Support for cross-border night trains in Europe

20.11.2025

Priority question for written answer  P-004634/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
François Kalfon (S&D), Johan Danielsson (S&D), Lena Schilling (Verts/ALE), Raphaël Glucksmann (S&D), Merja Kyllönen (The Left), Vivien Costanzo (S&D), Jean-Marc Germain (S&D), Kai Tegethoff (Verts/ALE), Thomas Pellerin-Carlin (S&D), Christophe Clergeau (S&D), Lara Wolters (S&D), Pierre Jouvet (S&D), Nora Mebarek (S&D), Kathleen Van Brempt (S&D), Sérgio Gonçalves (S&D), Aurore Lalucq (S&D)

The Paris-Berlin and Paris-Vienna international night trains will stop running in December 2025. France has withdrawn its EUR 5-10 million subsidy for 2026. The Berlin-Stockholm night train also lost its subsidy and will be discontinued in August 2026.

As a collective and low-carbon alternative to short-haul flights, night trains emit 20 times less CO₂ than planes. The substantial amount of avoided emissions justifies continuing and indeed increasing public subsidies for night trains. Moreover, night train subsidies represent only a very small fraction of the EUR 111 billion in fossil fuel subsidies granted in the EU in 2023.

Finally, information on night trains is sparse, and tickets are often unavailable through major platforms, which is weakening demand.

Considering the above and the international nature of the problem:

• 1.How can the Commission foster national or cross-border measures that support night trains through the Connecting Europe Facility or other initiatives?
• 2.Will the Commission introduce an international public service obligation to organise and support cross-border services?
• 3.Will the Commission support a reduction in track access charges for cross-border night trains and how will the upcoming Ticketing Package address the availability and accessibility of night train tickets?

Submitted: 20.11.2025