European Sleeper train service launches £2m crowdfunding campaign
Nearly 84 per cent of the funding goal has already been reached
The European Sleeper train operator has launched a €2.3m (£2m) crowdfunding campaign to fund its expansion across Europe.
The Dutch-Belgian company, which began services in 2023, announced plans to revive the Paris-Berlin night train connection in March 2026.
A new Italian night train connecting Brussels, Amsterdam and Milan has also recently been confirmed and is expected to launch in June 2026.
Now, it is calling on “anyone who believes in affordable, comfortable, low-impact travel” to become a co-owner.
In a promotional video, it announced it was “inviting the public to invest in the next phase of its European network”, with individuals and organisations able to make investments starting from €140 (£123).
Those investing €2,000 (£1,756) or more will receive a 20 per cent discount on European Sleeper services.
At time of press, nearly 84 per cent of the funding goal has been reached.
The cooperative ownership model, which remains unique in the sector, aims to raise €1.3m (£1.1m), followed by an additional €1m (£878k) later this year.
In addition to night train services, funds raised will also contribute to the creation of accessible holiday packages, following European Sleeper’s acquisition of GreenCityTrip, a sustainable travel operator specialising in train and holiday packages.
“Starting a train company is no small feat, yet our community has already shown what is possible when thousands of people pull in the same direction,” Chris Engelsman, co-founder of European Sleeper said in a statement to The Independent.
“This new sharefunding round allows us to strengthen our network, bring back key connections like Paris-Berlin, launch new ones such as the Amsterdam-Brussels-Milan [service] and build the night trains that Europe urgently needs.”
The news follows a flurry of recent announcements regarding European rail sleeper services.
In November, a new sleeper train connecting Poland with Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest and Munich was confirmed by Polish state rail operator PKP.
The EN Carpatia service began on 14 December, with tickets starting from £50.
And in April 2026, Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) will launch a new sleeper-train service connecting Basel to Copenhagen and Malmö.
Read more: Luxury Italian sleeper train launches New Year’s Eve journey from Rome
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