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Would night trains be entering a new era in Europe? One year after unveiling its concept of private cabin night trains, German startup Nox Mobility is reaching a major milestone: it has just announced a €2 million funding round to accelerate its development and prepare for a launch in 2027.
As a reminder, behind this new player is Thibault Constant, creator of the YouTube channel Simply Railway, followed by hundreds of thousands of train enthusiasts. Alongside him, Janek Smalla (ex-FlixTrain, Bolt) and Artur Hasselbach complete a team that understands both the railway industry and what travelers actually expect.
This announcement goes beyond the company itself: it says a lot about the evolution of a sector that was long considered marginal, but now seems to be regaining real economic potential. In a rapidly changing landscape, Nox is making a clear bet: to offer an experience compelling enough to make night trains an obvious alternative to flying.
👉 To learn more about the concept, cabin types, and pricing, check out our full article:
Article
Nox: The New European Night Train Company Promising Comfort at Affordable Prices
Until now, Nox was part of a wave of innovative rail projects: ambitious, well thought out, but still at the promise stage. With this funding round, things are clearly shifting.
Led by Berlin-based fund IBB Ventures, the round also brings together investors from the tech and tourism sectors, another sign of growing interest in new forms of mobility.
Beyond the amount raised, it is the profile of these investors that stands out. Their commitment reflects an increasingly shared belief: night trains can once again become an attractive product, provided they are fundamentally reimagined.
And this is likely where the real challenge lies. Reviving night trains is no longer enough; the key is to turn them into a genuinely desirable experience, capable of competing with today’s travel standards.
This first funding round will allow Nox to move into a more operational phase. The company plans to strengthen its teams, design full-scale cabin mock-ups, and prepare the launch of its first commercial routes, still scheduled for 2027.
In other words, Nox is moving from a theoretical concept to a concrete development phase, with clear milestones ahead.
If Nox is attracting investors today, it is also because its positioning stands out from the current offer.
Rather than replicating existing night trains, the company aims to deliver a fully reimagined experience. Its model is based on a simple principle: offering every traveler a private cabin, with a level of comfort inspired by the hospitality industry. You can read more about this in our dedicated article.
The goal is clear: to make night trains a credible alternative to flying by combining transport and accommodation into a single experience. In practical terms, this means departing from the city center in the evening, traveling overnight, and arriving the next morning, without the usual constraints of air travel.
This positioning reflects a growing expectation among travelers: no longer choosing the train “by default,” but for the quality of the experience it offers. And on that front, night trains still have a lot to reinvent. This observation is shared by Thibault Constant, co-founder of Nox: “Every week, people tell me under the Simply Railway videos what’s not working: shared compartments, delays, and prices.”
This model also targets business travelers, who already make up a significant portion of the passenger base on certain night routes in Europe, where they account for a large share of travelers (30% of night train passengers in France).
This funding round comes at a particular moment. While night trains are back in the conversation, the sector is starting from a low point.
Between 2001 and 2019, the number of night train services in Europe dropped significantly, from around 1,200 weekly services to fewer than 500.
In recent years, however, the trend seems to be reversing. Several factors explain this renewed interest: demand for low-carbon alternatives, a desire to travel differently, and the gradual revival of certain routes.
Initiatives such as European Sleeper, which is helping reconnect major European cities by night train, clearly illustrate this momentum. They show that there is a market, provided the offer is clear and attractive.
Long overlooked, night trains now present several advantages that can attract private investment. For some industry players, it is even one of the last major mobility markets in Europe that remains largely untapped.
Some markets are already showing encouraging signs, with high occupancy rates on existing routes. The hybrid model, combining transport and accommodation, also opens up interesting economic opportunities. Finally, the political and regulatory environment is evolving, with growing support for low-carbon mobility.
All these elements contribute to repositioning night trains as a market of the future, rather than a relic of the past.
Article
Night Trains in Europe: Collapse or Comeback?
But for this momentum to last, a key challenge remains: moving from a few emblematic routes to a structured, reliable, and legible network at the European scale.
Article
The ultimate guide to night trains in France and Europe
While this funding round is an important milestone, it does not guarantee the project’s success.
Nox will still need to demonstrate the economic viability of its model, ensure consistent service quality—particularly in terms of punctuality—and integrate into a fragmented European rail network.
Competition is also gradually taking shape, with other operators looking to position themselves in this segment.
In the short term, this announcement has no direct impact: Nox’s first routes are not expected before 2027.
In the medium term, however, it could help transform the rail offering in Europe. The arrival of new players often brings innovation, diversification—and sometimes improvements to existing standards.
For travelers, this mainly opens up a new perspective: that of a night train experience finally meeting modern expectation, comfortable, reliable, and easy to use.
Now, the question is whether these promises will hold over time. Because while the comeback of night trains is clearly underway, their transformation is only just beginning.
Issue du monde de la communication et des médias, Sophie est Responsable éditoriale chez HOURRAIL ! depuis août 2024. Elle est notamment derrière le contenu éditorial du site ainsi que La Locomissive (de l'inspiration voyage bas carbone et des bons plans, un jeudi sur deux, gratuitement dans ta boîte mail !).
Convaincue que les changements d’habitude passent par la transformation de nos imaginaires, elle s’attache à montrer qu’il est possible de voyager autrement, de manière plus consciente, plus lente et plus joyeuse. Son objectif : rendre le slow travel accessible à toutes et tous, à travers des astuces, des décryptages et surtout, de nouveaux récits.
