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> 21:59 Nightjet NJ 402 from Zurich goes directly to Amsterdam (9:58)

something seems off.

it takes 12 hours by train from zurich to amsterdam?

it looks like just 8 hours by car.

and the same distance ~800 something kms took me 3h50m Tokyo to Hiroshima with the Hakata shinkansen.

Night trains typically use slower routes and are parked somewhere during the night to ensure that you have enough time to eat something in the evening, get dressed for bed, sleep 8 hours, get up, get dressed again, and eat breakfast.

8 hours is definitely not enough time for a comfortable night train ride, especially if you travel with children. We took an 11-hour night train from Vienna to Zurich a few months ago with a 3 year old, and we would've been grateful for an additional hour in the morning.

It's not lost time either. The whole point of a sleeper train is that you get in, sleep a decent night's sleep, wake up, and move on. Ideally you board around 21:00 and get off around 7:30. The extra space in the train's timetable is also helpful in keeping the train on-time if delays occur en-route.

There are also many stops on the way and you might only get on in Basel or get off somewhere in Germany already, leaving you with even less time on the train, so 12h for the full Zurich-Amsterdam trip is not unreasonable.

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