TRIVIA: Sleeper trains where you can get on early and get off late

[AY1975]

In Britain it has long been usual for sleeping car train passengers to be allowed to board the train, say, an hour or two before departure in the evening, and to remain in their berths until about 07.00 or 07.30 if the train arrives at its destination earlier.

However, AFAIK this has never really been common practice in mainland Europe. The continental railways have tended to treat night trains more like ordinary daytime trains, in that passengers can only usually board within, say, 20 minutes of departure and are expected to alight on arrival even if it was at a not very civilised time of the morning.

Has anyone ever travelled on a night train in mainland Europe (or the rest of the world for that matter) where passengers were allowed to board early and/or disembark late, as in Britain? If so, do you know if all passengers, or only those travelling in sleeping cars, were allowed to do this?

Leaving aside the fact that many night trains in mainland Europe are now being withdrawn, I think that in some cases, continental night train operators would do well to look to Britain in that respect, especially now that most if not all of the remaining sleeping and couchette cars have retention tank toilets. (In Britain in the old days, there were troughs beneath the track at terminal stations to catch the effluent from sleeping car toilets, but AFAIK these have never existed in mainland Europe.)

 

[paddington]

I took the night train from Malmo to Stockholm and from memory I boarded at 2115 and the ticket said I could stay on until 0700 despite arriving at 0600.

I would think that the entire train has to stay in the platform so all passengers would be allowed to stay on board, not just those in sleeping cars. Are there any examples where this is not the case?

 

[route101]

Night train from Moscow to Riga we boarded around 5pm and arrived into Riga around 9 am. I often find i dont sleep until later on in journey and then just when your getting comfy its time to get off .

 

[Gordon]

In Britain it has long been usual for sleeping car train passengers to be allowed to board the train, say, an hour or two before departure in the evening, and to remain in their berths until about 07.00 or 07.30 if the train arrives at its destination earlier.

However, AFAIK this has never really been common practice in mainland Europe.

I don't recall this happening in Britain very much, and when it did, it was really just because of the generally shorter distances covered. Several shorter distance sleepers or those on fast routes could physically cover the journey in 4 - 5 hours meaning that the train would arrive very early. (For example there was a Euston - Preston/Barrow sleeper which arrived in Preston around 03.24, and Barrow at 05.50. You could stay in sleeper until 07.30.

In Europe, night trains usually travelled over much longer distances, which took most of the nighttime hours to achieve, so that a train would normally arrive at its final terminus at a time whem passengers would want to get off the train straight away. On most main Western European routes trains would arrive at destination between about 07.30 and 09.00. A few round the houses and very long distance trains did not arrive at destination until mid morning or even lunchtime.

Nevertheless I do remember you could stay in berths on French car sleeper services on arrival in Paris if they were scheduled to arrive before about 07.30.


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[nlogax]

Having spent three full days traveling from LA to Chicago on the Texas Eagle in recent weeks. I can tell you sleeper passengers board and disembark at all hours through Arizona, Texas, Arkansas and Missouri.

 

[AlterEgo]

I’ve boarded a few Amtrak super-long distance sleepers now and boarding was a good 30-60 minutes prior to departure in each case.

 

[dutchflyer]

There is an other way to prevent very early arrivals: have the nighttrain stand for a few hours at some intermediate station (an do not allow free boarding in that period-thieves and the like). This happens in Slovakia and with parts of Trains Slovak-Praha.
Most station in West-EUR simply lack the tracks to have trains stand for extended times. But in the very distant past I think some SNCF=French overnights on fairly short distance did allow it at Paris.
F.e. here in AMsterdam-C even prestigious INternational trains only arrive at platforms some 10 mins before dep.
I also recall cases like asked about-reviews however often stated that staff on board would urge people off anyway-or angle for deep extra tips.

 

[nlogax]

I’ve boarded a few Amtrak super-long distance sleepers now and boarding was a good 30-60 minutes prior to departure in each case.

Yep, an hour before departure from the origin point seems to have been my experience. Intermediate stations can vary. At San Antonio (where north + eastbound TX Eagle and Sunset Ltd stock is shunted around) you could in theory find your sleeper room two hours before departure at 7am.

 

[30907]

There is an other way to prevent very early arrivals: have the nighttrain stand for a few hours at some intermediate station (an do not allow free boarding in that period-thieves and the like). This happens in Slovakia and with parts of Trains Slovak-Praha.

In the new timetable there is a Prague-Budapest sleeper attached to a daytime service as far as Breclav (and v.v.). There is also a very long-standing sleeper from Bratislava which runs in an evening train to Zilina, sits there for several hours, and goes forward on a Prague-Kosice overnight.
My impression is that the latter primarily serves intermediate traffic (and railway enthusiasts).

More generally, the overnight trains from Prague are platformed well before departure.