RDC takes over Stockholm–Berlin EuroNight
RDC Deutschland takes over operation of the EuroNight between Stockholm, Hamburg and Berlin today, 1 September, following the end of SJ's four-year involvement with the service. The final SJ train departed Stockholm on 31 August.
The change of operator should be relatively seamless for passengers. RDC has been SJ's partner on the service since its introduction in 2022, operating the train on the German section, and already owns the rolling stock. The same fleet of sleeper, couchette and seated cars will continue in service under the RDC EuroNight brand.
The service will operate three times a week between Stockholm and Hamburg in each direction, with two of the three services extended to Berlin. From Stockholm, trains depart on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. From Berlin, services depart on Mondays and Fridays, with the third weekly service starting or ending at Hamburg.
SJ began operating the year-round Stockholm–Hamburg night train in September 2022, extending it to Berlin in March 2023. The service was supported by funding from the Swedish Transport Administration, but that funding is now ending.
Despite repeated disruption from engineering works and diversions in Sweden, Denmark and Germany, demand has remained strong. SJ reported that its sleeper cars were almost fully booked for much of summer 2026.
RDC has now chosen to continue the service commercially. The company's existing involvement in the operation and ownership of the coaches means that the change can take place without a change of fleet.
The RDC EuroNight will operate alongside Snälltåget's separate Stockholm–Berlin night train, which will also continue to operate commercially.
Velvet receives licence ahead of 2028 high-speed launch
French start-up Velvet has received its railway undertaking licence, marking another step towards the launch of its high-speed services in 2028.
The licence has been issued by France’s General Directorate for Infrastructure, Transport and Mobility (DGITM) and allows Velvet to move into the next stage of preparing its operations, including securing train paths, arranging access to infrastructure and developing its operating procedures. The company will also continue work towards obtaining its single safety certificate.
Velvet plans to become France’s first independent high-speed rail operator, offering services from Paris to Bordeaux, Nantes, Angers and Rennes. The company says its services will provide around 10 million additional seats each year on the routes, with direct journeys averaging around two hours.
The company was founded by Rachel Picard and Tim Jackson and is backed by Antin Infrastructure Partners. It has ordered 12 Alstom Avelia Horizon double-deck high-speed trains, with the first train unveiled at Alstom’s La Rochelle site in April. Testing is due to take place ahead of the planned commercial launch in 2028.
The new licence is therefore an important milestone, bringing Velvet a step closer to joining SNCF in operating high-speed passenger services in France.
PKP Intercity names Wien train after Józef Maksymilian Ossoliński
PKP Intercity is to rename its Danubius service between Poland and Austria as “Ossoliński” from today, September 4, commemorating Józef Maksymilian Ossoliński, the Polish scholar, writer and founder of the Ossoliński National Institute. Train 47000/302 Ossoliński departs Wien at 16:10 for Poznań via Wrocław, with train 74000/303 returning from Poznań at 05:02 to Wien.
Ossoliński spent much of his later life in Wien, where he served as prefect of the Imperial Court Library from 1790. He also established the Ossoliński National Institute, which was founded in Lviv in 1817 and is now based in Wrocław.
The naming marks the 200th anniversary of Ossoliński’s death in 1826. The Polish parliament has designated 2026 as the Year of Józef Maksymilian Ossoliński.
The Ossoliński joins PKP Intercity’s growing collection of named international services, with the railway company describing the train as a symbolic link between Poland and Austria and their shared cultural and scientific heritage.
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