin Padborg Copenhagen?

Certainly no reason why not in terms of journey time. At a rough guess, you could probably do it in about 8-9hrs.

 

[30907]

Certainly no reason why not in terms of journey time. At a rough guess, you could probably do it in about 8-9hrs.

The only issue is whether the new ex CNL couchettes are passed for the Sound crossing. Been discussed on a couple of other threads IIRC.

 

[duesselmartin]

What was the primary destination of pax in the Malmö train? Sweden or Copenhagen? One could terminate in Copenhagen and connect to Malmö or Stockholm?

 

[jamesontheroad]

What was the primary destination of pax in the Malmö train? Sweden or Copenhagen? One could terminate in Copenhagen and connect to Malmö or Stockholm?

If you mean the Malmö-Berlin train, I would guess that it was mainly Swedish and German travellers, since Snälltåget is a relatively small Swedish operator with no marketing presence in Denmark. I could be wrong, though.

 

[JonasB]

Snälltåget is trying to find alternative routes: https://www.railwaygazette.com/pass...n-to-continue-despite-closure-of-ferry-route/

 

[87015]

They was one date this year pencilled in as via Rostock anyway, so that seems a decent bet if it is to continue. I presume they have a trainferry available.

 

[popeter45]

if going another route i cant really seeing then going via a ferry again after all the safety stuff as discussed above
if they need a long term reroute i say go via hamburg and tap into that market as well (would be very useful when i head from London to Malmo twice a year)

 

[jamesontheroad]

I agree that the practicalities of couchettes on a ferry are problematic... there are legitimate and unresolved safety issues, and based on experiences I've read elsewhere it doesn't sound so comfortable (when it's allowed) to try to sleep inside a train on a cark deck during the crossing. It takes one strong wave to set off a few unattended car alarms and you won't sleep a wink.

Night trains have the unique advantage of benefiting from longer journey times. So travelling via Denmark and Hamburg is intriguing. The timing of the DK/DE border crossing would be important, since checks are routine.

What would the journey time be? Any chance that Snälltåget could be tempted to hook their famous "krog" to the train for this night time journey?

 

[popeter45]

using IC 398 as a template would prob have a midnight departure from Hamburg
would entail a 8pm-10pm ish departure from Berlin depending on what speed the sleeper can be pulled at