The below link is from before the Covid-19 pandemic had started. Several locations in Europe have or shortyl starting or restoring overnight trains. Am requesting any posters that come across internation overnight services to post here. This is to give some traction to overnight service here in the USA.
https://www.railwaygazette.com/comment-jumping-on-the-night-train/54382.article
Regiojet will start another overnight service starting in December
Alpen - Sylt overnight service started July 6
https://www.railjournal.com/regions/europe/alpen-sylt-night-train-begins-operation/
Hungarian operator request some 22 older sleeper and couchettes for overnight international service. Planned to start sometime in 2021.
Rapid increase of overnight services by state owned RRs has some private operators complaining.
It’s so sad that whilst Europe is going forward with overnight trains the US seems to be taking a step back in the post COVID world reducing long distance trains to thrice weekly…
https://trainreview.com/news/amtrak-to-reduce-long-distance-trains-to-thrice-weekly
RegioJet’s service was so popular they increased the frequency to daily - a good sign!
European article about night train possible expansions. Also several links at end for more info.
https://theconversation.com/could-sleeper-trains-replace-international-air-travel-130334
Another article on overnight sleeper service in Europe.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/27/covid-19-reawakens-europe-sleeper-trains
Chicago to Toronto
and
Chicago to Duluth
Are both good overnight candidates. Both trains are on the list of potential new trains by Amtrak with so far undefined schedules but from what I hear Minnesota wants St. Paul to Duluth to be during daylight hours. So that means originating in St. Paul or an overnight run from Chicago.
The problem your going to run into is Amtrak Midwest does not like to initiate new trains that leave CUS after 9:00 p.m. I was told by WisDOT. So you might have to change that WTH business paradigm on the part of Amtrak Midwest or have the train depart prior to 9:00 p.m. I do not understand some of Amtrak’s hangups and I am not sure any of them have a basis in any rational business reason.
Chicago-Toronto used to be run by Amtrak/VIA easily in daylight, so I don’t see much need for an overnight train. Plus a likely customs inspection in the middle of the night.
If I remember correctly the current ‘possible’ route is not as direct, and may be considerably slower; the idea would be to eliminate the perception of trip time by having much of it be ‘overnight’. Which is inherent in much of what this thread is ultimately about.
This would be a significant problem. Perhaps it could be overcome with pre-inspection of sleepers at the boarding points, and some paperwork improvements, but there are so many prospective security holes now that I don’t see a practicable solution. What is CMStP&P’s proposed answer to address this? An expanded or customized version of something like TSA Pre-Check?
Hasn’t the creation of the EU eliminated customs and border inspections when traveling between the EU countries?
Admittedly in the present day USA, for a variety of reasons, border crossings between countries have become something akin to crossing the borders between armed combatants.
They were referring to crossing from Michigan to Ontario (in non-covid-19 times), not EU.
Even before covid 19 it was getting pretty unpleasant to cross the border because of 9/11. Even before that, taking the Maple Leaf from Toronto to New York at the border you were not treated very well. The customs guys would stand behind you so you had to turn around in your seat and be uncomfortable while answering their questions while they searched the train. One time, when I was married and returning to the States, they asked us “What are you bringing back?” I said, “Some books and some records.” “Oh, and some T-shirts.” The guy said, “You didn’t say that before” I said, " I didn’t think of it before." He repeated himself. What the hell did he want me to say? He eventually backed off. I think he was suspicious as my wife was dressed all in black, sorta punkish so that made him suspect us as obvious criminals.
By car it used to be easy, it isn’t anymore. Crossing the border is not something I plan to do anytime soon. Maybe when the new civil war is over. Sorry, didn’t mean to be political.
Another article:
OBB ( Austria ) is ordering 13 new 7 car night Jet trains. Will give a total of 231 sleeping cars, coachettes, and seated cars. Demand must be there so why has Amtrak not studied this more and tried to book the 10 new V-2s that are now on site in Miami ?
https://www.railjournal.com/passenger/main-line/obb-to-order-more-nightjet-trains/
Here is a link compiling all announce new night train operations and proposals.
Expanding service while trying to end it, is a difficult task.
Yet, on the Vancouver to Seattle run, customs are handled in Vancouver and not at the border. And the train is fenced off at the station in Vancouver so nobody can just hop aboard there. So not necessarily likely, rather it was done that way in the past, in Michigan without looking at other solutions.
The border crossings between New York and Detroit are problematic because they are on known smuggling routes between Canada and United States. I think it has to do with Liquor and Cigarette Taxes but I am not sure. I don’t think Washington State has ths same issue but again not sure and I would reather not spend time looking it up. In the upper portion of the Michigan lower part of Michigan they are pretty paranoid on the U.S. portion of the Great Lakes shore as well due to smuggling…I was told this when I worked at GM in Detroit…be careful up there.
Vancouver and Montreal are different, in that it is a short distance to the border, and there are no intermediate stops. On the Chicago-Toronto run, the border is at the midpoint, with lots of intermediate stations on each side, so you could not seal the train. I took the daytime ATK/VIA Chicago-Toronto train a couple of times in the 90s, and there was a rigorous customs inspection at the border.