Austrian national railway unveils design for NightJet trains
Set to arrive in 2023, OBB's Nightjet sleeper trains will connect European cities overnight, offering a new level of comfort and privacy. Rose Dykins reports
"With OBB’s new cutting-edge Nightjet, traveling to cities such as Rome, Venice and Milan will become even easier and more comfortable. When you travel by night train, you choose the most relaxed way to travel. You also contribute to reducing CO2 emissions – travelling with the Nightjet is around 50 times more climate-friendly than an airplane."
Albrecht Neumann, CEO of Rolling Stock at Siemens Mobility, says: "With the new Nightjet, we are making an important contribution to making rail travel more appealing and to achieving climate targets. The trains are highly innovative: they will be the global benchmark for years to come, and they stand out due to their comfort for travellers and their sustainability and flexibility.
"One particular highlight of the interior is the innovative mini cabins that offer travellers a private space to retreat. The newly developed bogies, which are lightweight and enable comfortable and energy-efficient operation throughout the entire life cycle, provide a particularly quiet ride."
Each Nightjet train will comprise seven cars: two seating cars, three couchette cars and two sleeping cars – with a maximum capacity of 254 passengers per train. By reducing the occupancy of its sleeper accommodation compared to other sleeper trains (two-person compartments in sleeping cars; four-person compartments in couchette cars) and the mini cabins for those traveling by themselves), OBB's Nightjet offers a more private onboard experience.In the sleeping cars, all compartments have their own toilets and showers. The fixed beds are designed to be more comfortable, and there is also a seating area where passengers can relax and work, read or eat during their journey.
In Nightjet's mini cabins – the individual sleeping quarters in the train's couchette cars – the compact space features a storage area, a movable folding breakfast table with an integrated mirror, coat hooks, reading light and lockers for luggage.OBB's Nightjet will have parking spaces for six bikes, and extra stowage space for luggage and snow sports equipment. Each train will have a wheel-chair accessible couchette compartment with a bathroom that can be accessed via low-floor entry.
Travellers will also benefit from free wifi, and OBB's Railnet onboard portal for streaming films and TV shows and reading digital magazines and newspapers. As well as offering conventional power sockets, Nightjet will feature USB ports and inductive charging stations.
What's more, the train's new window panes are designed to allow a cellular signal to pass through improve network function and ensure more stable cell phone reception.
In the train's sleeper compartments, there will also be a panel for controlling the lights and a button to call for service from onboard staff. Compartments are equipped with an electronic card access system and each car will have video surveillance to help passengers feel safe.
OBB's CEO Andreas Mattha, says: “The night train has become the epitome of sustainable travel, and our Nightjet is a synonym for night trains in Europe. For our travel guests, comfort, modern design and more privacy are becoming increasingly important.The interior of the next-generation Nightjets will offer guests a new travel experience. With this train, we are entering a new age of nighttime travel."
