Private railway company Midnight Trains had wanted to offer a luxury night train service from France to other cities in Europe, according to AFP news agency.
The plan from the new railway company was to provide passengers with an overnight luxury trip in a private cabin, starting out their journey from Paris to a major European city end destination between 800 and 1,500 kilometres away. The first test route was to have been Paris-Milan-Venice.
However, the train has failed to leave the station because of a lack of money and because the idea has not been given sufficient backing from France's public authorities, the company said, in a report from AFP.
The dream lost out to reality
"Today is the end of an ambitious project launched by a bold trio," said Adrien Aumont on the company's official website.
"For four years, we’ve put all our energy into reinventing the night train to make it a mode of transport that's in tune with our times, able to compete with medium-haul aviation and offers a desirable alternative to all those who wish to continue travelling, without trashing the planet," said the co-founder of Midnight Trains and the man who co-founded the KissKissBankBank equity crowdfunding platform.
"If they had expected to face several difficulties, particularly in the face of the SNCF's monopoly on the French market, they would have thought that their 'vision would be shared more widely by financiers,' he went on.
"However, despite an initial fundraising effort backed by some 40 business angels, they were unable to complete the second round to purchase the first two train sets and launch the first service. The opening up of passenger rail services to competition in recent years has not helped the project to develop any further.
"The channels are open but, in reality, the rail market has mainly opened up to itself. This market was organised by the public authorities for their own historical operators, not to really create new players."
The green credentials, while attractive, were not enough to get the project funded, Aumont said.
"It’s possible, in our time, to finance and launch large-scale industrial projects with the objective of protecting the environment. However, these sectors are restricted by public authorities. This was the case a few years ago for the energy sector, then for food and agriculture. Off the beaten track, it's almost impossible to get there."
Hopes there may be a market in the future
Those involved in the project, launched four years ago, have expressed their disappointment at its failure, while accepting they may have made some mistakes.
"We have always made measured choices, as good fathers, and perhaps we should have thought bigger, faster, or stopped sooner."
On its X account and official website, the founders of Midnight Trains said: "The night dies here" but left a positive message at the end of the explanation of what had happened. They were hopeful, they said, there would be a real desire to change things, for the sake of looking after the planet.
"One day, other entrepreneurs may succeed where we failed. And so much the better, the planet needs it. If certain entrepreneurs wish to save time and start from a healthy, established basis to launch a similar project, we're open to discussion for the transfer of our assets."
