The night train is back, and so are its habits

The sleeper to Vienna leaves at 21:42. By ten, the corridor smells of tea and toast, and an Italian couple has swapped a bottle of wine for a place at the window. The conductor knows everyone's name by midnight.

Night trains vanished across Europe because they lost money. They are returning because the arithmetic changed: flights are taxed, hotels are dear, and a bed that travels is a night of work saved.

A different kind of arrival

Passengers wake in a new country with creased shirts and an oddly good mood. Operators say load factors are above ninety percent on the weekend. The service has not, however, learned to price the cheap berths honestly.

Whatever its economics, the night train is giving back something faster travel took: the slow, strange middle of a journey.