Like sleeping in a bread bin: Inside Europe’s new sleeper train pods

The train rolls into Roma Tiburtina 30 minutes late. We board just before 6pm. At first glance, I could easily mistake this for a pod hostel in Tokyo. But in reality, I’m stepping onto the OBB Nightjet from Rome to Vienna, ready to settle into one of their sleek new mini-cabins.

Mini-pod on OBB’s new Nightjet.

Anyone who has taken a sleeper train in Europe knows it’s a gamble. If you’re lucky, you’ll get the couchette compartment to yourself, but more likely, you’ll share it with three strangers – one inevitably lugging around smelly hiking boots.

Private sleeper cabins are another option, but at upwards of €250 ($418), they’re out of reach for most. At that price, you might as well fly. The budget-friendly seating carriage, at about €50, seems tempting – until you’ve endured a 14-hour journey from Vienna to Florence in one. Trust me, once was enough.

The OBB Nightjet mini-cabins, which officially launched in December 2023, cost about €159 ($260) a person, but with a global Eurail pass, I only had to shell out €49 ($80) for the experience.

On board, I weave through the other passengers to reach my cabin, number 33. My partner’s cabin is right next door, number 34. Our key cards, much like hotel keys, unlock the cleverly designed luggage storage compartments built into the ladder. Each compartment has space for one carry-on-sized bag and a smaller, separate section for shoes. There’s a dedicated storage carriage for larger luggage where the bikes are kept.

The “bread-bin” door of the pod.

Each cabin is like a high-tech pod, with a sliding table for working or binge-watching Netflix, a wireless charging pad, and a standard European electrical socket. Above me, a digital panel has a service call button for food and drinks and a slider to change the light colour, although I wonder why that’s needed other than for the sake of being high-tech.

When I settle in, the train chugs out of the station. My partner slides open the hatch so we can talk to each other, although for solo travellers, this hatch can be locked for privacy.

The cabins are snug (189 x 57 centimetres) and the bed could use a little padding. When the sliding door is closed, I feel like I’m in a chic Danish bread bin, but it’s cosy. I wrap the thin mattress with the sheet provided and stuff my jumper into the pillow for added support – a necessity.

The attendant makes her rounds to take breakfast orders. There’s no dining car on the train, just a selection of sandwiches and microwave meals. As a seasoned sleeper train traveller, I came prepared with fresh focaccia I picked up from a bakery in Rome.

At each end of the carriage, there are male and female bathrooms, along with a washroom, where I go to brush my teeth before turning in for the night. The facilities are clean, as the attendants make a point to service them frequently.

Compact, but room to relax.

By 9pm, the passengers have tucked themselves in their bread bins, and I won’t see them again until morning. Social interaction on this train is limited, with no communal seating apart from the pull-down seats in the corridor.

In the morning, I wake up feeling well-rested. Had I not worn my earphones all night, the noise might have disturbed me – something that’s typical on sleeper trains. I spend the first few minutes admiring the Austrian hills glide past my cabin window.

The attendant knocks at my door, holding my breakfast – a cup of hot chocolate, two bread rolls, a single serving of butter, and strawberry jam. It’s simple fare, but it hits the spot.

After breakfast, I find a moment to change in my cabin, freshen up, and put on some make-up using the mirror cleverly fixed to the underside of my table. When we arrive at Wien HBF, we jostle for room, pulling luggage out of compartments while others shuffle through the tight corridor to get off the train.

Have pod, will travel by train.

I spent all but 11 hours in Vienna before severe flooding affecting Central Europe leads us to cancel our hotel for the night and hop on another Nightjet from Vienna to Hamburg. Naturally, I booked the mini-cabins again.

The details

Ride
A one-way mini cabin ticket from Rome to Vienna on OBB Nightjet costs about $266 (€159.90) a person. For Eurail pass holders, it’s about $82 (€49). See nightjet.com; eurail.com

Routes
Mini-cabins are currently available on these Nightjet services: Vienna – Hamburg; Innsbruck – Hamburg; Vienna – Bregenz; Vienna – Rome, and Munich – Rome.

Accessibility
The bottom mini-cabins are easily accessible, while the top cabins are accessed via a ladder. For passengers with limited mobility, the new generation of OBB Nightjets provides barrier-free compartments with four beds, accommodating up to two passengers with limited mobility, with or without a carer. A barrier-free toilet is located next to the compartment. Phone [phone] to reserve.

The writer travelled courtesy of Eurail.