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Comment by marton78 | Hacker News Reader

I regularly take the Berlin - Budapest overnight train. Usually it's lovely, but now during Corona times it's an absolute nightmare. There are no sleeper trains, because something something infection, so you get to sleep in normal compartments. Also, the train passes through five countries. Normally you don't notice, but now they'll wake you up at every single border too look at your passport, say hmmmm and then let you sleep again.

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>There are no sleeper trains, because something something infection, so you get to sleep in normal compartments.

The UK has two sleeper train services- the Caledonian Sleeper from London to Scotland, and the Night Riviera from London to Cornwall.

At one stage, the Caledonian Sleeper stopped selling seats and would only sell sleeper berths (because of coronavirus) while the Night Riviera stopped selling sleeper berths and would only sell seats (for the same reason).

While I understand stopping selling seats, the decision to not sell sleeper berths probably has more to do with cost than protection from the virus. See also Eurostar's short-lived decision to stop offering free Wi-Fi in standard class!

Yeah the way we are travelling right now in Europe is absolutely not what it used to be. Reminding a whole generation (mine and beyond) that nothing is granted.

You got me nerd sniped, I count Germany, Czechia, Slovakia and Hungary. Which is the fifth country? :-)

Poland?

I think it's Austria. As far as I remember the train Berlin <> Budapest passes through Vienna.

(I'm surprised, though, that the train would pass through five countries. AFAIK it doesn't pass through the Czech Republic.)

While there are multiple routes, I believe this one you're talking about has to go through Prague.

No. Before 1989 the train connecting Berlin-Prague-Bratislava-Budapest would not cross the iron curtain.

The only thing that changed a few years ago is Prague. Changed for SW Poland.

DE, PL, CZ, SK, HU

It does not run through Prague. It runs through Poland and then crosses CZ from Ostrava to Břeclav. Then SK (Kúty, Bratislava, Štúrovo) and then HU.

Actually in central Europe the night trains usually join and split at some stations, so in Ostrava two trains join: from Berlin and from Warsaw. Then in Břeclav they split again (two halves from each half), one goes to Vienna, another to Budapest. So at the beginning there are two parts on each train and you have to choose the right one. But since the places have to be reserved, you cannot get on the wrong half.

Western Europe too: in Hannover there used to be a great switcheroo between the coaches to and from Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Warsaw/Prague (split in Berlin), and Basel. The currently suspended night train to Lisbon also split into parts to Madrid and the French border halfway.

Where did the lisbon train go? Final destination?

Why is it suspended?

As I wrote, one part to Madrid, the other to Irún at the French border. Initially suspended because of corona, but RENFE said they're not coming back; I don't know why.

IIRC during the migrant crisis the passport controls were also reintroduced for quite a long time.

No, this is definitely a COVID scenario. There have been spot checks in the past because of the high number of refugees but this was back in 2015 or 16. Took a sleeper in February this year, crossed four borders, no checks at all.

Spot checks happened all the time. I had my passport checked once crossing from Austria to Italy on a train, in 2003.

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