The Potential of Night Passenger Trains in Europe in the Post-Pandemic Period

Accommodation wagons and night trains have a relatively long tradition in Europe and have been a popular and developed segment of transport for decades. However, at the end of the last century, the trend began to change, and long-distance night traffic began to stagnate. The consequence was the significant restriction and cancellation of several direct international night train connections or direct accommodation wagons in several European countries, including Slovakia, also due to the fast and affordable air transport. In addition, the period of the corona crisis limited long-distance night transport even more significantly. However, bold plans are now emerging in certain countries to reintroduce more night train services. The article deals with a brief analysis of the development of night train connections in Europe, including the current state and vision for the future, while providing systematic conceptual proposals for the development of the mentioned transport segment in the future.