A POPULAR European night train has axed its services, as commuters and holiday-goers race to find travel alternatives.
A sleeper train service between Berlin and Brussels stopped its operations yesterday after running for just over a year.
The Nightjet, which connects the two capitals in 14 hours, was launched in December 2023 and ran three times a week.
Operated by ÖBB Austria’s national railway company, the service formed part of a large network of night trains linking Germany and Belgium’s big cities.
But following an announcement earlier this week, the operation will be axed indefinitely due to a “combination of difficult-to-bypass late-notice track work” in Germany.
Mark Smith, founder of a popular rail travel magazine, said: “A combination of difficult-to-bypass late-notice track work in Germany and (no doubt) the fact that it now runs on the same three days of the week as the European Sleeper mean they seem to have given up”.
Passengers will still be able to travel through the night between the two cities, however, thanks to the European Sleeper service.
Similarly to the Nightjet, the European Sleeper runs three times a week and leaves from Berlin’s Ostbanhof station.
Tickets start at around £66 per person for a six-berth couchette, a padded bunk bed with a blanket and pillow.
This increases to about £82 for a spot in a five-berth couchette and £91 for a proper bed in a three-bed sleeper carriage.
This comes just days after a brand new train operator announced it would be launching services between the UK and Europe, offering ‘competitive fares’ for passengers.
Currently, Eurostar is the only rail operator that connects the UK to destinations across Europe, including cities in France, Belgium and the Netherlands.
This could all change as a new train operating company, Gemini,has announced its plans to launch services between the UK and Europe.
The new train operator, which is currently being established, hopes to begin its rail journey by launching services from London to Paris and Brussels.
Once services between London and Paris/Brussels have launched, Gemini hopes to further its list of European destinations.
The new rail operator plans to introduce ‘new cutting-edge trains and a fresh approach to sales and ticketing’ on services between the UK and Europe.
It hopes to run ‘Open Access’ services to compete on the cross-channel route between the UK and Europe.
An open access rail service is a rail service operated by a private company, outside of any government contract.
Gemini has applied to the Office of Rail and Road for access to Eurostar’s Temple Mills International maintenance depot.
The company is also in discussion with key stakeholders around
other train maintenance facilities – although further details have yet to be revealed.
LIDL shoppers are being told not to eat one of its savoury snacks over fears it could contain salmonella.
The discount supermarket has urgently recalled its Sol & Mar Chicharricos BBQ Pork Scratchings after the problem was found.
The recall affects 100g packets of the pork scratchings with best before dates ranging from August 5, 2025 through to August 12, 2025.
Anyone who has bought the product has been told not to eat it and to return it to their nearest store for a full refund.
You won’t need to bring a receipt.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA), which raised the alarm, said the product was being recalled “due to potential presence of salmonella which may cause severe gastrointestinal symptoms”.
Food products are usually recalled when there is a risk to customers.
Lidl has put up notices in its stores explaining why the product is being recalled and what customers should do if they have bought the product.
If you want more information, you can contact the supermarket‘s customer care team on customer.care@lidl.co.uk or 0203 966 5566.
Salmonella is a bacteria that causes food poisoning.
It is usually found in foods such as eggs, chicken, pork or dairy products but other items can become contaminated if they have been in contact with livestock, manure or untreated water.
The bacteria can cause symptoms including diarrhoea, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting and fever, according to the Government website.
These usually develop between 12 and 72 hours after a person becomes infected.
Although most people usually get better within a week, people who are more vulnerable such as the elderly or young children can be more severely affected.
If you have severe or your symptoms last more than a week, you should consult a doctor.
Supermarkets have also been forced to recall other potentially dangerous items recently.
Tesco pulled its Free From Meal Kits from shelves due to undeclared soya in the products.
At the time, the presence of soya was not included on the meal kits’ ingredient list and the FSA warned this was potentially dangerous for those with a soya allergy.
Meanwhile Dunnes stores had to recall its Hogan’s Farm Turkey Burgers because they contained undeclared sulphur dioxide.
Anyone with a sensitivity to sulphur dioxide or sulphites could have been at risk.
Plus, stores had to recall Rude Health’s Chocolate Crunch Granola over fears it could be “infested with insects”.
The FSA said the product, sold at Waitrose and Tesco, could be “unsafe to eat”.
Chief consumer reporter James Flanders reveals all you need to know.
Product recalls are an important means of protecting consumers from dangerous goods.
As a general rule, if a recall involves a branded product, the manufacturer would usually have lead responsibility for the recall action.
But it’s often left up to supermarkets to notify customers when products could put them at risk.
If you are concerned about the safety of a product you own, always check the manufacturer’s website to see if a safety notice has been issued.
When it comes to appliances, rather than just food items, the onus is usually on you – the customer – to register the appliance with the manufacturer as if you don’t there is no way of contacting you to tell you about a fault.
If you become aware that an item you own has been recalled or has any safety noticed issued against it, make sure you follow the instructions given to you by the manufacturer.
They should usually provide you with more information and a contact number on its safety notice.
In some cases, the manufacturer might ask you to return the item for a full refund or arrange for the faulty product to be collected.
You should not be charged for any recall work – such as a repair, replacement or collection of the recalled item