A NEW sleeper train service is slated to begin operating from Brussels to the Italian Alps next year.
Train operator European Sleeper is planning to run a 15-hour overnight train from Brussels to the Austrian and Italian Alps.
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The new route is slated to start operating in February 2025, with services running until the Easter holidays.
It is hoped that the seasonal service will attract skiers and snowboarders from the UK.
According to Travel Weekly, trains will leave Brussels on a Wednesday before making an epic 15-hour train journey to Venice.
The sleeper service will also make a stop in Innsbruck before arriving in Italy.
Return journeys would then leave Venice every Sunday, making for an ideal long weekend on the slopes.
The route will line up perfectly for Brits, as the Eurostar currently connects London St Pancras to Brussels.
Journeys between London and Brussels take just under two hours, giving passengers the ability to connect onto a second train in Brussels.
Because of this connection, train company European Sleeper hopes the route will attract winter sports enthusiasts from the UK.
Each train will be able to hold around 750 passengers in sleeper compartments.
European Sleeper co-founder Elmer van Buuren told Travel Weekly that ticket prices will be “much more attractive” in comparison to air fares.
Other details, including specific departure times and ticket prices, have yet to be revealed.
This isn’t the only route European Sleeper is hoping to launch next year, as plans are underway to connect Amsterdam to Barcelona by 2025.
This means Brits would be able to travel by train to the Spanish hotspot without having to fly thanks to Eurostar connections from Amsterdam.
European Sleeper previously said in a statement: “The Amsterdam-Barcelona night train will strongly improve Europe’s quality of north-south rail connections.
“Even more so because one travels efficiently while asleep on the night train, and distances are reduced to just a night away.”
Here are two other train routes hoping to launch in the UK.
London to Basel
Swiss National Railways (SBB) has proposed new routes between London St Pancras and Basel.
The five-hour trip would use the Channel Tunnel and Eurostar trains.
The direct route would make it much easier to visit, which currently requires three trains from the UK.
London to Paris
While Eurostar currently operates between the UK and France, a new start-up wants to offer similar routes.
Evolyn has revealed plans to connect London St Pancras and Paris Nord by 2025.
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If it goes ahead, it would be the first competitor to Eurostar since it first started 30 years ago.
Meanwhile, a brand-new train service s slated to open in 2025, providing direct service between Oxford and Bletchley for the first time in 50 years.
Three scenic train journeys you can take in the UK
Cornish Coast – One trip that rail enthusiasts seem to love is along a stretch of the Cornish coast and takes just 10 minutes to complete.
The route from St Erth to St Ives only stops at Carbis Bay en route to its final destination, but the views out the window for the whole journey are pretty spectacular.
Another highlight of the journey is that St Ives station is situated right next to Porthminster beach, meaning the sand and sea can be accessed almost immediately.
Meanwhile, the station is less than a ten minute walk into town, where the harbour, shops, galleries and pubs can be explored.
Durham to Edinburgh – Another train route that people in the UK love is the East Coast train line between Durham and Edinburgh, with coastal views and city landscapes among the sights that can be seen out the window.
Newcastle, Berwick, Lindisfarne and Durham Cathedral are all among the highlights on that route.
Scotland’s West Highland Line – While Scotland is home to plenty of famous landmarks and top attractions, it also has one of the most breathtaking train routes in the world.
Scotland’s West Highland Line has previously been dubbed the best rail journey in the world by Wanderlust – and it’s easy to see why.
The journey from Glasgow to Fort William is one of my favourite train routes – and I’ve interrailed through mainland Europe.
With mountain landscapes, serene lochs, wistful moors, and wildlife all visible through the train window, it’s certainly a route all holidaymakers should consider doing at least once.