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?
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!
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
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. 🤦😂
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!
@@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...
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
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.
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.
@@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.
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.
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!
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.
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
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 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
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.
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.
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
the 2-bed parallel rooms actually look fantastic for a couple travelling. I think this is amazing quality, what are the price of those? if its equivalent to flights I would prefer to leave the hassle of flights and airports and take a 2-bed cabin like this. This will put rail travel in europe on par with Japan or even above it. I think its a great idea my only concern is that the corridor outside the cabins looked dangerously narrow for escape of so many people.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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😂
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.
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😄
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.
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.
Yet, nobody has answered this question: How is the seating comfort in the capsules? I assume you'd like to sit at least while eating. To me, sitting looks like a nightmare, with square shapes all over and a tiny pillow.
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.
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 .
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 🙂
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 was thrilled about the new cabins, it seemed to be such a cool concept. But… lights and announcements randomly go on in the middle of the night, dynamic pricing, huge unreliability. And last, but not least, those tiny luggage lockers… how are you supposed to carry your luggage? Even a normal sized suitcase doesn't fit, you are forced to travel very light! The alternative? The "classic" couchette compartment: a little more space, but at cost of no privacy and risk of snoring travel mates. Sleeping cars? Just unaffordable for the most people! Pretty disappointed, I'm fed up with Nightjet: Since the old sleeping cars are ridiculously padded, you barely get a chance to sleep well. Such a shame!
Pretty good option, saving one night of accommodation which is rather expansive in both Vienna and Hamburg - and a few technical issues should be solved soon, remembering this was the very first journey of this particular train //
I think if there was a small window inside your little cabin you could open so that you could have a bit of fresh air, the experience would be much nicer and comfortable. I'm so jealous of you Europeans getting so many cool trains. Here in Australia, our trains are better than what you find in North America, but not nearly as good as what is available in Europe and Asia. Sigh!
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. 🤔
Yeah, height might be an issue. I'm roughly 191 cm tall and I have a problem in my 2-metre bed. This would probably be uncomfortable. But I really love the concept! If I really had to go on a journey like this, this looks to be a great way to do it. Might recommend this to someone.
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.
If you have travelled overnight from Germany to Itally via Villach you would be very grateful for the beds parallel to the tracks I can assure you. The curves thorugh the mountains are not kind to you when laying across the carriage and usually resulting in little or no sleep.
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!
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.
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
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 . . .
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.
I'd be really uncomfortable on those coffin sleepers. It looks like the japanese capsule hotels, on rails. They even have the announcements in the middle of the night :-P
Nice video but not for me Albs as I prefer daytime train journeys. The interrupted sleep is awful plus I'm sure that most other passengers are not as considerate as you regarding light switch noises from your cabin. I think ÖBB should have spent more on soundproofing.
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.
Looks excellent and good value. Small flaws I am sure will be sorted soon. However, your current world record on how many people could cram into one of the cabins (5) likely will be broken by others. It's a challenge for many now... Thanks
LeviNZ ( Levin ,town ,,NZ) thoroughly approves and recommends this video. 130NZ$ I suppose is value for money.. what would air or car costs be in comparison?
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 have watched a number of these videos of yours now and I would really like to see some sort of map referencing the towns mentioned along the way. Nothing elaborate just a line with dots along it with names at the dots would do. Or if you can the map you show at the start with a circle around the place being referenced. Great videos have enjoyed them, which is why I watched more than one I guess. I upload myself and appreciate the extra work my suggestion would require, but I do think it would give a greater understanding of the trip
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.
3 hours delay is not too bad. My wife and I had to travel with ICE half of the way from Berlin to Paris because ÖBB partially cancelled our Nightjet a day before departure and insisted we changed in Mannheim at 3 am... Turns out our sleeper actually never left Mannheim that night. Luckily DB warned us about this and paid for a hotel for the night, despite ÖBB claiming that the cancellation was a lie...
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 ;)
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.
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Your videos are such an inspiration to watch
Did you say you use SURFSHARK ? , I'm not sure oh maybe you did again and again.
SURFSHARK recurring lol
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.
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?
😊😊😊😊😊
Truly love how the channel shows every detail even including for wheelchair users unlike many other channels! Best review channel on RUclips!
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.
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.
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.
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... 🤔
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...
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
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 !!
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.
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!
How incredibly clean and well maintained this station is. Nothing like you see in New York or San Francisco !
Agreed! 😥
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.. 😅
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)
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.
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!
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.
Those are not for someone who is claustrophobic. But I do like the idea. I am glad to see there are accommodations for wheelchairs.
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.
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.
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. :)
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?
For the first time ever, I watched the whole entire sponsorship. It looks rather cool compared to other youtuber’s sponsorships.
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.
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
the 2-bed parallel rooms actually look fantastic for a couple travelling. I think this is amazing quality, what are the price of those? if its equivalent to flights I would prefer to leave the hassle of flights and airports and take a 2-bed cabin like this. This will put rail travel in europe on par with Japan or even above it. I think its a great idea my only concern is that the corridor outside the cabins looked dangerously narrow for escape of so many people.
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!
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! 🥰
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.
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
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.
Question: when not sleeping, are you entitled to a place in the seating section? Or are you confined to sitting on the bed?
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😂
12:51 "me and the boys" moment
great to see rail geeks being sociable :)
😂😂😂😂
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.
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! :)
The intros always keep me hooked! 💪
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.
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! :)
You can'rt turn the loudspeaker off or down? Did you email OBB about yournbeing disturbed by loud announcements during the night?
Crazy unfiltered PWM pulsation light.
Yet, nobody has answered this question:
How is the seating comfort in the capsules? I assume you'd like to sit at least while eating. To me, sitting looks like a nightmare, with square shapes all over and a tiny pillow.
It's not too bad really, but I'd rather sit on the little seats in the corridor.
I sat with legs dangling out to eat my breakfast last week.
Pods were great although had the lights come on as well in the night.
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! 🤣
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 .
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! 😍
I could never use on of the capsel cabins ; they are for younger people.
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!
these cabins seems to awaken my claustrophobia by just watching the video. I don't think I can ever travel in one.
I was thrilled about the new cabins, it seemed to be such a cool concept.
But… lights and announcements randomly go on in the middle of the night, dynamic pricing, huge unreliability.
And last, but not least, those tiny luggage lockers… how are you supposed to carry your luggage? Even a normal sized suitcase doesn't fit, you are forced to travel very light!
The alternative? The "classic" couchette compartment: a little more space, but at cost of no privacy and risk of snoring travel mates. Sleeping cars? Just unaffordable for the most people!
Pretty disappointed, I'm fed up with Nightjet: Since the old sleeping cars are ridiculously padded, you barely get a chance to sleep well.
Such a shame!
Great video. Very useful information, graphics and narration. Thank you.
Pretty good option, saving one night of accommodation which is rather expansive in both Vienna and Hamburg - and a few technical issues should be solved soon, remembering this was the very first journey of this particular train //
18 minutes of video, and the damn tongue never shut up to allow you to enjoy the wonderful ambient sound of the train for a while.
I think if there was a small window inside your little cabin you could open so that you could have a bit of fresh air, the experience would be much nicer and comfortable. I'm so jealous of you Europeans getting so many cool trains. Here in Australia, our trains are better than what you find in North America, but not nearly as good as what is available in Europe and Asia. Sigh!
Agreed, that would be a nice feature. :)
That little cabin is my idea of hell!! 😁
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.
Yeah, height might be an issue. I'm roughly 191 cm tall and I have a problem in my 2-metre bed. This would probably be uncomfortable.
But I really love the concept! If I really had to go on a journey like this, this looks to be a great way to do it. Might recommend this to someone.
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.
If you have travelled overnight from Germany to Itally via Villach you would be very grateful for the beds parallel to the tracks I can assure you. The curves thorugh the mountains are not kind to you when laying across the carriage and usually resulting in little or no sleep.
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!
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.
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.
That seating car looked almost full! There must be a lot of masochists who travel on night trains.
Almost all of them got off by the time I visited in the morning. I don't think they were going very far.
as someone who's disabled thank you for showing the disabled room on the night train.
Glad to help. :)
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.
Nice video. Keep up the good work.
Watching this after watching trains in Japan...Europe has long way to go, before reach their level of comfort and efficiency.
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 . . .
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'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
Japan had this for a while called "shindaitokyu" in the late 1900s said not practical and moved on from it
I'd be really uncomfortable on those coffin sleepers. It looks like the japanese capsule hotels, on rails. They even have the announcements in the middle of the night :-P
The view of the minicabin makes me claustrophobic
Fair enough! 😩
I really like the train. I wish we had them in the U. S.
Nice video but not for me Albs as I prefer daytime train journeys. The interrupted sleep is awful plus I'm sure that most other passengers are not as considerate as you regarding light switch noises from your cabin. I think ÖBB should have spent more on soundproofing.
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!
Superalbs: Is this the future?
Tom Thornton on pod train a month ago: This isn't the future.
the mini-cabin divider, do you have to unlock both sides to open?
Yes, both sides must be unlocked.
Looks excellent and good value.
Small flaws I am sure will be sorted soon.
However, your current world record on how many people could cram into one of the cabins (5) likely will be broken by others. It's a challenge for many now...
Thanks
Yes, I can't wait to hear how many people can fit in! 🤣
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.
LeviNZ ( Levin ,town ,,NZ) thoroughly approves and recommends this video. 130NZ$ I suppose is value for money.. what would air or car costs be in comparison?
Oh no. 3am announcements is a deal-killer for me. It looks lovely, but oh no. I do not want to be woken up at 3am.
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! :)
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.
Stunning livery. If this is the future I like what I see
Glad to have participated in forming a new world record, but I still think we can fit more than 5 people in a minicabin.
We need more people willing enough to be a little bit daft for science! 😂
I have watched a number of these videos of yours now and I would really like to see some sort of map referencing the towns mentioned along the way. Nothing elaborate just a line with dots along it with names at the dots would do. Or if you can the map you show at the start with a circle around the place being referenced.
Great videos have enjoyed them, which is why I watched more than one I guess. I upload myself and appreciate the extra work my suggestion would require, but I do think it would give a greater understanding of the trip
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.
try the Swiss trains 😊 greetings from SWITZERLAND
Super nice Video! I like it!
3 hours delay is not too bad. My wife and I had to travel with ICE half of the way from Berlin to Paris because ÖBB partially cancelled our Nightjet a day before departure and insisted we changed in Mannheim at 3 am... Turns out our sleeper actually never left Mannheim that night. Luckily DB warned us about this and paid for a hotel for the night, despite ÖBB claiming that the cancellation was a lie...
How annoying, glad you got a hotel in the end though...
Yay a Video Form my City Vienna 👍
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!
Ooops, 9:34 ktoś nie trafił do muszli i obsikał podłogę, fuj...😮😢
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.