So… you've invested in an open-access railway company/cooperative? Nice

Thank you for bringing back the real railway-atmosphere! During many trips with Interrail long time ago, I used a lot of night-trains instead of a hotel or so. It's a great advantage to travel overnight, so you can win the day. A lot of the european countries reduced the night-trains or now have entirely none. Thanks to the ÖBB for operating them further and let's hope that the number of trains will increase again. I still use night-trains when travelling to Eastern-Europe. But there are now a lot overnight-connections built by normal train-units without any sleeping- or couchette-cars.

I definitely agree on two points. The price difference between first and second class is unreasonable for only having two fewer roommates. For that kind of money I would expect the room to be for one or two people, and in the U. S. you would never get American travelers to go along with sharing a room with strangers like that, at least not past college age. We will pay extra for single occupancy. Second, while 12 hours without proper food service is a bit much, I could see an eight hour overnight train only having vending service, provided water was free, and that would include coach passengers as well. A nice addition would be to give first class passengers a coupon for either a free or significantly discounted breakfast at a restaurant in their terminating station. And yeah, having the coach cleaners start cleaning before the train is empty is unacceptable.

Glad you're able to invest in the future of railways in Europe! A far cry from what we can do here in the States, where the freight companies won't appreciate that at all...

So sad, I love train travel, Last time I was on Paris/Venice back in 2003. I remember I was in a two bed compartment, not sure which class it was, but overall very comfy. The restaurant on the train was superb.

I thought he would be handsome. And he is !!

This was my first European sleeper journey way back in 1999! It was a second class couchette, and while an interesting experience, and having done many, many overnight trains since, (thanks FIP), I really doubt I'd share a sleeping compartment any more. I'm way too old to rough it, and enjoy a bit of comfort. I do hope that the NightJet concept gathers more ground around Europe.

this is soooo epic! i wish we had more trains like that in france, happy to see that it gains popularity again! nice vid, ty! : )

Really good video! I took a Paris to Barcelona train around 1977, and in those days at the border, you had to physically change trains, as the French and Spanish trains had different gauge size tracks, and they didn't automatically change size as they did later on. This was done around 4 o'clock in the morning in total darkness... you also had to go through customs and carry all of your luggage with you. And I remember one time I did that, and there was the worst rain storm I had ever experienced. It's a real shame night trains are disappearing... they save time, hotel costs, and give the tourist a whole extra day to sightsee. I would think with fast trains, there would be a desire for a high speed night train, like Seville to Frankfurt overnight, but it won't happen.

OBB is pushing it with Nightjet; recently has placed an order for 500 million € to purchase more locomotives and coaches for Nightjet. Can OBB be the "night king" in the future? We will see.

Could not agree with you more about overnight sleeper trains. In the 1970's and 1980's I used them constantly to criss-cross Europe and they were so comfortable. Bring back Wagon-Lits! Thank you for making this excellent and informative videoclip.

Wait, is he telling us he now technically has a railway company????? lol

In the past (from the 60s to the beginning of this century) there were several direct services between Madrid and Paris such as the night-time "Puerta del Sol" (whose axis change occurred in Hendaia at dawn), the "Talgo Pendular" ( whose axes were adapted to the standard gauge in an interchange also located in the French Basque station) and the "Francisco de Goya" Hotel Train (a Series VI Talgo operated by Elypsos, a joint venture between Renfe and SNCF). These trains disappeared when the High Speed ​​Line between Madrid and the La Jonquera border entered service.

Great report, always have been a fan of Corail. I even remember when the seats were orange vinyl. But I am glad to see they are still in use as they offer a refined ride quality. I wonder why SNCF uses the term 'second class'. It would, perhaps, be preferable to classify as Standard as this has a slightly more acceptable tone. The seated carriages look very comfortable too, but I think a refit of the interiors would bring these up to modern day expectations, such as USB sockets for everyone. Success with the Rail Coop!

I'm intrigue! You share a room with other people. Is your luggage secure some how? If people leave the train while your are asleep. Can your luggage be stolen? Thank you!

Nice Video !! Excited for the ÖBB Nighjet Sleeper Review :) Greetings from 🇦🇹:D

Without a doubt the best train-review channel. Well taped shots and nice explanations at the bottom! Keep it up Mr French.

The power outlets are not necessary. You take that train to sleep so you don't need to use it. You don't need to use your computer so for me it's not necessary. I took it several times and I never miss them, which would have been the case in a TGV. Night train is a way to disconnect with screens and I think it's good. Good video!

Great to see the Corail sleepers again. I haven't been on them since I was a kid in the early 90s. In 1990 I remember getting a sleeper from Paris to Cerbere and then in 1991 and 1992 it was from Calais to Cerbere. I loved the experience and it's kind of cool to see that the carriages aren't really much different even after all these years.

I love your silent videos with text and I agree night trains should offer food and beverage service and a place to sit so passengers can socialize and learn from different cultures onboard.

Austerlitz in Paris, Waterloo in London - it looks like a war is a father of everything.

Wonderful trip and video... good luck with the project

My mum and I have been to Paris for a holiday

The line from Bordeaux to Lyon is a great idea. I remember trying to figure out if train travel from La Rochelle to Chamonix was possible but we would have needed to go back via Paris so we drove instead.

I don't know why it has to take the longer way from Paris to Portbou. The shortest way is Paris Gare De Lyon-Lyon-Nimes-Montepellier-Perpignan-Portbou. 143.5 CM Standard Gauge while Spain & Portugal 166.8 CM tracks.

It is now Nov 2021 ....a lot has happened in the sleeper space since last year ... is SNCF done anything new in the international sleeper arena? or have the left the field like DB ... left it to OBB and any number of competitors?

This is the first video where i truly see his face. I didn't know he was so cute =-*

I’m surprised to see that you are doing French trips in 2020. Keeps it up!

-That toilet looked a bit blocked... -I was impressed with the sound quality of the PA announcement; here in the UK the sound quality is often terrible and muffled or choppy, or just too quiet! -Beautiful views of the sea near the end of the video. -Do you sometimes complain to the railway companies directly about the issues you think need solving? -Great work on these videos, Thibault! 🙌

Hi. You should try the Rodalies R3 line between Latour-de-Carol (in France) and Barcelona.

there's power outlets (and free wi-fi) in 2024! (although, if i understand this correctly, the train doesn't run across the border anymore)

Just thinking about the overnight trains I've done just internally in France and I think just two and I'm guessing that they no longer run; Paris to Auray in Brittany and Paris to the place where the bus to Andorra goes from, can't remember it's name.i did one mainly in France from Nice once but to Brussels so a little bit beyond France.

Did you ever say why to avoid the middle bunk? If you did, I missed it.

If you ever come to the UK, I believe we have 2 overnight train services. One from London Paddington to Penzance in the far south west of England (it's actually a 90 minute flight from London which is equal to travelling to southern Scotland) and the other from London Euston to Glasgow

Hopefully Nightjet can get their Paris-Vienna service in 2024.

Premier KZfaqur qui crée/qui " dirige " une société ferroviaire, j'adore ça ! Bonne chance pour les fond !

I wish we could do something like this in America

Great video !!

Same with the GWR Riviera sleeper train from London Paddington to Penzance, very rare that it is empty.

Very good views

thankyou for a video about a trip that I did not know about. well done!

Great video, a proper classic situation at Gare du Austerlitz. Sleeper trains will make a huge come back. I hope we get an international sleeper service from the UK. I am a user of these services, they will be instrumental in getting people who would otherwise fly or drive back onto the railway.

Nice video - you kept putting "roommates" in the captions but the correct term in English is "cellmates" :-)

These are really nice trains indeed. I'm still not happy about the fact that i couldn't take these trains in December because of the strike (because of that i couldn't do a video on port-bou to Barcelona and Barcelona to Madrid as well).

Have used sleepers through France since late 1960s , they have gradually disappeared and deteriorated , the stock was left in a shabby condition but still a more pleasant way to travel . You are correct about TGV Italy or Spain you get to your destination late , to Italy they used to depart earlier . They are a different market but it seems one that the railway companies can not be bothered with , so food , comfort and cleanliness suffer , perhaps it is just to small a market in relation to today’s costly overheads.

Superb video! Thank you very much! 👍👍👍

Oh nooon je viens de voir mes billets du mois dernier j’étais dans la même cabine que toi mais au mois de juillet !! Moi aussi j’ai remonté la couchette du milieu et le bout est partie et mon téléphone aussi !!! J’ai pris 1h à tout remettre en ordre ololo c’était intense 😀😅😅

CORAIL coaches look more comfortable and less cramped than couchette. I rode in 4 or 6 bunk rooms across China and Russia and didn't like it because my roommates were a pain in the ass. I was able to upgrade to First Class for part of the trip across Siberia but even then I had to share with a roommate. Americans value our privacy and want to be in control even though neither exists in the real world.

The famous Bordeaux Roanne by a RTG. I live in roanne and is a cool city

Just a suggestion...not all of us are graduates of the Evelyn Wood Speed Reading Course. If you could leave your very informative dialogue up a little longer it would be great! Having said that, that was the best railroad video I've ever seen. I've subscribed! Thank you!

Hi! Keep Up The Good Work, Buddy! ;)

It is good you have invested in a new rail company if things go very well and you gain loads of routes could compete with SNCF on future In terms of trip report itself I do hope now as more rail compaines across Europe are making new night services post current situation that France would have more sleeper trains and going abroad like for example UK (extremely unlikely to happen unfortunately)

I can see why they are phasing out the overnight trains in Europe. I wouldn't want to share a room with up to 5 strangers overnight. I rather be cramped for 1-2 hours in a plane or 5-6 hours in a seat in a TGV. I like the Amtrak rommette where you they won't force you to share a room with stranger.

Nice and quiet train!

10:46 When i was in France last year i had the impression that absolutely nothing is oversized there ;) Do you make a video of the other Overnight Train to Briancon and of the Train de Pignes from Digne-les-Bains to Nice in the Future? That would be great!

Glad you recorder it, cause SNCF page says it only goes to Cerbere not Portbou

Bordeaux to Lyon used to be very fast when it had the RTG, but since the RTG was retired it got very slow

You say that Gare d'Austerlitz is the exception among Paris stations in not having TGV's; St Lazare and Bercy also don't have TGV'S

Tellement longtemps que j'attendais cette vidéo 😁

VERY NICE VIDEO MY FRIEND LOVE TRAIN ❤😀😀🥰🥰🥰🥰💥💥💥👍👍👍👍 THANK YOU BYE

LOL I didn't notice that the guy behind of this adventure is handsome!

great video, would love to do this trip once the government here in the UK returns to some sort of sanity

very nice!

French: Honnêtement, j'aime bien l'Intercités de Nuit. J'avais testé la voiture 1ère classe (de Toulouse à Paris Austerlitz), et je suis satisfaite de ce service English: Honestly, i really like Intercités de Nuit. I tested the 1st Class coaches (From Toulouse to Paris Austerlitz), and i'm so satisfy about this service.

Very interesting project. I have a question: what do you think about the re-launch of autotrains which would make sense for electric car which have a limited range and a charging time much longer than thermic cars?

This is a sad reflection on SNCF. We are used to them providing a good level of service and this fails in almost every department. Urgent action required!

These trains somehow evoke an American family traveling in France in the 80s

Another triumph! Looking forward to reading more about the rail COOP. Would really enjoy any links to maps showing the changing availability of night trains in France . Ps Are "blocked berths" a Covid safety measure?

I am from Chile, I love trains! And thanks to you I want to do the Rome-Syracuse trip. I thought your travel report was excellent. When all this covid-19 shit passes and you can travel in peace, I will. I have relatives in Lausanne and I saw that you can get there by train

Very nice video 📹

I missed those 2nd cl brown leathered seats in these traditional trains

What does SNCF have against sleeping cars? They are the only national carrier in Europe not offering this service (of those who still have sleeper trains). It just seems so strange considering they were one of the first countries in the world to introduce them. In the future, you should do a review of the Regiojet couchettes. Their concept is similar to SNCF, so it would be interesting to compare it.

Nice video!

I understand the reason for the demise of night trains is the separation between the ownership of the rails and of the trains, so that SNCF, etc, have to pay a premium. Before, the rails were there and might as well be used. Nightjet routes its Vienna-Berlin trains via the Czech Republic to avoid paying the huge premiums demanded in Germany!

I prefer night trains for my business trip as I get proper 6 hours sleep. Morning flights are either costly or you have to wake up very early to catch them.

I am thinking about taking the one from Latour de Carol to Paris, seated on second class. But I don't think if it's worth it. Could you do a review in the future.

Yeah, I didn’t need to know that overnight and sleeper trains were slowly going extinct in Europe. Very disturbing.

Merci pour tes vidéos. En plus de me divertir, je revise mon anglais 👍

Aaaaahhh les superbes voitures lits type T2 mes préférés toute ma jeunesse

Another great trip report !!! I wish you could get a room by yourself as I am not crazy about sharing a room as I need a electrical out let for my machine... Not trying to be snobby either...

I hope to see soon Nightjet in France and your special report about il!

Nice 😊

Video tres interessant. Offre bonne information sur un voyage dans la nuit en france. Merci

Ô Nice the vidéo renfe

I do not like couchette . Much better is Talgo hotel Trains. There is also a problem when you travel from Amsterdam tot Spain. In Paris you must change from Gare du Nord to Paris Gare de Lyon or Austerlitz or Montparnasse

You should review the Transilien next

How much it cost and which place Barcelona we can get this train

Railway tickets in all countries are insanely high especially long distance. trains are so expensive that most citizens middleclass and !! especially below !! can’t afford and therefore will never leave there own region. Imagen you are 40 live 20.000 heads town and have only seen your capital once or only been to the nearest city with maybe 200k once.

You should offer an overnight service with your company!!😍

17:00 I've been there past summer!

Autre commentaire : Il serait bien que tu test certain Transilien/RER, même si l'heure trajet sont assez court, il serait intéressant de donner ton avis sur un réseau métropolitain mal noté, Aussi il serait bien que tu montre des TER à Saint-Lazare car il n'y a pas beaucoup de vidéo ou on voir la gare, pourtant elle est très belle. Tu pourrais aussi tester des Omneo car il en a pas sur ta chaine.

Brilliant video! What would you say your favourite sleeper train you've ever been on would be?

I love your accent, really nice, did the trip cost 64 Euros? avec amor

HAHA most British trains start cleaning before you get off the train, they go around and collect all the refuse. They shouldn't have to stand there doing nothing on a half empty train. So long as they don't get in your way, I don't see an issue :-)

They were working on this station when I was there in 2018. Slow progress.

I think the price isn't worth it. ÖBB takes 199€ for a ride in compartment with 2 and own shower and toilet and included little breakfast. This is much more fair. They should offer better prices.

Nice video. How many carriages did the train have?

What ever happened to the blue train? Such a classic of French railroads!

Have you reviewed TGV from Paris to Brest? Thinking about taking that journey in a couple years.

Can u review commuter line in paris. Like train z22500 in RER E line.