European Sleeper operator is expanding its night train network to Scandinavia
European Sleeper plans to launch its first route to Scandinavia in April 2028. The sleeper train is scheduled to connect Belgium and the Netherlands with Denmark and southern Sweden three times a week.
European Sleeper is expanding its network towards northern Europe. The Belgian-Dutch operator is preparing direct night train between Brussels and Malmö, via Amsterdam and Copenhagen, with services scheduled to start in April 2028.
Stops in Brussels, Antwerp, Rotterdam, The Hague, Amsterdam and Copenhagen are currently planned along the route. Trains would depart from Brussels and Malmö three times a week at around 19:00, with arrival at the final destination planned for around 10:00 the following morning.
European Sleeper's first line to Scandinavia
The project is being developed in cooperation with the German rail operator RDC. The partners are currently working with infrastructure managers on the timetable, and a formal request for capacity allocation is planned for April 2027. This means that the announced launch date still depends on path availability and the completion of the regulatory process.
The new connection will build upon European Sleeper's existing network, which currently links Paris and Berlin, Brussels and Prague, and Brussels and Milan. Scandinavia is thus the next step in the operator's expansion, with Copenhagen and Malmö gaining a direct night train connection to some of the largest business and tourist markets in the Benelux.
Night trains are once again becoming part of the European distribution picture
The value of the new line is not just in yet another rail connection. The passenger will be able to set off from Brussels or Amsterdam in the evening and arrive in the centre of Copenhagen or Malmö in the morning, without transfers to distant airports. Such a product is particularly interesting to travel agencies and TMCs that include alternatives to short European flights in their programmes.
At the same time, the context is changing and expanding. During 2026, the European Commission further opened up the issue of simpler cross-border ticketing and better integration of different operators, while new rules for rail capacity should facilitate international traffic.
And direction towards Scandinavia it is already gaining additional traction: in June, a direct Prague – Berlin – Copenhagen connection was launched, one of the projects supported by the European Commission. For European Sleeper, this creates room for the night train to cease being a niche product and become a regular part of the offering between the Benelux and the Nordic markets.
