Edinburgh holidaymakers could soon be able to travel to Europe in style as part of a new luxury ‘hotel on wheels’ rail link connecting the Capital and Paris.
Midnight Trains plans to 'reinvent the sleeper train' when it starts overnight services from Waverley to the world-famous Gare du Nord and onward to a host of popular destinations across the continent in 2024, with a fully operational network in place by 2030.
The low-carbon impact travel network is designed to replace flights to and from European cities including Barcelona, Berlin and Rome and will offer travellers the chance to relax on their way to a city in break in comfortable, designer accommodation featuring private rooms with on-demand entertainment and an opulent in-carriage cocktail and wine bar.
According to the company, travellers will be able to enjoy a "more comfortable, seamless and sustainable alternative" to air travel when the rail network starts in three years.
The start-up, founded by French entrepreneurs Adrien Aumont and Romain Payet, said: "The experience imposed by commercial airlines is full of stress and discomfort.
"The speed they sell is an illusion and a one-hour flight is actually four hours long from door to door. Finally and more importantly, air travel produces high carbon emissions.
"Midnight Trains was born from these observations: it is time to propose a more comfortable, seamless and sustainable alternative.
"We believe that the journey is as important as the destination and that every moment is precious. To connect the largest European cities together, we set ourselves a challenge: create a hotel on rails, by redesigning the night train experience."
Existing refurbished carriages are to be leased to form the main infrastructure of the service, while the firm is also in discussions over the purchase of rolling stock.
The interiors have been specially-designed to resemble a "hotel on wheels" and also feature a restaurant with table service and private bathrooms in every compartment.
An extended network 'radiating' from their Parisian base will soon take in destinations including Porto, Madrid, Milan, Hamburg and Copenhagen under ambitious current plans.
