The future is here. First departure of the next generation Nightjet. I’m trying out the mini cabins on train NJ 490 from Wien Hbf to Hamburg Altona.
There’s a renaissance in train travel in Europe (I know, Australians: why can’t we have nice things?) They’re not all high-speed.
There is a new standard in Sleeper Trains and Nightjet has upgraded
The compartment is stuffed full of new features and I’m going to go on about a few of them. First up: the gimmick of the bunch. You can now tune the lighting to suit your Instagram account, political preference or mood. There are also two blinds – one not opaque. Best to know.
Here’s the panel for the lights. Also a service button and temperature controls for the ventilation. And a couple of bonus details…
These new trains have wifi some long-overdue comforts at your berth. Wireless charging for thin phones, USB-A ports in both the charger and the socket below, and indeed the socket below. You also get a fancy (and powerful) LED reading lamp. Lower bunk also gets a window hammer.
Another thing that is new(-ish) to this NightJet is that you can lock the compartment from the outside. You are issued a key card. Gone is the old ‘ving’ card in favour of contactless tech. Your stuff is secure if you want to go somewhere else for a bit…
This has been useful tonight as I know people on the train. Normally though, there’s nowhere to go but to the attendant in search of some food. Which brings us to… oddities. Let’s start with the menu from cabin service provider Newrest.
Breakfast time!
Viena to Amsterdam
Great story is the return of the sleeper train, among them the Nightjet Sleeper —leaves Vienna at 8 pm, arrives Amsterdam 10 am.
I would love to see these trains in Australia run between capital cities and some regional areas. Have the same rolling stock with additional carriages for times when it is busier.