A new sleeper train will link Zurich, Switzerland and Prague, Czech Republic via Germany.

The Czech Republic’s national rail operator announced last week that it was reviving the lapsed service, which was last operational in 2017, from 11 December 2022.

The night train will depart Zurich at 7.59pm and arrive into Prague at 9.25am the following morning, allowing passengers to sleep during the 13h 26m journey.

It will also stop in Dresden, Leipzig, Frankfurt and Basel.

From Prague to Zurich, the train departs at 6.25pm and arrives at 9.05am.

Operated by the national rail operators of the Czech Republic (ČD), Austria (ÖBB), Switzerland (SBB) and Germany (DB), the Canopus service will help take the strain off the existing oversubscribed sleeper train between Zurich and Prague via Linz in Austria.

“We want to give night traffic another boost,” ČD chairman and CEO, Michal Krapinec, told Rail Journal.

“That is why we have prepared a new brand for services related to night travel.”

There will be various fare options and comfort levels for passengers to choose from, with prices starting from €49.90 for a place in a six-bed couchette.

There are also more expensive four-bed, three-bed, two-bed and single-bed options, plus deluxe sleeper compartments with en-suite toilets and showers.

Trains can be booked on Czech railways’ website.

It’s just one of numerous new sleeper routes that are being launched across Europe.

Swedish operator SJ launched a EuroNight service between Hamburg and Stockholm on 1 September, meaning passengers from the UK can reach Sweden in less than a day.

The quickest route from London to the Swedish capital, with the help of the eco-friendly sleeper service, would require travellers to depart London St Pancras on a two-hour-long journey to Brussels. The earliest Eurostar train is at 8.16am.

In Brussels, they would need to take a Deutsche Bahn train to Hamburg – which takes just under six-and-a-half hours.

The sleeper train would leave Hamburg at 9.55pm to arrive in Stockholm 12 hours later, after making a stop in Copenhagen. Barring any delays, the whole trip would take fewer than 24 hours.

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