The long wait is almost over: After announcing last summer that a night train between Amsterdam and Zurich could be on the cards, Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS) has now confirmed that the service will launch on December 12, just in time for the Christmas holidays. 

Nightjet Zurich to launch just in time for Christmas

A year-round night train service between the Netherlands and Zurich was discontinued at the end of 2016 following a significant fall in passenger numbers. Now, in an attempt to improve rail connections across Europe and make rail travel a viable alternative to flying, NS and its partners Swiss Federal Railways (SBB), Austrian Railways (ÖBB) and Deutsche Bahn (DB) have reintroduced the service. 

The new Nightjet Zurich service will run nightly throughout the year between Amsterdam and Zurich, stopping in Utrecht, Arnhem, Dusseldorf, Cologne, Frankfurt, and Basel. The train departs from Amsterdam Centraal at 8.30pm, arriving at Zurich main station at 8.05am. Alternatively, passengers can return to the Netherlands, arriving in the Dutch capital at 9.15am.

Fall asleep in the Netherlands, wake up in Switzerland

NS has finally announced the official launch date of December 12, and tickets have already gone on sale, starting at 38 euros for a seat or 90 euros for a sleeper cabin. 

Couchette on the Nightjet, © ÖBB/Harald Eisenberger, via ÖBB.

“The night train is a climate-friendly and popular way of international train travel,” NS chief Marjan Rintel said. “With the night train to Zurich, we are once again adding a direct connection to a European city to our timetable.”