New routes, old coaches: Europe's night trains struggle to pick up speed

FILE PHOTO: People say goodbye before boarding the first European Sleeper train to Berlin, at the Midi Station in Brussels, Belgium May 26, 2023. REUTERS/Bart Biesemans/File Photo

BERLIN (Reuters) - Sarah and Sonia pile out of a rain-smattered train at Berlin Central Station, surprised they feel so rested after sleeping on Europe's newest night train service, but also over an hour late.

"When you see the beds, they don't look like the most comfortable ones," said Sarah, a midwifery student from Belgium. But, pulling on their rucksacks after their journey from Brussels, the friends feel ready for a weekend of sightseeing.