A new business-class-style overnight train service will connect Hamburg and Munich, with the first journey scheduled to depart on March 23, 2027. The service, operated by Berlin-based start-up Nox Mobility, will give every passenger a private pod with a seat that unfolds into a flat bed.
Private pods and onboard amenities
The 'Nox suites' feature a large seat, a table for dining or working, luggage space and power sockets, all within private compartments with sliding doors for privacy. Described as a "workspace by day, a lounge to unwind by night", the suites are built into a former Deutsche Bahn Bpmz inter-city coach.
There is no restaurant carriage. Instead, passengers can pre-order meals to their cabins, similar to an airline service.
Schedule and pricing
After the debut departure from Hamburg on March 23, 2027, the train will run three times a week in each direction, stopping at Bremen and Augsburg. Trains will depart from Munich on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 9.20pm, arriving in Hamburg at 8.27am the following morning. On Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, the train will leave Hamburg at 9.22pm, arriving in Munich at 8.14am.
Tickets start from €65 (£55), and children under the age of four can travel for free with an adult passenger. Tickets are available to book now.
Expansion plans
Nox Mobility aims to connect 100 European cities with train services by 2035, including Stockholm, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Paris, Rome and Barcelona. The company was co-founded by former Flix-Train project manager Janek Smalla and Thibault Constant, with the goal of making night trains "an essential part of European travel".
With luxury journeys lasting up to 11 hours, they say passengers no longer need to book separate flights and hotels. Mr Constant added: "Our mission is to make overnight rail travel something you look forward to, not something you need to get through."
Speaking to Railway Gazette International, three styles of 'Nox Rooms' are due to join the fleet in 2028. The Double Loft is the most spacious, with two seats and a raised 1.7-metre bed. The Single Loft is the same concept for one passenger. The Double Vista has two berths parallel to the direction of travel, with window views from bed, and the lower bed converts into two seats and a table by day.
