Nightjet

This is the brand name for Austrian Railways sleeper trains, as The Man in Seat 61 explains. Now there is to be an expansion. Railway Gazette reported this summer:
Austrian Federal Railways held a groundbreaking ceremony on August 21 to launch the construction of a €40m facility at its Wien Simmering depot for the maintenance of its Nightjet overnight train fleet. The project includes construction of a 235 m x 24 m building with two tracks, equipment for removing bogies, movable platforms for accessing the train roofs and a train preheating system. Completion is planned for early 2022. The Nightjet network currently comprises 19 routes. Speaking at the groundbreaking, Federal Minister for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation & Technology Leonore Gewessler said Wien was already the EU city with the most night train services, and ÖBB CEO Andreas Matthä said the new depot would facilitate further expansion of the services.

Two things occurred to me when reading this article. First, why cannot a UK minister hold a portfolio which specifically includes climate action and environment along with energy and technology? Secondly, the time is ripe for a thriller set on a state-of-the-art train in succession to The Lady Vanishes, Murder on the Orient Express or The Narrow Margin. Perhaps Austrian Rail will sponsor one.

According to Railwatch magazine, president Macron of France has announced a rail expansion programme which will include two new night train routes to be launched in 2022. In the same year, Sweden has plans for sleepers to Brussels and Hamburg.