That's a good possibility. Could be the cabins are cut off from the interruptions most times, but reset to default once the power was restored (like a car radio).
I was in one of these last weekend, a few thoughts: 1. The cabins didn't feel very well ventilated, and smelled, to be honest, quite bad. Some HVAC controls would be nice, but at least they need to look at ways to improve airflow. 2. The roller doors at the end of each cabin rattle when the train is moving. I jammed a thin towel between the door and its track, which cut down on the rattling a bit, but hopefully they can find a proper fix for this, as it seems to be a common problem. (I had this problem both directions). 3. I think the sheets are just meant to be used like a sleeping bag liner, i.e. you just climb into it, you don't "make the bed" as such. 4. I suppose the huge luggage racks in the seating area are meant for the couchettes also. ÖBB need to communicate this better as lots of people seemed to be falling over their luggage given the small lockers in the couchette car. 5. They sell sleep masks (€2), and ear plugs (€2.50) on the train, I'd recommend these for a better night's sleep. 6. The key card holder next to the door is a nice idea. All in all, I think the cabins are a huge improvement on previous couchettes, especially when travelling alone, as it means you can go to sleep at your own time, not worry about disturbing others when joining / leaving the train part way through, etc. I think it's a really cool idea, and respect to ÖBB for taking a risk here. I think the teething troubles will be worked through soon enough, and these can become a realistic, economic alternative to flying for some journeys.
@@soavemusica That seems quite an overreaction. The alternative to this specific train is to not go anywhere? There are buses, other trains, airlines, ships. All of them safer than cars btw.
When I caught the Nightjet from Vienna to Brussels last year we were about five hours late - the EU compensation money really does make the whole experience that much more appealing! Ended up cheaper than a hotel rather than much more expensive. The lack of a bar car is a bit sad though, what's the point of a sleeper train if you can't flirt with mysterious widows and hatch murder mystery plans until being sent to your cabins at midnight?
I’ve travelled by rail in Europe many times as a child in the 1960-70’s, & then on my own 1984-1992. In 1985 I spent 6 months in Europe using trains from Ireland, UK, France, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Italy, Yugoslavia, Greece, Hungary, Austria, West Germany & East Germany, Denmark, Holland, Belgium & Luxembourg. The trains have changed so much in all these years, especially from country to country. France already had TGV’s by this point & the rest of Europe quickly followed. I wish they had sleeping compartments like this when I was there. I’ve had to share a couchette with 5 other people, and invariably I always got someone who snores! Plus personal possessions were in danger depending on who shared your compartment. I will have to make the trek back to Europe soon. I’m in my 60’s now, and many of my relatives in Ireland, UK and Serbia are getting old and passing away now. I will definitely take advantage of these new trains (where I can). Thanks for posting this. Brian Toronto Canada.
I remember the shared 5 sleeper compartment in the 80's! I was so freaked out by being the only woman in a sleeper with 4 unrelated males, I couldn't sleep. Especially after they locked the door to the compartment. One said thieves roam in the night to gain compartment access. 🤦😂
@@povrides2you724 Where in the video is your appearance? And how did you sleep on the new trains? I am so annoyed that still, modern night trains continue with the below 1m90 length for their beds... Maybe it's really impossible to fit taller ones, but for me it truly means I can't sleep, as not only am I 1m93, but also a belly sleeper (non-negotiable unfortunately, some humans are weird, I know), so that means that I'm rather 2m while sleeping...
Wow - €75 - about £63 / 64 pounds = superb value this is for that length of journey - and with a cabin. Unheard of in the uk. Excellent video keep em coming
Technical issues with the new train stock and even worse technical deficiencies and lack of availability with the old stock on all the other routes is really what's plaguing the ÖBB Nightjet service. Frankly, in combination with the now dynamic prices and the massively increased price to take a bike with you (thank you for mentioning it by the way, this is often overlooked, it was only 10€ or so before), it no longer is an option for me and my partner (with two bikes) and we're unfortunately back to travelling by day.
I wasn't aware of the implementation of dynamic pricing* so thanks for the advice! *Dynamic pricing=we will squeeze you for every Euro possible. It gets more like the dreaded Ryanair every day...
@@Robutube1 I dread to think what that will do to the cost - in January I booked a comfort sleeper cabin from Amsterdam to Innsbruck for mid June and it cost me €600+ (100% increase on last year) and that was for a trip on the old un-refurbished stock! This will be my last ride on the NightJet.
If it weren't for the random announcement and lights coming on, this would be a pretty good option at that price if you're single or travelling with mates. Probably doesn't work as well for couples and families or older people who need more comfort and less climbing. It's good to have the choice though!
Great video! But I had a different experience. I travelled on this just a couple of days ago from Hamburg to Vienna. It was a bizarre experience too, at 7am, the host knocked on my door with breakfast, and didn’t hand it over until I’d given him the bedsheets, and as you could imagine, in such a small space, it was very difficult while he was just standing there. Then an hour before arrival at 8:30am, the host took my key card so I couldn’t get back into the room after I’d left, so I couldn’t go to the toilet for the last hour, so I was generally very uncomfortable. In terms of the nights sleep, I had a very comfortable sleep, and only arrived 40 minutes late. The boarding process was all a mess and I found everything apart from the sleep itself, very awkward. I really enjoyed your take on it though and what you found positive and negative, I look forward to the next one!
I did this journey (and back) 2 weeks ago. On the way to Hamburg the lights also came on randomly during the night and a couple of announcements. Although I was not next to the bathroom (33) you could hear the very loud beeps everytime someone entered the bathroom and the sound isolation in the corridor was none existent. That being said I did get some sleep. The journey back was much better and was actually on time?! Which is the first on time I had with the Nightjet from 6 trips in the last 12 months
Pricing for Europe is indeed very good and it seems they upped their comfort level a bit. We used one of their trains 2 years ago and for me being over 190cm it was a horrible experience. I couldn't pull up my knees without hitting something and I couldn't lie all out without noticing the bed space was 2-3cm short, so I slept about 30 min out of pure exhaustion. Judging from your review that spacing issue, hasn't changed. Thank you for your review, the plane it is.
The pods are a perfect example of fancy glossy looks over practicality. The paper thing dividers between pods means if next door snores, talks on a phone etc there is no sound proofing. And the entry doors rattle open and closing so again people coming and going will wake you.
Exactly! It's not revolutionary but anti-people! It's basically a cage & they are charging a premium for it. Looks very uncomfortable & claustrophobic tbh, not desirable.
Of course a good acoustic isolation would eat up more valuable space: Every pod would need its own separate suspension from the superstructure. Using earplugs for sleeping may be sufficient?
@@gargoyle7863 so in other words it’s not a relaxing evening. More akin to a 10 year old going to a school camp? Earplugs are hardly a solution for an inferior dumbed down product . It’s like saying if the toilets are dirty, just take a bucket with you.
So what do you want? You are on an effing train that is moving, there are noises all the time, and there are other people. I took some time ago the Nachtzug from Berlin to Munich, in a private cabin just by myself with a loo and a shower. The night was wonderful, breakfast tasty and I stepped off the train Munich fresh and well rested. I also took some 37 years back the train from Dortmund to Rome, in a normal 6 seat cabin (which I had to myself outbound and inbound) and it was an amazing experience. In particular when you are some sort of a train enthusiast. Going up the Gotthard in the early morning hours, Northern Italy mid morning and arriving at Roma Termini was epic. Return trip was via Domodossola and Sion, equally a gorgeous track to take a train, the landscapes are awesome. Anyhow, if you have a problem with a sleeping mask and ear plugs, an overnight train isn’t for you. Plain and simple. You better take a plane, and don’t bother other people who still think that the journey is the adventure, and not the arrival! A concept completely lost on more and more people.
Those tiny capsule sleeping compartments are great from young fit people but no good for us older less mobile folk. They also rather remind me of the drawers in morgues/mortuaries used to house cadavers.
I am used to overnight rail in the USA; while the "Jet" is newer and sleeker looking, I will stick with the Super or Viewliner services here. My first thought was in line with your latter comment as I immediately thought of the space more so as a rolling coffin.
The only time I've slept overnight on a train it was 1992, the motorail service from Santander to Malaga. Slept fine for most of the way, but do recall being woken by the sound of a train going slowly over points somewhere near Madrid. This was the time before internet, so I used the Thomas Cook book to identify the train & booking office then I called them for their fax number. I don't speak Spanish so they had to read the number very slowly ... luckily numbers are similar to French! I booked by fax, to meet the ferry from the UK. Many of the fellow pasengers were British who lived in Spain. Drove back for the return, sadly this service does not operate anymore.
I Don't know alot about trains but when I interrailed in Europe I got to try out a lot of them. And suprisingly the best BY FAR was the new MAV intercity trains from Budapest to Hamburg. Such a nice design, smooth ride and nice seats:) would love to see a video on it!
@@SuperalbsTravels "We will now be departing from Platform 0..... Even though that's a platform that doesn't exist. It's my first day on the job, so I'm just gonna spray paint the ballast, and that's your Platform 0. Good day, watch out for oncoming trains, I don't want to deal with more paperwork on my first day". That's probably not what happened, but I'd like to imagine that's why the door opened there.
I made my trip in those mini-cabins. As a 1.99m tall guy, it was quite a squeeze but very comfy nonetheless! It has some flaws (very strong AC, poor noise-insulation, limited storage space), but in general it is a really great option for solo travellers and a true innovation to overnight travel! Some things that appear to be causing the main problems are more operational things. Apart from the boarding being very chaotic (due to very limited place), the staff sometimes appears to be a little rude and overwhelmed/unorganized. And: the trains are quite unreliable due to technical reasons, especially when coming from Hamburg. Annnnd we must mention the dynamic pricing which can be really frustrating... But overall I have to say the concept of those mini cabins is unbelievable! And I love them :D
I travelled from Vienna to Dornbirn in a Mini Cabin. I would not recommed that, especially given that I am disabled and these "coffins" are barely usable for me. They are very noisy (you can here the person next to you breathe) and the light controls are really loud (you can definitely hear them in the cabins next to you. Also the roller shutter is *VERY* loud - you can hear them through the whole of the waggon! Next time I would take a "traditional" rest cabin. Unfortunately I am not disabled enough to be allowed to book the disabled cabin. It is a dream to travel in them!
If you have been lately, the new Moynihan Train Hall in NYC is quite nice - nothing like Penn Station has been since the original station was torn down in the 1960's. The old Penn Station is undergoing some renovations as well and should be a bit better in the next few years.
Glitches on an inaugural run are sometimes to be expected. I'm sure they will iron out all the bugs in due time. I have no doubt this will end up to be a very popular journey. I can't wait to take it!! Great review!
Your transition to ads caught me off guard😂 Jokes aside, I think I have to give this a go. By then, the glitches which caused some disturbance in the middle of the night should have been fixed
We travelled in an overnight sleeper 4 weeks ago from Vienna to Venice. It was not the new coaches and we had a "4 person couchette" sharing with another couple. We boarded at night but the other couple boarded on route even later. We were on the 2 upper beds. It was a horrible night and we did not get any sleep. The other elderly couple were french and they would not stop eating junk food (crisps) and talking throughout the middle of the night. I told them to shut up but that did not work as they had no intention of actually sleeping. About 3.00am i had another go at them but that did not work. It was our worst experience travelling on a train and we would never book a couchette again unless it was a 2 person sleeper for couples. The pillows on that i would not even call a pillow as they were tiny with zero head support. The ladder to the top bunks (used for luggage storage only) rattled all night.
There is enough space to fit through... The divider door shown in the video would be opened and both halves of the window broken, opening up the entire frame.
I've just applied for my FIP Card so I will be looking forward to finally getting to go and experience these wonderful night trains myself. Thanks for all the wonderful videos that have kept me entertained during my ongoing battle with discitis 🙂
Superbly done train vlog! A reasonable price Maiden trip Weird midnight announcement Being late for 3 hours and claiming the refund It's very entertaining to watch the video as a train enthusiast😄
Something that would be good for the London-Scotland trains I think if it brought the prices down. Was looking at taking the Caledonian Sleeper but the prices even booked months in advance are hard to justify when flights are £30 return. As much as I'm not too keen on flying and don't like the idea of polluting, it would be ~5 hour total trip for me for a fraction of the price. £540 for two of us in bunk beds, it's just insane, you can fork out for an airport lounge, multiple snacks on Ryanair, the flights and a 5 star hotel for less.
we've had the same dilemma- i would suggest doing it as a daytime journey seated. we haven't done it yet but we're planning to- st P to edinburgh is only 4.5 hr and you can get returns on lumo for this june for 2 adults under £300 without a railcard. If you're travelling as a pair you can use a two together railcard, worth it just for one journey as this makes it £200 return. safe travels!
@@rosieupton9924 Yeah I was just looking at that, we both have 26-30 railcards and you're right it comes out about £200 (with a local train into London from Essex). Still though, we can take a £2 bus to Stansted (so £8 total for 2 people) plus £60 for the two of us on the cheapest flights and total journey time would be similar. Buses also run through the night, so we could in theory take the early flight and be in Edinburgh at 8am. It's just frustrating that flying can be so cheap when there are direct trains available running all day. We pack light too, so not even the cases would make a difference.
The price is right!!, sorry copyright infringement, but the price would certainly make me use it a hotel room on the move and extra time to explore Hamburg or Vienna if you’re going the other way
Love to see ÖBB revolutionise the night train with introduction of capsule style cabin while retaining some tradional compartment for group travellers. Certainly this is good for privercy minded passengers, and all other night train operators especially SNCF should follow suit. It's very annoying having to share the room with 3 strangers in first class couchette or 5 strangers in 2nd class couchette when travelling in Intercités de nuit across France.
Unfortunate of the breakdown, but luckily this doesn't happen often with the Siemens Taurus and Vectron locomotives which are on this service. The lights and announcements coming on in the middle of the night might indeed be caused by the train head end power coming on again. Maybe ÖBB can find a way in reprogramming the software so that this doesn't happen anymore and lights do only come on after an operator command. Even at full price I think the value is very good, and when traveling alone I think these mini berths are an improvement over sharing a 4 berth compartment with strangers. The train is very cleverly designed, and looks attractive too. When having a large backpack or suitcase you may to have it stored in the luggage racks in the seater coach as there is no room to take it with you inside the berth. And when you are not that mobile I would always advise to reserve a lower berth.
16:05 Imagine if that's the seat you were assigned when you bought your ticket last minute. The joy of being able to squeeze on the train would be short-lived to say the least.
These look little better than traveling in a coffin. I never thought Europe would come up with a train car that makes Amtrak look luxurious by comparison!
I went from Paris to Toulouse on the overnight train about 10 years ago in a sleeper carriage. The service was lousy but the train was quiet & smooth . I slept like a log , it was a fantastic way to get between the 2 cities .
New night services are starting up all across Europe but this is probably the first that's offering a product that is better than the majority of new overnights that are ordering the same product, couchettes, and ancient non-airconditioned sleepers that helped kill overnight trains decades ago.
Im Living near Vienna and i have a good friend in Hamburg. Im very eager to try the new Nightjet. Also the mini cabins are an introverts dream which is why i want to try them so badly xD.
Ah yes, another piece of europe's mobility puzzle falls into place... Great to see austria again being at the forefront of green travel. It would be nice to see more train operators run sleeper services of this quality. I suppose that new services can only be ran if there's enough demand, so hopefully the rest of europe and the world will see what's happening here and start campaining for better transport also. To be fair to OEBB, all new trains have a certain number of technical issues when new, especially with all the software involved nowadays, I'm sure this will get ironed out in the long run, especially if they follow their track record of listening to their passenger's feedback.
Was interested to see your video as it referred to a new train. Aside from the first time bugs, I must admit that as an older person, the overall effect/look was very cold and the couchettes would be difficult and uncomfortable unless you were younger and fairly spry.
@@SuperalbsTravelsif you don't mind me asking, could you tell me your personal favorite things in Vienna? I am going to be going soon from the US for the first time in Europe
Have just travelled on the Nightjet from Feldkirch to Vienna in one of the new compact sleeper compartments. Great to have on suite bathroom but the beds were so hard and narrow. Good breakfast. Car travelled as well as it was a motor rail service. Why oh why are there not more of these services? It saves on pollution and takes vehicles off the road. The EU Parliament should be encouraging motor rail services. then advertise them well and people will use them.
was thinking of booking something for the Christmas market. We both love trains with my wife. However, the price (800€ or so) would be enough for 2 tickets and 2 nights in a hotel, and we'd still have some spending money left. Not affordable yet. Hoping that this will change though.
In India if there is a train delay of any kind... especially the technical issue.. refund claims of 100 percent within 48 hours...The Trains for similiar types are ICF manifactured and the Railways General had no accidents at all... Super spacious compartments..Toilets are world class...and Catering Above world class... Staff and Railway police and services are above and way above and the major stations are superior to any country in the world... please visit Indian railways... Normal AC travel and dont go by their advertisement Blitz... just experience the quality and class..you will be shocked😂
Thanks for this video. Now I feel pretty lucky to have arrived EARLY on two sleepers in a row (EN442 Kosice - Prague and ES452 Prague - Brussels)... The third last time I had a night train trip was also the Nightjet NJ425 (Brussels -) Aachen - Vienna last year with a delay of an hour because the carriages from Amsterdam were affected by another delaying trains in Germany, whilst the portion workings in Troisdorf and Nuremberg were also that slow. Hopefully the portion workings could be somewhat better now.
I’ve done the jet train between Munich and Vienna, it was a fine comfortable ride. I would find that room you had to be small, cramped, and uncomfortable. Most importantly, I don’t wanna hear anybody else’s banging, talking or clanking . Given the general low price, I would opt for a full private cabin.
I love the idea! The American never figured out how great railroad travel is. While the rest of the world is improving and now comes the sleeper capsules. Love it!
The best night sleep I've ever had was on Amtrak in a private roomette from Flagstaff AZ to L.A....took it a half dozen times...great sleep every time. Everyone loves to knock American train travel but I've had great experiences.
I’m trying to book this exact journey in September albeit in reverse. I can’t see that the minicabins are available though. Anyone know why? Yes I am using the OEBB website.
Thanks for this helpful review. Two questions if I may? 1. Is there more luggage space available to couchette passengers elsewhere in the carriage for larger bags? 2. How does the European refund system work - is it centralised or do you contact the provider as in the UK? Thanks!
1. No more luggage space, but I got the measurements wrong, so the actual space is a bit larger. 2. I claimed from ÖBB, not sure what happens if you have a more complicated journey.
Usually you request the refund at the company where you bought the ticket. Here some experince: I never had big problems with OEBB or DB. However it is much easier if you have a customer account. In the case of OEBB, where you can book most of the night trains in central europe, you can use an online form. In my case I used their chatbot (took a nightrain from Rijeka to Munich 130min delay (normal for this train)) to claim the refund, and I just had to put my booking/ticket number and train number in the chat and 5 days later I got my 50% refund back on my credit card which I orginally used to book the ticket. In case of DB, you can request the refund via the App (very easy). When you arrived you can go on your ticket and click the "request refund" button, enter your actual arrival time and bank account and that's it. Unfortunaletly they do not refund via your "booking method" such as Oebb does. I don't know what happens if you don't have an european (EU) bank account. I know it works fine with swiss bank accounts (of course you lose a little because of the currency exchange) and all € bank accounts but for UK I don't know. Maybe they do have some kind of agreement like Switzerland has. (Switzerland applies all EU regulations to its train companies) With SNCF I could also easily use their refund webbage by just entering my booking reference and bank account and I got the refund within 10 days. However, I do speak french which was helpful because the english form did not work/load or even exist? In case you don't have a customer account at these cpompanies the only way getting the refund at DB and SNCF is by sending a letter with a printed-out form. Also works but usually takes a looooong time to be processed (and you have to pay the postage). Oebb I would say has the best refund system because you don't necessarily need to have an account but in most countries (I would guess) it is easy if you have the dedicated App. At OEBB you can get the approval of delay online until 7 days after you arrived. So if you are late I recommend to directly do the request just after you arrived.
If you like Vienna main station, might be worth checking out the new Stuttgart main station (S21 project) - still a long way from being finished, but on their open days you can see the architect's (ridiculously expensive) vision taking shape . . .
I think you used the wrong dimensions for the storage area. On the OEBB site it says: max. 40 x 55 x 23 cm. The dimensions "18x57x15" are for the shoe storage.
Thanks again for the great review! 👏🏼 I had some concerns regarding the relatively small dimensions of the luggage boxes you mentioned at 7:16 and compared it with those on the nightjet website: Lockers for hand luggage (max. 40 x 55 x 23 cm) and shoes (max. 18 x 57 x 15 cm) next to each mini cabin
Ah yeah, someone from Austria who specializes in just doing rail news in Austria, Germany and Switzerland had the same experience, and even got some statements from the ÖBB itself, it IS something that's going to be fixed. eventually. LOL My personal experience with the new Mini-Cabins was quite well actually, I didn't have any random announcements in the middle of the night (but then again, we WERE on time save for... a bunch of minutes or something) by the time I was travelling (this years end of February/start of March). I guess after a couple of times the smell does get weird in there, I guess I'll take a bag of lavender with me (I wouldn't want to use a spray in such closed spaces that cannot open a window fully) the next time I travel.
If the high speed rail tunnel under the Irish Sea between Holyhead and North of Dublin could get built, overnight sleeper trains from Hull, via Leeds, Manchester Victoria, Chester, Holyhead (via the North Wales line) and Dublin Connolly (via the Dublin Belfast line) could become a real possibility
Doubt Americans will ever go for the couchette room occupied by 4 strangers. In the long run I doubt Europeans will either for reasons that don't need to be mentioned but the news shows every day. The pods are another matter. I can see some Europeans buy into the idea but Americans never. There are ways to build higher capacity sleeping cars with out those pods.
@@emilkarpo, there's *_nothing_* wrong with these pods other than you watch too much news on TV and think that everything's bad when it isn't. These couchettes are great and will work for people in North America as much as they do in Europe.
Quiet interesting to note that an Austrian locomotive pulls the train forward on a German track a few hours south from Hamburg. Always figured there would be a change of engine at the German Austrian border thank you very much and enjoy your day ☺️☺️
21st century, at last ... almost I was dreaming of pod/cubicle type of sleeping wagons (instead of having to share the compartment with 5 snoring strangers) for years ... Glad it was conceived. Unfortunately the "comfort" looks quite ruined by the technical details, even by the usual culprits: Noisy loudspeakers. Light managed externally, not by the passenger. Waking up through the night. I see then a fair comparison to (much cheaper) night bus transport, where they wake you up every 2 hours - for a compulsory driver stop - with loud announcements and bright light :) In general, I find light and noise really counter-intuitive on the "night service", so I'd ask: With all the control panels and buttons, can one make the cubicle really dark? Nothing blinking, no under-illumination of the buttons etc... Are the shades sufficient, or just semi-transparent (which may be a problem on the summer's early mornings)? Are the corridors of the wagons illuminated by the warm light (no blue part of the spectrum) as it should be? This is a usual problem with the sitting wagons in the late evenings - too bright, for no understandable reason. Can one breath within the cubicle? Can you let in the outside air without too much outside noise? Can you regulate the A/C so it is not freezing or even worse: hot and dry? This was the usual obstacle to sound sleeping with the older models of the sleeper wagons. What about the sound-proofing - are the walls of the cubicles paper-thin? Can you hear the neighbors rustling? What about the outside noises - I was never able to sleep with brakes screeching or hearing the station loudspeaker announcements from the outside - at every stop (which night trains usually have many of). Can an average person actually SLEEP there? :D The "operational peculiarities" are also a factor that does not avoid OEBB trains either: Being woken up in the middle of a night for border ID/passport control within Shengen (!) zone. Frequent extreme delays. Unreliable engines. (It's time to cease praising those Tauruses, seriously.) And of course sharing train operations between railway companies. If some wagons are operated by Hungarian MAV (which you will not find out when buying the international ticket), you will still get a "good old 6-person compartment" and it's quite probable the staff will be on strike and instead of sleeping wagons they will dispatch sitting ones (with no staff). Return of couchette money is no compensation for a sleepless night. There's a flaw on OEBB side not to cease train sharing with unreliable fellow operator, i.e. hiring and paying decently their own staff. Technically - I don't find a problem with berths positioned along the track - since the night trains alas do not usually run on the high speed tracks, but on the old damaged and frequently-curving lines - when the berths were positioned perpendicularly in the standard 6/4 compartments, each breaking or departure of the train some half of the compartment's passengers were rolling out of the bed! I guess that won't happen in the tight cubicles though. And what about the big luggage? E.g. those notorious tall backpacks when one travels for the slightly longer holidays - that a passenger would use these long-distance night trains for in the first place. I love trains and frequently travel long-distance across Europe on trains - but that advertisement buzz about "night trains being an alternative to flying within Europe" is still more a wish (if not a marketing delusion) to me, than an available option. Maybe one day when high-speed rail reaches trans-European interconnectedness (not just patchwork of national operators each one running their own flavor) and when they allow night-trains on those tracks ;)
Well it’s a NO from me because I prefer daylight travel. I enjoy looking out the window at the passing scenery instead of stark blackness. The sleeping pods are a great idea for those on a budget and can tolerate close quarters. If I had to go on overnight services, it would be in one of the deluxe rooms simply because I wouldn’t tolerate the close quarters very well and sitting up at night is out of the question. I take it there was no dining car because of scheduled departure/arrival times. 🤔
These trains... Seem to have missed a couple of spots. The noisy panels are an obvious one. The door is funny. But the dang midnight announcements...! Do you get to pick upper vs lower bed as well? I'm American, so If I ever take that train I'll really need that extra storage. How was the service? I've heard that they aren't the best.
@@SuperalbsTravels Do you think the additional storage under the lower bunk will fit a carry on luggage? I'm having my doubts having just rewatched this.
I think a soft bag (like a rucksack) would fit, but a hard suitcase would probably not. All depends on the exact size of course! I only looked briefly, so no measurements I'm afraid.
Looks like something that would face serious safety (evacuation) and accessibility issues in the US regulatory environment. Higher capacity sleeping cars are a good idea but this pod business looks dystopian and very 1984. At one time in the US we had sleeping cars called Slumbercoaches that had the same capacity without the pod business and every room had a toilet and sink.
@@SuperalbsTravels LOL No Amtrak would charge what they currently charge for a single occupancy roomette for the pod and raise the price of roomettes even higher. I'll bet something like this happens in Europe as well. Mobility isn't in our future as planned by Davos, the WEF and Brussels.
Most likely. It looked like a "reboot" to me. But they also couple / de-couple other Nightjet services as part of the regular plan (e.g. there is an Innsbruck -> Hamburg Nightjet which is coupled to this train), so they need to be able to do this without disturbing everyone's sleep.
@@lordeisschrank Yes, but when I did the trip I also had the lights come on unexpectedly. It seems to be a problem that this happens with every kind of reset / reconfiguration.
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Hey. Could you add subtitles for non English words. Love you video
@@borntowild480 Hi, what exactly do you mean? :)
@@GlobeSync1 thank you! 🥰
I suspect the random announcements and lights may have been caused by the restarting of the electrical systems after the locomotive broke down
@@ncard00 Right now I would only be able to review Korean and Japanese trains ㄲㄲㄲ
That is what I thought too
That's a good possibility. Could be the cabins are cut off from the interruptions most times, but reset to default once the power was restored (like a car radio).
"Around midnight" train most probably arrived in Germany and they turn on lights during border control every time
Your explanation makes sense!
I was in one of these last weekend, a few thoughts:
1. The cabins didn't feel very well ventilated, and smelled, to be honest, quite bad. Some HVAC controls would be nice, but at least they need to look at ways to improve airflow.
2. The roller doors at the end of each cabin rattle when the train is moving. I jammed a thin towel between the door and its track, which cut down on the rattling a bit, but hopefully they can find a proper fix for this, as it seems to be a common problem. (I had this problem both directions).
3. I think the sheets are just meant to be used like a sleeping bag liner, i.e. you just climb into it, you don't "make the bed" as such.
4. I suppose the huge luggage racks in the seating area are meant for the couchettes also. ÖBB need to communicate this better as lots of people seemed to be falling over their luggage given the small lockers in the couchette car.
5. They sell sleep masks (€2), and ear plugs (€2.50) on the train, I'd recommend these for a better night's sleep.
6. The key card holder next to the door is a nice idea.
All in all, I think the cabins are a huge improvement on previous couchettes, especially when travelling alone, as it means you can go to sleep at your own time, not worry about disturbing others when joining / leaving the train part way through, etc. I think it's a really cool idea, and respect to ÖBB for taking a risk here. I think the teething troubles will be worked through soon enough, and these can become a realistic, economic alternative to flying for some journeys.
Agreed, I look forward to seeing how the product develops.
A smelly coffin to wait what goes wrong during your journey. I think I'll stay at home.
I'm a little bit OCD, so reading your comment makes me think that l won't go by this train.
@@soavemusica That seems quite an overreaction. The alternative to this specific train is to not go anywhere? There are buses, other trains, airlines, ships. All of them safer than cars btw.
Truly love how the channel shows every detail even including for wheelchair users unlike many other channels! Best review channel on UA-cam!
I dont know if its just me, but my feed is filled with "New railjet overnight train" every week.
Same here
I hope people dont stop talking about it until ÖBB fixes all its problems. :)
Yep there’s a lot of competing rail traveller’s on the tube now
All marketing propaganda for a shit product
@@ulfwder einzige Propagandist hier bist du, du Clown
When I caught the Nightjet from Vienna to Brussels last year we were about five hours late - the EU compensation money really does make the whole experience that much more appealing! Ended up cheaper than a hotel rather than much more expensive. The lack of a bar car is a bit sad though, what's the point of a sleeper train if you can't flirt with mysterious widows and hatch murder mystery plans until being sent to your cabins at midnight?
😊😊😊😊😊
I’ve travelled by rail in Europe many times as a child in the 1960-70’s, & then on my own 1984-1992. In 1985 I spent 6 months in Europe using trains from Ireland, UK, France, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Italy, Yugoslavia, Greece, Hungary, Austria, West Germany & East Germany, Denmark, Holland, Belgium & Luxembourg. The trains have changed so much in all these years, especially from country to country. France already had TGV’s by this point & the rest of Europe quickly followed.
I wish they had sleeping compartments like this when I was there. I’ve had to share a couchette with 5 other people, and invariably I always got someone who snores! Plus personal possessions were in danger depending on who shared your compartment.
I will have to make the trek back to Europe soon. I’m in my 60’s now, and many of my relatives in Ireland, UK and Serbia are getting old and passing away now.
I will definitely take advantage of these new trains (where I can).
Thanks for posting this.
Brian Toronto Canada.
I remember the shared 5 sleeper compartment in the 80's! I was so freaked out by being the only woman in a sleeper with 4 unrelated males, I couldn't sleep. Especially after they locked the door to the compartment. One said thieves roam in the night to gain compartment access. 🤦😂
Spain here. Overnight trains No Longer exist here, I miss them so much!! I guess it's better for you to know, to avoid dissapointments...
Eastern and central europe still have decent sleeper trains.
yaaaaaaaayyy i am glad to feature in this video with my long legs haahahahha
You were a great actor! 😂😂😂😂
legs reveal :D
@@SuperalbsTravels it was a honor😆
@@povrides2you724 Where in the video is your appearance? And how did you sleep on the new trains?
I am so annoyed that still, modern night trains continue with the below 1m90 length for their beds... Maybe it's really impossible to fit taller ones, but for me it truly means I can't sleep, as not only am I 1m93, but also a belly sleeper (non-negotiable unfortunately, some humans are weird, I know), so that means that I'm rather 2m while sleeping...
Wow - €75 - about £63 / 64 pounds = superb value this is for that length of journey - and with a cabin. Unheard of in the uk.
Excellent video keep em coming
Yeah, cheaper than a hotel room at either end of this journey, plus with the bonus of actually getting somewhere.
Technical issues with the new train stock and even worse technical deficiencies and lack of availability with the old stock on all the other routes is really what's plaguing the ÖBB Nightjet service. Frankly, in combination with the now dynamic prices and the massively increased price to take a bike with you (thank you for mentioning it by the way, this is often overlooked, it was only 10€ or so before), it no longer is an option for me and my partner (with two bikes) and we're unfortunately back to travelling by day.
I wasn't aware of the implementation of dynamic pricing* so thanks for the advice!
*Dynamic pricing=we will squeeze you for every Euro possible. It gets more like the dreaded Ryanair every day...
@@Robutube1 I dread to think what that will do to the cost - in January I booked a comfort sleeper cabin from Amsterdam to Innsbruck for mid June and it cost me €600+ (100% increase on last year) and that was for a trip on the old un-refurbished stock! This will be my last ride on the NightJet.
Detailed and clear expression🙏 Thx for ur devotion😘 I tried the app mentioned by comments section, amazingly it is 💥super save🤩
If it weren't for the random announcement and lights coming on, this would be a pretty good option at that price if you're single or travelling with mates. Probably doesn't work as well for couples and families or older people who need more comfort and less climbing. It's good to have the choice though!
Yep, but there are options for those people too, such as group compartments and more spacious private sleepers. :)
I think the random annoucements and lights are software bugs which will be fixed in the future.
@@SuperalbsTravels The announcement and lights was probably when the electrical system got reconnected, resetting everything.
Frequent traveller from Zürich to Amsterdam I avoid Deutsche Bahn and take the Paris route (TGV)
The only travel blogger who takes the trouble to learn how to pronounce the names of places that he goes to.
obb - now after 4 times in wien I know its "eew-beh beh" I alway called it oh-bibi! (but for other reasons entirely)
Great video! But I had a different experience.
I travelled on this just a couple of days ago from Hamburg to Vienna. It was a bizarre experience too, at 7am, the host knocked on my door with breakfast, and didn’t hand it over until I’d given him the bedsheets, and as you could imagine, in such a small space, it was very difficult while he was just standing there. Then an hour before arrival at 8:30am, the host took my key card so I couldn’t get back into the room after I’d left, so I couldn’t go to the toilet for the last hour, so I was generally very uncomfortable. In terms of the nights sleep, I had a very comfortable sleep, and only arrived 40 minutes late. The boarding process was all a mess and I found everything apart from the sleep itself, very awkward.
I really enjoyed your take on it though and what you found positive and negative, I look forward to the next one!
Thanks! That sounds like a really unusual experience, it would definitely annoy me... 🤔
I did this journey (and back) 2 weeks ago. On the way to Hamburg the lights also came on randomly during the night and a couple of announcements. Although I was not next to the bathroom (33) you could hear the very loud beeps everytime someone entered the bathroom and the sound isolation in the corridor was none existent. That being said I did get some sleep. The journey back was much better and was actually on time?! Which is the first on time I had with the Nightjet from 6 trips in the last 12 months
Pricing for Europe is indeed very good and it seems they upped their comfort level a bit. We used one of their trains 2 years ago and for me being over 190cm it was a horrible experience. I couldn't pull up my knees without hitting something and I couldn't lie all out without noticing the bed space was 2-3cm short, so I slept about 30 min out of pure exhaustion. Judging from your review that spacing issue, hasn't changed. Thank you for your review, the plane it is.
The pods are a perfect example of fancy glossy looks over practicality. The paper thing dividers between pods means if next door snores, talks on a phone etc there is no sound proofing. And the entry doors rattle open and closing so again people coming and going will wake you.
Exactly! It's not revolutionary but anti-people!
It's basically a cage & they are charging a premium for it. Looks very uncomfortable & claustrophobic tbh, not desirable.
Of course a good acoustic isolation would eat up more valuable space: Every pod would need its own separate suspension from the superstructure. Using earplugs for sleeping may be sufficient?
@@gargoyle7863 so in other words it’s not a relaxing evening. More akin to a 10 year old going to a school camp? Earplugs are hardly a solution for an inferior dumbed down product . It’s like saying if the toilets are dirty, just take a bucket with you.
You find pods perfect? It is an example of dehumanisering travel, even pigs destined to slaughterhouse have fought to have some standard and space
So what do you want? You are on an effing train that is moving, there are noises all the time, and there are other people.
I took some time ago the Nachtzug from Berlin to Munich, in a private cabin just by myself with a loo and a shower. The night was wonderful, breakfast tasty and I stepped off the train Munich fresh and well rested.
I also took some 37 years back the train from Dortmund to Rome, in a normal 6 seat cabin (which I had to myself outbound and inbound) and it was an amazing experience.
In particular when you are some sort of a train enthusiast. Going up the Gotthard in the early morning hours, Northern Italy mid morning and arriving at Roma Termini was epic. Return trip was via Domodossola and Sion, equally a gorgeous track to take a train, the landscapes are awesome.
Anyhow, if you have a problem with a sleeping mask and ear plugs, an overnight train isn’t for you. Plain and simple. You better take a plane, and don’t bother other people who still think that the journey is the adventure, and not the arrival!
A concept completely lost on more and more people.
Those tiny capsule sleeping compartments are great from young fit people but no good for us older less mobile folk. They also rather remind me of the drawers in morgues/mortuaries used to house cadavers.
Yes...and, Yes !!
I am used to overnight rail in the USA; while the "Jet" is newer and sleeker looking, I will stick with the Super or Viewliner services here. My first thought was in line with your latter comment as I immediately thought of the space more so as a rolling coffin.
The only time I've slept overnight on a train it was 1992, the motorail service from Santander to Malaga. Slept fine for most of the way, but do recall being woken by the sound of a train going slowly over points somewhere near Madrid. This was the time before internet, so I used the Thomas Cook book to identify the train & booking office then I called them for their fax number. I don't speak Spanish so they had to read the number very slowly ... luckily numbers are similar to French! I booked by fax, to meet the ferry from the UK. Many of the fellow pasengers were British who lived in Spain. Drove back for the return, sadly this service does not operate anymore.
Spain and Portugal really gave up completely on trains. Well, they exist, but it’s really not used often.
I Don't know alot about trains but when I interrailed in Europe I got to try out a lot of them. And suprisingly the best BY FAR was the new MAV intercity trains from Budapest to Hamburg. Such a nice design, smooth ride and nice seats:) would love to see a video on it!
I'd like to try it sometime. And my friend told me there are discounts now.
I’m going on that train tomorrow, and I did it 2 months ago as well. Very comfortable! The restaurant was great also.
Last time I took a sleeping car, it was over 7 hours late - makes your 3 hour delay seem practically on time!
Wow, what route was that? 😭
Night trains tend to have enormous delays
@@SuperalbsTravels Hamburg to Stockholm, last June.
@@AnnabelSmyth Ah yes, that one is really troublesome. I've had a lot of problems myself too...
I took 2 sleeper trains this summer, a turkish one and a romanian one, both without any delays!
This was an excellent video on these - The door randomly opening on the wrong side was pretty unexpected 🤣
Thank you, it was pretty funny! 😂
@@SuperalbsTravels "We will now be departing from Platform 0..... Even though that's a platform that doesn't exist. It's my first day on the job, so I'm just gonna spray paint the ballast, and that's your Platform 0.
Good day, watch out for oncoming trains, I don't want to deal with more paperwork on my first day".
That's probably not what happened, but I'd like to imagine that's why the door opened there.
@@AutismTakesOnWell, if they ever need to serve Platform 9 3/4!
That was me opening the doors on the wrong side in train sim.. 😅
I made my trip in those mini-cabins. As a 1.99m tall guy, it was quite a squeeze but very comfy nonetheless! It has some flaws (very strong AC, poor noise-insulation, limited storage space), but in general it is a really great option for solo travellers and a true innovation to overnight travel!
Some things that appear to be causing the main problems are more operational things. Apart from the boarding being very chaotic (due to very limited place), the staff sometimes appears to be a little rude and overwhelmed/unorganized. And: the trains are quite unreliable due to technical reasons, especially when coming from Hamburg.
Annnnd we must mention the dynamic pricing which can be really frustrating...
But overall I have to say the concept of those mini cabins is unbelievable! And I love them :D
I really like them too! Hopefully they sort out the issues. :)
I travelled from Vienna to Dornbirn in a Mini Cabin. I would not recommed that, especially given that I am disabled and these "coffins" are barely usable for me. They are very noisy (you can here the person next to you breathe) and the light controls are really loud (you can definitely hear them in the cabins next to you. Also the roller shutter is *VERY* loud - you can hear them through the whole of the waggon!
Next time I would take a "traditional" rest cabin. Unfortunately I am not disabled enough to be allowed to book the disabled cabin. It is a dream to travel in them!
How incredibly clean and well maintained this station is. Nothing like you see in New York or San Francisco !
Agreed! 😥
If you have been lately, the new Moynihan Train Hall in NYC is quite nice - nothing like Penn Station has been since the original station was torn down in the 1960's. The old Penn Station is undergoing some renovations as well and should be a bit better in the next few years.
For the first time ever, I watched the whole entire sponsorship. It looks rather cool compared to other youtuber’s sponsorships.
The intros always keep me hooked! 💪
I’ve ridden a night train from Hamburg to Vienna and return. I remember exactly 2 things from that trip,- Hamburg hbf and 9/11.
Oh right! 😳
Glitches on an inaugural run are sometimes to be expected. I'm sure they will iron out all the bugs in due time. I have no doubt this will end up to be a very popular journey. I can't wait to take it!! Great review!
Your transition to ads caught me off guard😂
Jokes aside, I think I have to give this a go. By then, the glitches which caused some disturbance in the middle of the night should have been fixed
We travelled in an overnight sleeper 4 weeks ago from Vienna to Venice. It was not the new coaches and we had a "4 person couchette" sharing with another couple. We boarded at night but the other couple boarded on route even later. We were on the 2 upper beds. It was a horrible night and we did not get any sleep. The other elderly couple were french and they would not stop eating junk food (crisps) and talking throughout the middle of the night. I told them to shut up but that did not work as they had no intention of actually sleeping. About 3.00am i had another go at them but that did not work. It was our worst experience travelling on a train and we would never book a couchette again unless it was a 2 person sleeper for couples. The pillows on that i would not even call a pillow as they were tiny with zero head support. The ladder to the top bunks (used for luggage storage only) rattled all night.
12:51 "me and the boys" moment
great to see rail geeks being sociable :)
😂😂😂😂
The funniest thing is the window! It is marked as safety exit, but I doubt someone lile you and me would fit through 😂
😂😂😂
Watch at 7:44, it is quite interesting how it works.
All great fun until the train derails and the side it falls on is the emergency exit side and the chances of that are ALWAYS 50/50.
There is enough space to fit through... The divider door shown in the video would be opened and both halves of the window broken, opening up the entire frame.
@@emilkarpo You know there's emergency exits on the other side, right?
Those are not for someone who is claustrophobic. But I do like the idea. I am glad to see there are accommodations for wheelchairs.
I've just applied for my FIP Card so I will be looking forward to finally getting to go and experience these wonderful night trains myself. Thanks for all the wonderful videos that have kept me entertained during my ongoing battle with discitis 🙂
Awesome, hope you enjoy the experience! 😍
Superbly done train vlog!
A reasonable price
Maiden trip
Weird midnight announcement
Being late for 3 hours and claiming the refund
It's very entertaining to watch the video as a train enthusiast😄
Haha, thanks! :)
Something that would be good for the London-Scotland trains I think if it brought the prices down. Was looking at taking the Caledonian Sleeper but the prices even booked months in advance are hard to justify when flights are £30 return. As much as I'm not too keen on flying and don't like the idea of polluting, it would be ~5 hour total trip for me for a fraction of the price. £540 for two of us in bunk beds, it's just insane, you can fork out for an airport lounge, multiple snacks on Ryanair, the flights and a 5 star hotel for less.
we've had the same dilemma- i would suggest doing it as a daytime journey seated. we haven't done it yet but we're planning to- st P to edinburgh is only 4.5 hr and you can get returns on lumo for this june for 2 adults under £300 without a railcard. If you're travelling as a pair you can use a two together railcard, worth it just for one journey as this makes it £200 return. safe travels!
@@rosieupton9924 Yeah I was just looking at that, we both have 26-30 railcards and you're right it comes out about £200 (with a local train into London from Essex). Still though, we can take a £2 bus to Stansted (so £8 total for 2 people) plus £60 for the two of us on the cheapest flights and total journey time would be similar. Buses also run through the night, so we could in theory take the early flight and be in Edinburgh at 8am.
It's just frustrating that flying can be so cheap when there are direct trains available running all day. We pack light too, so not even the cases would make a difference.
The price is right!!, sorry copyright infringement, but the price would certainly make me use it a hotel room on the move and extra time to explore Hamburg or Vienna if you’re going the other way
Haha 😂😂😂
In the US, you can't copyright a title. But you can trademark it to include the font and colors used.
Love to see ÖBB revolutionise the night train with introduction of capsule style cabin while retaining some tradional compartment for group travellers. Certainly this is good for privercy minded passengers, and all other night train operators especially SNCF should follow suit. It's very annoying having to share the room with 3 strangers in first class couchette or 5 strangers in 2nd class couchette when travelling in Intercités de nuit across France.
Having a train like this on SNCF overnight routes would be SO GOOD! 🥰
Great video. Very useful information, graphics and narration. Thank you.
You can'rt turn the loudspeaker off or down? Did you email OBB about yournbeing disturbed by loud announcements during the night?
The price is incredible inexpensive considering the distance,a little tight but still better than sitting down for 12 hours trip,thanks ,great video !
Question: when not sleeping, are you entitled to a place in the seating section? Or are you confined to sitting on the bed?
Unfortunate of the breakdown, but luckily this doesn't happen often with the Siemens Taurus and Vectron locomotives which are on this service.
The lights and announcements coming on in the middle of the night might indeed be caused by the train head end power coming on again.
Maybe ÖBB can find a way in reprogramming the software so that this doesn't happen anymore and lights do only come on after an operator command.
Even at full price I think the value is very good, and when traveling alone I think these mini berths are an improvement over sharing a 4 berth compartment with strangers.
The train is very cleverly designed, and looks attractive too. When having a large backpack or suitcase you may to have it stored in the luggage racks in the seater coach as there is no room to take it with you inside the berth.
And when you are not that mobile I would always advise to reserve a lower berth.
16:05 Imagine if that's the seat you were assigned when you bought your ticket last minute. The joy of being able to squeeze on the train would be short-lived to say the least.
Thankfully, I don't think that is actually an allocated seat. 😂
@@SuperalbsTravels I guessed as much but it would be funny if it were.
@@SirKenchalot yeah! 🤣
This is really convenient for travelling alone.
These look little better than traveling in a coffin. I never thought Europe would come up with a train car that makes Amtrak look luxurious by comparison!
I went from Paris to Toulouse on the overnight train about 10 years ago in a sleeper carriage. The service was lousy but the train was quiet & smooth . I slept like a log , it was a fantastic way to get between the 2 cities .
Super nice Video! I like it!
Nice video. Keep up the good work.
the mini-cabin divider, do you have to unlock both sides to open?
Yes, both sides must be unlocked.
New night services are starting up all across Europe but this is probably the first that's offering a product that is better than the majority of new overnights that are ordering the same product, couchettes, and ancient non-airconditioned sleepers that helped kill overnight trains decades ago.
It's great to see such investment into overnight trains! :)
Stunning livery. If this is the future I like what I see
as someone who's disabled thank you for showing the disabled room on the night train.
Glad to help. :)
Im Living near Vienna and i have a good friend in Hamburg. Im very eager to try the new Nightjet. Also the mini cabins are an introverts dream which is why i want to try them so badly xD.
Ah yes, another piece of europe's mobility puzzle falls into place... Great to see austria again being at the forefront of green travel. It would be nice to see more train operators run sleeper services of this quality. I suppose that new services can only be ran if there's enough demand, so hopefully the rest of europe and the world will see what's happening here and start campaining for better transport also.
To be fair to OEBB, all new trains have a certain number of technical issues when new, especially with all the software involved nowadays, I'm sure this will get ironed out in the long run, especially if they follow their track record of listening to their passenger's feedback.
Yeah, I am looking forward to seeing these carriages settle down a little. :)
lol @green travel. Yea okay
Fun fact, the austrian railjets have a built-in wheelchair lift which is very convenient as wheelchair user.
Was interested to see your video as it referred to a new train. Aside from the first time bugs, I must admit that as an older person, the overall effect/look was very cold and the couchettes would be difficult and uncomfortable unless you were younger and fairly spry.
1:46 How does Vienna compare to London Euston?
10x better. Or maybe 100x better. 🤣
@@SuperalbsTravelsif you don't mind me asking, could you tell me your personal favorite things in Vienna? I am going to be going soon from the US for the first time in Europe
@@TheGreatJ I've not spent much time there, sadly!
Is this compartment also comfortable for sitting in? Once you wake up and you don't want to be lying down anymore. To me it looks kinda low for that?
As shown, I found the headroom while sat to be quite decent.
Have just travelled on the Nightjet from Feldkirch to Vienna in one of the new compact sleeper compartments. Great to have on suite bathroom but the beds were so hard and narrow. Good breakfast. Car travelled as well as it was a motor rail service. Why oh why are there not more of these services? It saves on pollution and takes vehicles off the road. The EU Parliament should be encouraging motor rail services. then advertise them well and people will use them.
At what station does the split between the destinations Hamburg or Amsterdam take place?
This happens at Nürnberg Hbf. :)
was thinking of booking something for the Christmas market. We both love trains with my wife. However, the price (800€ or so) would be enough for 2 tickets and 2 nights in a hotel, and we'd still have some spending money left. Not affordable yet. Hoping that this will change though.
In India if there is a train delay of any kind... especially the technical issue.. refund claims of 100 percent within 48 hours...The Trains for similiar types are ICF manifactured and the Railways General had no accidents at all... Super spacious compartments..Toilets are world class...and Catering Above world class... Staff and Railway police and services are above and way above and the major stations are superior to any country in the world... please visit Indian railways... Normal AC travel and dont go by their advertisement Blitz... just experience the quality and class..you will be shocked😂
Thank you
Yay a Video Form my City Vienna 👍
I'm pretty sure the measurements at 7:15 are those for the shoe compartment.
Oops, thanks for that correction! 👍
@@AutismTakesOn arrival is at roughly 17 mins into the video, and when i checked the timestamp was correct, must have been a glitch of some sorts
Crazy unfiltered PWM pulsation light.
Superalbs: Is this the future?
Tom Thornton on pod train a month ago: This isn't the future.
Thanks for this video. Now I feel pretty lucky to have arrived EARLY on two sleepers in a row (EN442 Kosice - Prague and ES452 Prague - Brussels)...
The third last time I had a night train trip was also the Nightjet NJ425 (Brussels -) Aachen - Vienna last year with a delay of an hour because the carriages from Amsterdam were affected by another delaying trains in Germany, whilst the portion workings in Troisdorf and Nuremberg were also that slow. Hopefully the portion workings could be somewhat better now.
Wow, you're lucky haha! :)
I’ve done the jet train between Munich and Vienna, it was a fine comfortable ride. I would find that room you had to be small, cramped, and uncomfortable. Most importantly, I don’t wanna hear anybody else’s banging, talking or clanking . Given the general low price, I would opt for a full private cabin.
I like how the Taurus trains sings when it departs
You have to have your own loo when travelling like this, with this number of passengers. I wonder how much a cabin with loo cost. Interesting video.
That little cabin is my idea of hell!! 😁
Watching this after watching trains in Japan...Europe has long way to go, before reach their level of comfort and efficiency.
I love the idea! The American never figured out how great railroad travel is. While the rest of the world is improving and now comes the sleeper capsules. Love it!
The best night sleep I've ever had was on Amtrak in a private roomette from Flagstaff AZ to L.A....took it a half dozen times...great sleep every time. Everyone loves to knock American train travel but I've had great experiences.
I’m trying to book this exact journey in September albeit in reverse. I can’t see that the minicabins are available though. Anyone know why? Yes I am using the OEBB website.
Thanks for this helpful review. Two questions if I may?
1. Is there more luggage space available to couchette passengers elsewhere in the carriage for larger bags?
2. How does the European refund system work - is it centralised or do you contact the provider as in the UK? Thanks!
1. No more luggage space, but I got the measurements wrong, so the actual space is a bit larger.
2. I claimed from ÖBB, not sure what happens if you have a more complicated journey.
Usually you request the refund at the company where you bought the ticket.
Here some experince:
I never had big problems with OEBB or DB. However it is much easier if you have a customer account. In the case of OEBB, where you can book most of the night trains in central europe, you can use an online form. In my case I used their chatbot (took a nightrain from Rijeka to Munich 130min delay (normal for this train)) to claim the refund, and I just had to put my booking/ticket number and train number in the chat and 5 days later I got my 50% refund back on my credit card which I orginally used to book the ticket.
In case of DB, you can request the refund via the App (very easy). When you arrived you can go on your ticket and click the "request refund" button, enter your actual arrival time and bank account and that's it. Unfortunaletly they do not refund via your "booking method" such as Oebb does. I don't know what happens if you don't have an european (EU) bank account. I know it works fine with swiss bank accounts (of course you lose a little because of the currency exchange) and all € bank accounts but for UK I don't know. Maybe they do have some kind of agreement like Switzerland has. (Switzerland applies all EU regulations to its train companies)
With SNCF I could also easily use their refund webbage by just entering my booking reference and bank account and I got the refund within 10 days. However, I do speak french which was helpful because the english form did not work/load or even exist?
In case you don't have a customer account at these cpompanies the only way getting the refund at DB and SNCF is by sending a letter with a printed-out form. Also works but usually takes a looooong time to be processed (and you have to pay the postage).
Oebb I would say has the best refund system because you don't necessarily need to have an account but in most countries (I would guess) it is easy if you have the dedicated App. At OEBB you can get the approval of delay online until 7 days after you arrived. So if you are late I recommend to directly do the request just after you arrived.
If you like Vienna main station, might be worth checking out the new Stuttgart main station (S21 project) - still a long way from being finished, but on their open days you can see the architect's (ridiculously expensive) vision taking shape . . .
these cabins seems to awaken my claustrophobia by just watching the video. I don't think I can ever travel in one.
I think you used the wrong dimensions for the storage area. On the OEBB site it says: max. 40 x 55 x 23 cm. The dimensions "18x57x15" are for the shoe storage.
Thanks for the correction!
Thanks again for the great review! 👏🏼
I had some concerns regarding the relatively small dimensions of the luggage boxes you mentioned at 7:16 and compared it with those on the nightjet website:
Lockers for hand luggage (max. 40 x 55 x 23 cm) and shoes (max. 18 x 57 x 15 cm) next to each mini cabin
Thanks for that, my silly mistake! 🙄
Those luggage lockers are ridiculously small, a mid-sized suitcase like mine wouldn't fit.
Ah yeah, someone from Austria who specializes in just doing rail news in Austria, Germany and Switzerland had the same experience, and even got some statements from the ÖBB itself, it IS something that's going to be fixed. eventually. LOL
My personal experience with the new Mini-Cabins was quite well actually, I didn't have any random announcements in the middle of the night (but then again, we WERE on time save for... a bunch of minutes or something) by the time I was travelling (this years end of February/start of March).
I guess after a couple of times the smell does get weird in there, I guess I'll take a bag of lavender with me (I wouldn't want to use a spray in such closed spaces that cannot open a window fully) the next time I travel.
Great seeing this. Did anybody explain why they made announcements in the middle of the night?? Also, how much did the room with the shower cost?
If the high speed rail tunnel under the Irish Sea between Holyhead and North of Dublin could get built, overnight sleeper trains from Hull, via Leeds, Manchester Victoria, Chester, Holyhead (via the North Wales line) and Dublin Connolly (via the Dublin Belfast line) could become a real possibility
could you do a video on the Portuguese Aveiro to sernada do Vouga narrow gauge branch?
We need this couchette car model here in North America (on both Amtrak & Via Rail.)
Doubt Americans will ever go for the couchette room occupied by 4 strangers. In the long run I doubt Europeans will either for reasons that don't need to be mentioned but the news shows every day. The pods are another matter. I can see some Europeans buy into the idea but Americans never. There are ways to build higher capacity sleeping cars with out those pods.
@@emilkarposhow what? You are falling for sensationalism when crime rates arent rising
@@emilkarpo, there's *_nothing_* wrong with these pods other than you watch too much news on TV and think that everything's bad when it isn't. These couchettes are great and will work for people in North America as much as they do in Europe.
Quiet interesting to note that an Austrian locomotive pulls the train forward on a German track a few hours south from Hamburg. Always figured there would be a change of engine at the German Austrian border thank you very much and enjoy your day ☺️☺️
It's usually an Austrian locomotive all the way, but they added a Geramn one due to a total failure.
@@SuperalbsTravels Thank you for the information quiet interesting 😊😊
Looks lovely!
Sure was - mostly! 😂
21st century, at last ... almost
I was dreaming of pod/cubicle type of sleeping wagons (instead of having to share the compartment with 5 snoring strangers) for years ... Glad it was conceived.
Unfortunately the "comfort" looks quite ruined by the technical details, even by the usual culprits: Noisy loudspeakers. Light managed externally, not by the passenger. Waking up through the night. I see then a fair comparison to (much cheaper) night bus transport, where they wake you up every 2 hours - for a compulsory driver stop - with loud announcements and bright light :)
In general, I find light and noise really counter-intuitive on the "night service", so I'd ask: With all the control panels and buttons, can one make the cubicle really dark? Nothing blinking, no under-illumination of the buttons etc... Are the shades sufficient, or just semi-transparent (which may be a problem on the summer's early mornings)? Are the corridors of the wagons illuminated by the warm light (no blue part of the spectrum) as it should be? This is a usual problem with the sitting wagons in the late evenings - too bright, for no understandable reason. Can one breath within the cubicle? Can you let in the outside air without too much outside noise? Can you regulate the A/C so it is not freezing or even worse: hot and dry? This was the usual obstacle to sound sleeping with the older models of the sleeper wagons. What about the sound-proofing - are the walls of the cubicles paper-thin? Can you hear the neighbors rustling? What about the outside noises - I was never able to sleep with brakes screeching or hearing the station loudspeaker announcements from the outside - at every stop (which night trains usually have many of).
Can an average person actually SLEEP there? :D
The "operational peculiarities" are also a factor that does not avoid OEBB trains either: Being woken up in the middle of a night for border ID/passport control within Shengen (!) zone. Frequent extreme delays. Unreliable engines. (It's time to cease praising those Tauruses, seriously.) And of course sharing train operations between railway companies. If some wagons are operated by Hungarian MAV (which you will not find out when buying the international ticket), you will still get a "good old 6-person compartment" and it's quite probable the staff will be on strike and instead of sleeping wagons they will dispatch sitting ones (with no staff). Return of couchette money is no compensation for a sleepless night. There's a flaw on OEBB side not to cease train sharing with unreliable fellow operator, i.e. hiring and paying decently their own staff.
Technically - I don't find a problem with berths positioned along the track - since the night trains alas do not usually run on the high speed tracks, but on the old damaged and frequently-curving lines - when the berths were positioned perpendicularly in the standard 6/4 compartments, each breaking or departure of the train some half of the compartment's passengers were rolling out of the bed! I guess that won't happen in the tight cubicles though.
And what about the big luggage? E.g. those notorious tall backpacks when one travels for the slightly longer holidays - that a passenger would use these long-distance night trains for in the first place.
I love trains and frequently travel long-distance across Europe on trains - but that advertisement buzz about "night trains being an alternative to flying within Europe" is still more a wish (if not a marketing delusion) to me, than an available option. Maybe one day when high-speed rail reaches trans-European interconnectedness (not just patchwork of national operators each one running their own flavor) and when they allow night-trains on those tracks ;)
Lots to think about, thanks for sharing!
Hi. How many passengers share those mini cabins you slept in? I assume 2?
No, you can only have one person per mini-cabin.
try the Swiss trains 😊 greetings from SWITZERLAND
OBB night ride is my list
Great video. What does the coffee cup button do? : )
Well it’s a NO from me because I prefer daylight travel. I enjoy looking out the window at the passing scenery instead of stark blackness. The sleeping pods are a great idea for those on a budget and can tolerate close quarters. If I had to go on overnight services, it would be in one of the deluxe rooms simply because I wouldn’t tolerate the close quarters very well and sitting up at night is out of the question. I take it there was no dining car because of scheduled departure/arrival times. 🤔
Nightjet does not operate dining cars on any of their routes.
Given the same price, I would prefer the 4 berth couchette to the mini cabin which gives an eerie claustrophobic feeling.
I enjoy your videos!! Great editing, great quality and more! I think you should try the Greek trains
Thank you so much! :)
If I can fit it in this year, then I will.
These trains... Seem to have missed a couple of spots. The noisy panels are an obvious one. The door is funny. But the dang midnight announcements...!
Do you get to pick upper vs lower bed as well? I'm American, so If I ever take that train I'll really need that extra storage.
How was the service? I've heard that they aren't the best.
You can pick upper or lower at the time of booking, yes. Staff were perfectly fine on this journey, I've never had an issue myself. :)
@@SuperalbsTravels Do you think the additional storage under the lower bunk will fit a carry on luggage? I'm having my doubts having just rewatched this.
I think a soft bag (like a rucksack) would fit, but a hard suitcase would probably not. All depends on the exact size of course! I only looked briefly, so no measurements I'm afraid.
I really like the train. I wish we had them in the U. S.
We do!
Only if America's sleeper trains had capsule sleeper services...
Agreed! And hopefully it would make overpriced Amtrak cheaper too. 😅
Looks like something that would face serious safety (evacuation) and accessibility issues in the US regulatory environment. Higher capacity sleeping cars are a good idea but this pod business looks dystopian and very 1984. At one time in the US we had sleeping cars called Slumbercoaches that had the same capacity without the pod business and every room had a toilet and sink.
@@SuperalbsTravels LOL No Amtrak would charge what they currently charge for a single occupancy roomette for the pod and raise the price of roomettes even higher. I'll bet something like this happens in Europe as well. Mobility isn't in our future as planned by Davos, the WEF and Brussels.
Privacy and having a bed for sleeping are not dystopian to me. Dystopia is TSA at any US airport
@@fincarosa Amen.
I wonder if the light/announcement at night had to do with connecting a new locomotive to the train?
Most likely. It looked like a "reboot" to me. But they also couple / de-couple other Nightjet services as part of the regular plan (e.g. there is an Innsbruck -> Hamburg Nightjet which is coupled to this train), so they need to be able to do this without disturbing everyone's sleep.
@@GaryCresswell-k4u those double nightjets already have a second loco in the middle, no?
@@lordeisschrank Yes, but when I did the trip I also had the lights come on unexpectedly. It seems to be a problem that this happens with every kind of reset / reconfiguration.