Two Scottish cities are set to benefit from a trans-European sleeper rail network which means people could travel by train to places as far away as Istanbul and St Petersburg.
The scheme is being launched to curb the number of flights across Europe in a bid to drastically reduce carbon emissions.
Plans from one of Europe’s biggest political parties have been unveiled and included Glasgow and Edinburgh in their bid to connect the continent by rail.
Germany’s Green Party has launched proposals for a ‘night sprinter’ service spanning from Lisbon, Portugal to as far as Turkish capital Istanbul or Russia’s St Petersburg.
A map displaying the planned network has been revealed by Alliance 90/Greens Party ahead of the German elections on September 26.
The sleeper service, which may not come to fruition until 2030, a continental network with Edinburgh and Glasgow connected to Europe via a connection in London, with the rail going on to reach every major European capital.
Greens leader Annalena Baerbock previously suggested her party would slash tax subsidies for airlines and increase the frequency of long-distance and nighttime rail travel as an alternative.
In their plans, the party stated “fair competition” between air and rail travel must be introduced to tackle the climate crisis, adding: “Those who travel a little longer to protect the climate should not have to pay extra.
“At present, international air traffic enjoys enormous tax advantages: airlines do not pay any tax on kerosene - railways do pay tax on diesel - and international airline tickets are even exempt from VAT.
“These distortions of competition must be corrected urgently. We need low-cost rail tickets that can compete with airfares.
“We can make night trains more attractive in terms of price by offering suitable products for every budget.”
In June, French startup Midnight Trains unveiled tentative proposals for a ‘luxury hotel on wheels’ connecting the Capital with Paris by 2024.
