[www.france24.com]

The timing could perhaps have been better.

With a resurgence of Covid-19 gripping Europe, there were no paying passengers for the maiden voyage of the reborn night train linking Paris and Vienna.

A return of night trains to the Old Continent is seen as symbolic of the efforts to shift travel from the air back to rail as Europe seeks to meet its climate change commitments.

But as the train following the route of the legendary Orient Express pulled out of Vienna's train station on Monday evening, it was empty except for a delegation of officials and media.

"There should have been lots of people," said Ibrahim Wade, an attendant in charge of a sleeping cabin car, holding a list of absent passengers.

"It's due to the health situation."

The night trains operated by Austria's national rail firm OBB under the Nightjet brand offer regular seats, as well as both simple and more comfortable sleeping cabins.

Some of the more luxurious berths even have private showers, while other passengers have to wash at the ends of the train cars.

Towels are provided, as is breakfast, but there is no Wi-Fi and the heating didn't always work.

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