NS plans to separate Amsterdam - Vienna and Amsterdam - Innsbruck night trains

[DanielB]

According to a press release NS is investigating to run the Nightjets to Vienna and Innsbruck as two seperate trains in 2026...

NS also wants to run a night train in 2026 from Amsterdam Central to Vienna and Innsbruck. At the moment this is one night train, which splits up in Germany with one part continuing to Vienna and the other part to Innsbruck. We see opportunities to convert this into two separate trains from Amsterdam Central.

Plans are still pretty vague. NS now only has filed the request to run these trains with the Dutch Authority Consumers and Markets (which is mandatory to be allowed running an open access service).
Removing the need for shunting at night will shorten journey times, but to increase capacity I presume the Hamburg portion of the train would also need to run separate from the Amsterdam portion. And did OeBB order enough stock to be able to do this in the first place?

 

[Austriantrain]

According to a press release NS is investigating to run the Nightjets to Vienna and Innsbruck as two seperate trains in 2026...

Plans are still pretty vague. NS now only has filed the request to run these trains with the Dutch Authority Consumers and Markets (which is mandatory to be allowed running an open access service).
Removing the need for shunting at night will shorten journey times, but to increase capacity I presume the Hamburg portion of the train would also need to run separate from the Amsterdam portion. And did OeBB order enough stock to be able to do this in the first place?

An Austrian forum reports similar plans too, but - as reported there - motivated by the DB infrastructure renewals which mean Munich - Innsbruck will be impossible for a very long time in 2027. Apparently, Innsbruck night trains might be rerouted via Stuttgart and Lindau and separate trains might be more practical for this.

 

[StephenHunter]

Removing the need for shunting at night will shorten journey times

It will increase reliability to as you've currently got to wait for the train from Hamburg to arrive to do the shunting.

 

[DanNCL]

An Austrian forum reports similar plans too, but - as reported there - motivated by the DB infrastructure renewals which mean Munich - Innsbruck will be impossible for a very long time in 2027. Apparently, Innsbruck night trains might be rerouted via Stuttgart and Lindau and separate trains might be more practical for this.

Would via Garmisch and Mittenwald be a viable diversionary route for Munich - Innsbruck?

 

[30907]

Would via Garmisch and Mittenwald be a viable diversionary route for Munich - Innsbruck?

Possibly, but the line is largely single track and there will be competition for what paths are available.

 

[ABB125]

How would this impact on the Hamburg-Innsbruck sleeper (if any)?

 

[Austriantrain]

Possibly, but the line is largely single track and there will be competition for what paths are available.

And the diversion via Lindau has the advantage that there is tourist travel potential, especially in winter. However if it was permanent, Munich would lose out and I doubt that that would be done (serving Munich on the Vienna train is not really ideal especially in the morning - it would mean a very early arrival in Munich and a very late one on Vienna).

 

[popeter45]

How would this impact on the Hamburg-Innsbruck sleeper (if any)?

if Munich - Innsbruck is shut i assume that will affect that too so may split it too?
if so wonder if there would be any logic to re-add the motorail operation too either?

 

[DanielB]

Interesting... the filed request by NS is now published by the Dutch Authority Consumers and Markets (in Dutch). Apparently it involves retaining the current route for Amsterdam - Innsbruck and running an additional train from Amsterdam to Vienna which will be routed via Amersfoort Centraal () and Deventer, thus crossing the Dutch-German border at Bad Bentheim.

The request also states a train composition: a new Nightjet set (apparently called DANI, first time I see that name) with one sleeper car, two couchette cars and one seated car attached. Also published is the proposed timetable.

 

[30907]

Interesting... the filed request by NS is now published by the Dutch Authority Consumers and Markets (in Dutch). Apparently it involves retaining the current route for Amsterdam - Innsbruck and running an additional train from Amsterdam to Vienna which will be routed via Amersfoort Centraal () and Deventer, thus crossing the Dutch-German border at Bad Bentheim.

Thanks for the timetable - intriguing, because it still has a lengthy stop at Nürnburg which suggests a Hamburg portion attaching there. I am not sure what the idea is, as Köln/Dusseldorf will still need serving.

 

[DanielB]

Köln and Düsseldorf will obviously still be served by Amsterdam - Innsbruck/Zürich. Do wonder however what they'll do in Nürnberg: attaching an Hamburg portion raises questions what they'll do with those four old coaches. Combining with a train to somewhere else? Two NJ sets + 4 coaches is somewhat long.

May also be a pathing thing: the route via Bad Bentheim obviously has something to do with the weight related speed restrictions on Utrecht - Arnhem (Amsterdam - Bad Bentheim had already been adapted for the Vectron hauling Amsterdam - Berlin).
The train clearly isn't in an unused IC Berlin path in the early morning/evening, possibly it's in and hourly cargo path within the Netherlands.

 

[popeter45]

Interesting... the filed request by NS is now published by the Dutch Authority Consumers and Markets (in Dutch). Apparently it involves retaining the current route for Amsterdam - Innsbruck and running an additional train from Amsterdam to Vienna which will be routed via Amersfoort Centraal () and Deventer, thus crossing the Dutch-German border at Bad Bentheim.

The request also states a train composition: a new Nightjet set (apparently called DANI, first time I see that name) with one sleeper car, two couchette cars and one seated car attached. Also published is the proposed timetable.

i assume DANI is like DACH but being Germany (D), Austrian (A), Dutch (N) and Italian (I), in DACH CH is for swiss

 

[Austriantrain]

i assume DANI is like DACH but being Germany (D), Austrian (A), Dutch (N) and Italian (I), in DACH CH is for swiss

DANI stands for „day night“, meaning railjet 2 and the new night jet, part of the same vehicle family.