Traveling without flying: a new night train connects Prague and Zurich via Germany

All aboard – a new sleeper train will connect the Czech Republic and Switzerland via Germany.

The ‘Canopus’ service – announced by the Czech Republic national rail operator last week – will run from prague in Zurich, stopping in Frankfurt and Basel along the way.

Travelers will depart Prague at 6:25 p.m. and arrive in Zurich, Swiss at 9:05 a.m., less than 14 hours after departure.

The return journey leaves a little later, with the form departure from Zurich at 7:59 p.m. and return to Prague at 9:25 a.m.

The new route, a revival of a service that closed in 2017, will launch on December 11.

Travelers can already take a sleeper train between Zurich and Prague via Linz in Austria, but this train is often heavily subscribed.

The new Canopus service will expand night options by offering a German road, said ČD Chairman and CEO Michal Krapinec

“We want to give night traffic another boost,” reports the Rail Journal.

“That’s why we prepared a new brand for overnight travel related services.”

What will the Canopus night train look like?

The train will be jointly operated by the national rail operators of the Czech Republic, Austria (ÖBB), Switzerland (SBB) and Germany (DB).

Potential travelers will have a number of different fare options, from six-bed couchettes to luxury compartments with en-suite toilets and showers.

Ticket prices for a berth in a six-bed berth start from €49.90. For a berth in a four-bed berth you will pay €59.90.

Regular couchettes are more expensive – prices start at €69.90 for a three-bed, €89.90 for a twin or €139.90 for a single. The most expensive option will be the deluxe berth. Trains can be booked on the Czech Railways website.

Why take the train rather than the plane?

Flying is one of the most harmful to the environment forms of travel.

Aviation currently accounts for around 2% of global traffic carbon dioxide emission.

A return economy class flight from London to New York emits around 0.67 tonnes of CO2 per passenger, roughly the same amount as an average person in Ghana produces in a year.

More and more people are turning to transport without flight to offset their carbon footprint. Trains are a great way to do this – a Eurostar journey from London to Paris, for example, produces 14 times less emissions than a flight for the same route.