Editing Sleeping car

{{Short description|Railway passenger car with private sleeping berths}}
{{For|the 1933 film|Sleeping Car (film)}}
{{Not to be confused with|Sleeper (car)|Railway sleeper}}{{Globalize|date=May 2020}}
[[File:Pullman sleeping car circa 1860s.JPG|thumb|upright=1.2|Pullman sleeping car, original to the [[William Crooks (locomotive)|William Crooks locomotive]], on display in Duluth, Minnesota]]
The '''sleeping car''' or '''sleeper''' (often {{lang|fr|'''wagon-lit'''}}) is a railway [[passenger car (rail)|passenger car]] that can accommodate all passengers in beds of one kind or another, for the purpose of sleeping. [[George Pullman]] was the main American innovator and owner of sleeper cars in the late 19th and early 20th centuries when railroads dominated intercity passenger travel.

The first such cars saw sporadic use on American and English railways in the 1830s; they could be configured for [[Coach (rail)|coach]] seating during the day.

==History==
Possibly the earliest example of a sleeping car (or ''bed carriage'', as it was then called) was on the [[London & Birmingham]] and [[Grand Junction Railway]]s between [[London]] and [[Lancashire]], England. The bed carriage was first made available to first-class passengers in 1838.<ref>Lambert, Anthony J. (1983), ''Travel in the Twenties and Thirties''</ref>

[[File:SleepingCar1838.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|The first American sleeping car, the "Chambersburg" started service on the CVRR in 1839.]]
In the spring of 1839, the [[Cumberland Valley Railroad]] pioneered sleeping car service in the [[United States]] with a car named "Chambersburg", between [[Chambersburg, Pennsylvania|Chambersburg]], [[Pennsylvania]] and [[Harrisburg, Pennsylvania|Harrisburg]], Pennsylvania. A couple of years later a second car, the "Carlisle", was introduced into service.<ref name="BerlinMarker">[http://www.explorepahistory.com/hmarker.php?markerId=670 Philip Berlin Historical Marker – Behind the Marker] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216125522/http://www.explorepahistory.com/hmarker.php?markerId=670 |date=December 16, 2008 }}</ref><ref name="TIME1">{{cite news 
  | title =St. Paul 'Pullmans'
  | work = [[TIME Magazine]]
  | date = June 6, 1927
  | url = http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,736765,00.html
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081216124427/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,736765,00.html
  | url-status = dead
  | archive-date = December 16, 2008
  | access-date = 2008-05-28}}</ref>

In 1857, the [[Wason Manufacturing Company]] of [[Springfield, Massachusetts]] – one of the United States' first makers of railway passenger coach equipment – produced America's first specifically designed sleeping car.<ref name="springfield375.org">{{cite web |url=http://springfield375.org/?p=126 |title=Firsts |work=Springfield 375 |date=January 31, 2011 |access-date=2013-05-23 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314004454/http://springfield375.org/?p=126 |archive-date=March 14, 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Bianculli |first=Anthony J. |title=Trains and Technology: the American Railroad in the Nineteenth Century. Vol. 2, Cars. |year=2002 |publisher=University of Delaware Press |location=Newark, Del. [u.a.] |isbn=0-87413-730-6 |page=[https://archive.org/details/trainstechnology0000bian/page/52 52] |url=https://archive.org/details/trainstechnology0000bian/page/52 }}</ref> Canadian railways soon followed with their own sleeping cars: first the [[Grand Trunk Railway|Grand Trunk]] in 1858, then the [[Great Western Railway (Ontario)|Great Western]].<ref name=Greenhill>{{cite magazine |last=Greenhill |first=Ralph |title=Early Sleeping Cars in Canada |date=Spring 1993 |magazine=Railroad History |publisher=Railway and Locomotive Historical Society |number=168 |pages=73–75 |jstor=3521636}}</ref>{{rp|73}} The Great Western's sleeping cars were manufactured in-house, with the first three built in 1858, and the railway operating six by 1863.<ref name=Greenhill />{{rp|75}}

The man who ultimately made the sleeping car business profitable in the United States was [[George Pullman]], who began by building a luxurious sleeping car (named ''Pioneer'') in 1865. The [[Pullman Company]], founded as the Pullman Palace Car Company in 1867, owned and operated most sleeping cars in the United States until the mid-20th century, attaching them to [[passenger train]]s run by the various railroads; there were also some sleeping cars that were operated by Pullman but owned by the railroad running a given train. During the peak years of American passenger railroading, several all-Pullman trains existed, including the ''[[20th Century Limited]]'' on the [[New York Central Railroad]], the ''[[Broadway Limited]]'' on the [[Pennsylvania Railroad]], the ''[[Panama Limited]]'' on the [[Illinois Central Railroad]], and the ''[[Super Chief]]'' on the [[Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway]].

[[File:Chicago and Alton Railroad Pullman car interior c 1900.png|thumb|left|upright=1.2|Interior of a Pullman car on the [[Chicago and Alton Railroad]], {{nowrap|c.{{hsp}}1900}},  configured for daytime operation]]

Pullman cars were normally a dark "Pullman green", although some were painted in the host railroad's colors. The cars carried individual names, but usually did not carry visible numbers. In the 1920s, the Pullman Company went through a series of restructuring steps, which in the end resulted in a parent company, Pullman Incorporated, controlling the Pullman Company (which owned and operated sleeping cars) and the Pullman-Standard Car Manufacturing Company. Due to an antitrust verdict in 1947, a consortium of railroads bought the Pullman Company from Pullman Incorporated, and subsequently railroads owned and operated Pullman-made sleeping cars themselves. Pullman-Standard continued manufacturing sleeping cars and other passenger and freight railroad cars until 1980.

For nearly a year during the end of [[World War II]] the United States government banned sleeping cars for runs of less than {{convert|450|mi}} in order to make sleepers available for transporting troops returning to the US from [[Europe]], many being deployed in the [[Pacific War|Pacific Theater]]. <ref>Editors of Publications International, 'How Stuff Works,' 'Railroads During World War II' https://history.howstuffworks.com/american-history/world-war-ii-railroads2.htm</ref> The development of the [[Interstate Highway System]] in the 1950s and the expansion of [[jet airliner|jet airline]] travel in the same decade negatively affected train travel.

===Cultural impact of Pullman porters===

{{Further|Pullman porter}}
[[File:Pullman porter making an upper berth aboard the Capitol Limited bound for Chicago.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.2|Pullman porter making an upper berth aboard the [[Baltimore and Ohio Railroad|B&O]] ''[[Capitol Limited (B&O train)|Capitol Limited]]'' bound for Chicago, {{circa|1944}}]]
One unanticipated consequence of the rise of Pullman cars in the US in the 19th and early 20th centuries was their effect on [[civil rights]] and [[African-American]] culture. Each Pullman car was staffed by a uniformed [[Porter (railroad)|porter]]. The majority of [[Pullman porter|Pullman porters]] were African Americans. While still a menial job in many respects, Pullman offered better pay and security than most jobs open to African Americans at the time, in addition to a chance for travel, and it was a well regarded job in the African-American community of the time. The Pullman attendants, regardless of their true name, were traditionally referred to as "George" by the travelers, the name of the company's founder, [[George Pullman]]. The Pullman company was the largest employer of African Americans in the United States.<ref>{{cite book|last=Grizzle|first=Stanley|title=The Story of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters in Canada|year=1998|publisher=Umbrella Press|location=Toronto|pages=20–23, 39–42}}</ref>

Railway porters fought for political recognition and were eventually unionized. Their union, the [[Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters]] (established, 1925), became an important source of strength for the burgeoning [[Civil rights movement (1896–1954)|Civil Rights Movement]] in the early 20th century, notably under the leadership of [[A. Philip Randolph]]. Because they moved about the country, Pullman porters also became an important means of communication for news and cultural information of all kinds. The African-American [[newspaper]], the ''[[Chicago Defender]]'', gained a national circulation in this way.{{citation needed|date=March 2014}} Porters also used to re-sell [[phonograph record]]s bought in the great metropolitan centres, greatly adding to the distribution of [[jazz]] and [[blues]] and the popularity of the artists.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Schoenberg|first1=Loren|title=Race Records|url=https://www.pbs.org/jazz/exchange/exchange_race_records.htm|website=www.pbs.org|publisher=Public Broadcasting Service|access-date=5 December 2014}}</ref>

===Open-section accommodation===
[[File:Union Pacific Pullman car circa 1950s.JPG|thumb|upright=1.2|Open section accommodations of a Pullman car in day mode from {{circa|1950s}}.]]
[[File:Rynerson1964k.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|In 1964, aging open-section Pullman cars waited in [[Portland, Oregon]], available for "emergencies".]]
From the mid-19th to the mid-20th centuries, the most common and more economical type of sleeping car accommodation on North American trains was the "open section". Open-section accommodations consist of pairs of seats, one seat facing forward and the other backward, situated on either side of a center aisle. The seat pairs can be converted into the combination of an upper and a lower "[[Berth (sleeping)#Berths in trains|berth]]", each berth consisting of a bed screened from the aisle by a curtain. A famous example of open sections can be seen in the movie ''[[Some Like It Hot]]'' (1959).
[[File:Kidupper4.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|[[New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad|NH RR]]'s 1942 [[World War II]] advertisement "The Kid in Upper 4." This ad depicts an open section of a sleeping car.]]

===Private accommodations===
In the mid-to-late 20th century, an increasing variety of private rooms was offered. Most of these rooms provided significantly more space than open-section accommodations could offer. Open-sections were increasingly phased out in the 1950s, in favor of roomettes. Some of them, such as the rooms of the "[[Slumbercoach]]" cars manufactured by the [[Budd Company]] and first put into service in 1956, were triumphs of miniaturization. These allowed a single car to increase the number of sleepers over a conventional sleeping car of private rooms.<ref name="web.archive.org">NRHS Bulletin, Summer 2006, Tom Smith, "The Budd Slumbercoach Brings Economy to Pullman Passengers" https://web.archive.org/web/20101128033028/http://srmduluth.org/Exhibits/SlumberCoaches.pdf</ref>

====Roomettes====
A [[roomette]], in the historical sense of the word, was a private room for a single passenger, containing a single seat, a folding bed, a toilet (''not'' in a private cubicle of its own), and a washbasin. When a traditional roomette is in night mode, the bed blocks access to the toilet. Like open sections, roomettes are placed on both sides of the car, with a corridor down the center. Duplex roomettes, a Pullman-produced precursor to the Slumbercoach, are staggered vertically, with every second accommodation raised a few feet above the car's floor level, in order to make slightly more efficient use of the space. Single-passenger Slumbercoach accommodations are a particularly spartan form of roomette; Slumbercoaches also included a few two-passenger units.<ref name="web.archive.org"/>

====Compartments and double bedrooms====
[[File:Union Pacific Railroad pullman compartment.JPG|thumb|upright=1.2|Pullman private compartment, {{circa|1950s}}.]]
Compartments and Double Bedrooms are private rooms for two passengers, with upper and lower berths, washbasins, and private toilets, placed on one side of the car, with the corridor running down the other side (thus allowing the accommodation to be slightly over two thirds the width of the car). Frequently, these accommodations have movable partitions allowing adjacent accommodations to be combined into a suite.

====Drawing rooms and larger accommodations====
The [[drawing room]] was a relatively rare and expensive option for travelers. It could comfortably accommodate three people, again with a washbasin and private toilet on one side of the car. Even rarer are larger rooms accommodating four or more. Generally the needs of large parties were better served with multiple rooms, with or without the ability to combine them into a suite.

====Modern Amtrak accommodations====
Amtrak's [[Superliner (railcar)|Superliner]] Economy Bedrooms (now called Superliner Roomettes, although they are structurally closer to open sections) accommodate two passengers in facing seats that fold out into a lower berth, with an upper berth that folds down from above, a small closet, and no in-room washbasin or toilet, on both sides of both the upper and lower levels of the car. Effectively, they are open sections with walls, a door, and a built-in access ladder for the upper berth (which doubles as a nightstand for the lower berth passenger). Superliner Deluxe Bedrooms are essentially the same as historic Compartments and Double Bedrooms, with the toilet cubicle doubling as a private shower cubicle. In addition, each Superliner sleeping car has two special lower-level accommodations, each taking up the full width of the car: the Accessible Bedroom, at the restroom/shower end of the car (below the Deluxe Bedrooms), is a fully wheelchair-accessible accommodation for two, with a roll-in cubicle for the toilet and shower; the Family Bedroom, at the Economy Bedroom end of the car, accommodates two adults and up to three small children, without private toilet or shower facilities.

When the [[Viewliner]] sleeping cars were built, the accommodations were patterned after the Superliner accommodations, except that the Economy Bedrooms (or "Viewliner Roomettes") include Roomette-style washbasins and toilets, as well as windows for the upper berths.

==Night trains today==
===Europe===
[[File:252064 Trehotel Alhambra - Vilanova i la Geltru - Luis Zamora.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Trenhotel Alhambra between [[Barcelona]] and [[Granada]]]]
[[File:Oulu railway station 20180107.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|A long-distance night train at the [[Oulu railway station]] in [[Oulu|Oulu, Finland]]]]
In [[Europe]], the [[Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits]] (French for "International Sleeping Car Company") first focused on sleeping cars, but later operated whole trains, including the ''[[Orient Express|Simplon-Orient Express]]'', ''[[Nord Express]]'', ''[[Le Train Bleu|Train Bleu]]'', ''[[Golden Arrow (train)|Golden Arrow]]'', and the ''Transsiberien'' (on the [[Trans-Siberian railway]]). Today it once again specializes in sleeping cars, along with onboard railroad catering.

In modern Europe, a number of sleeping car services continue to operate, though they face strong competition from high-speed day trains and budget airlines, sometimes leading to the cancellation or consolidation of services. In some cases, trains are split and recombined in the dead of night, making it possible to offer several connections with a relatively small number of trains. Generally, the trains consist of sleeping cars with private compartments, couchette cars, and sometimes cars with normal seating.

In Eastern Europe, night trains are still widely used. In Western Europe, they have been in decline for decades. However, in December 2020 the state railways of [[Germany]], [[Austria]], [[France]] and [[Switzerland]] announced a 500 million [[euro]] investment in a network of cross-border night trains linking 13 major European cities, in the largest extension of Europe's night network in many years.<ref>{{cite news |title=Rail giants team up to revive Europe's long-dormant sleeper trains |url=https://www.dw.com/en/rail-giants-team-up-to-revive-europes-long-dormant-sleeper-trains/a-55876645 |access-date=16 December 2020 |work=[[Deutsche Welle]] |agency=[[Deutsche Presse-Agentur|dpa]], [[Agence France-Presse|AFP]] |date=8 December 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Buckley |first1=Julia |title=How Europe's night trains came back from the dead |url=https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/night-trains-europe-sleeper-obb/index.html |access-date=16 December 2020 |work=[[CNN|CNN travel]] |date=14 December 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=New night trains are reingniting rail travel in Europe |url=https://www.traveller.com.au/new-night-trains-are-reingniting-rail-travel-in-europe-h1spgq |work=traveller.com.au |agency=[[Reuters]] |access-date=16 December 2020 |date=16 December 2020}}</ref>

An example of a more basic type of sleeping car is the European [[couchette car]], which is divided into compartments for four or six people, with bench-configuration seating during the day and "privacyless" double- or triple-level bunk beds at night.

In 2021 the French start-up company, [[Midnight Trains]], announced plans to set up a network of sleeper trains, centered in [[Paris]]. Planned destinations include [[Edinburgh]], [[Copenhagen]], [[Berlin]], [[Venice]], [[Rome]], [[Barcelona]], [[Madrid]], and [[Porto]], with some intermediate stops. The plans were backed by telecoms billionaire [[Xavier Niel]], the co-owner of [[Le Monde]] newspaper.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Willsher|first=Kim|date=22 June 2021|title=New network of European sleeper trains announced|url=http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2021/jun/22/new-network-of-european-sleeper-overnight-trains-planned|access-date=22 June 2021|website=The Guardian|language=en}}</ref> However, the project later collapsed due in part to a lack of funding.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Where the night dies |url=https://www.midnight-trains.com/post/where-the-night-dies |access-date=2024-06-05 |website=www.midnight-trains.com}}</ref> In 2021 Europe saw a increase in the provision of sleeper trains which is thought to be the result of increasing awareness of the environmental effects of long-distance travel.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web|last=Burroughs|first=David|date=6 May 2021|title=Getting overnight travel back on track|url=https://www.railjournal.com/in_depth/getting-overnight-travel-back-on-track/|access-date=22 June 2021|website=International Railway Journal|language=en}}</ref>

In 2022 the design and engineering faculties of three European universities – [[Aalto University|Aalto]], [[KTH Royal Institute of Technology|KTH]] and [[Tallinn University of Technology|TalTech]] – discussed plans to reshape sleeping cars for flow production. The ADLNE project aims to create the railcar from modules that are themselves composed of interchangeable segments, compartments and fittings, allowing bespoke designs at low cost.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://transportandtravel.files.wordpress.com/2022/02/adlne-newsletter.pdf |title=ADLNE project newsletter |work=Transport and Travel |first=Pat |last=Humphreys |date=Feb 6, 2022 |access-date=March 8, 2022}}</ref>

Since 2023, Belgian–Dutch start-up [[European Sleeper]] runs sleeper trains from [[Amsterdam]] to [[Berlin]] and (since 2024) [[Prague]], as well as a seasonal service (since 2025) to [[Innsbruck]] and [[Venice]]. European Sleeper has also announced plans for an [[Amsterdam]]&mdash;[[Barcelona]] service in 2026 or 2027.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.railtech.com/all/2024/10/14/european-sleeper-adam-barca-night-train-may-be-delayed-to-2027-ceo/|access-date=1 February 2025|title=European Sleeper: A’dam-Barca night train may be delayed to 2027 – CEO|date=14 October 2024|last=Wintle|first=Thomas|website=Railtech}}</ref>

====Austria====
[[File:CityNightLine bilevel sleeping car in Dresden - 2000.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.2|A [[CityNightLine]] double-decker sleeping car]]
[[ÖBB]]'s modern [[Nightjet]] services operate in [[Germany]], [[Austria]], [[Italy]], [[Switzerland]], [[France]], [[Netherlands]] and [[Belgium]], and Nightjet's partners will also take passengers to [[Slovakia]], [[Croatia]], [[Slovenia]], [[Poland]], [[Hungary]] and the  [[Czech Republic]]. The services usually leave at around 20:00 hours and arrive at around 09:00 hours at the destination. Some of the Nightjet train units have a maximum speed of 230 km/h.

====Former Soviet Union countries====
[[File:1st class two berth sleeper Kiev to Moscow (11386515956).jpg|thumb|1st class two berth sleeper Kiev to Moscow]]
[[File:Moscow Kazansky Station TVZ doubledecker train 08-2016 img2.jpg|thumb|A Russian [[Tver Carriage Works|TVZ]] double-deck sleeper car]]
In the [[Soviet Union]] overnight train travel formed the most common and accessible mode of long-distance travel, distances between the capital of [[Moscow]] and many outlying cities being ideal for overnight trips that depart in late evening and arrive at their destinations in the morning. Sleeping cars with berths are the only reasonable solution for railway trips lasting several days (e.g., trains running along the [[Trans-Siberian Railway]], or direct trains from [[Moscow]] or [[Saint Petersburg]] to the capitals of the Central Asian Soviet Republics).

Since then, the railroads in the smaller ex-Soviet nations have largely transitioned to daytime intercity trains, such as in [[Belarus]], where the process is based on government-funded purchases of rolling stock supplied by [[Stadler Rail|Stadler]], which operates a train factory in [[Minsk]],<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.stadlerrail.com/en/about-us/locations/cjsc-stadler-minsk/30/ | title=Locations - Stadler}}</ref> or in [[Uzbekistan]], which has established a 600&nbsp;km [[Tashkent–Samarkand high-speed rail line|Afrosiyob high-speed rail service]] between all of its major cities.

In the larger Soviet Union successor states like [[Kazakhstan]], [[Russia]], and [[Ukraine]], on the other hand, night trains are to this day a prime method of railway travel, as a shift towards faster daytime trains with seating rather than sleeping arrangements is hampered by insufficient investments in the railway infrastructure restricting the speed, lack of train sets, and most importantly, the distances involved. While certain numbers of high-speed trains have been acquired by the national railways of these countries (such as [[Renfe Class 130|Talgo 250]] in Kazakhstan, [[Sapsan|Siemens Sapsan]] in Russia, or [[HRCS2|Hyundai Rotem HRCS]] in Ukraine), all of them continue to operate a large number of sleeper trains both on domestic and international routes.

The need to compete against aviation with its soaring passenger numbers forces the railroads to maintain modest ticket prices, starting at below 10 Euros for third-class tickets in Ukraine, if higher in the richer ex-Soviet nations. Rolling stock age and quality also varies by country. In countries like Kazakhstan and Russia, locally-produced cars are purchased regularly to update the fleet, with newly introduced comforts such as showers, dry toilets, or conditioning units in passenger compartments becoming an increasingly common sight; Russian Railroads have also introduced double-deck sleeper cars; yet comfort levels still suffer from a modest degree of innovation in the bogie suspension systems and the passenger compartment design. Some other post-Soviet nations rely more heavily on the rolling stock fleet inherited from the Union, to a large extent based on vintage life-prolonged cars assembled in [[East Germany]] or [[Rīgas Vagonbūves Rūpnīca|Soviet Latvia]] back in the 1980s.

==== Croatia ====
Modern, air-conditioned sleeping cars and couchette cars are part of [[Croatian Railways]] rolling stock. Croatian sleeping coaches include single, double or 4-bed compartments with washbasin and many additional hygienic accessories. Passengers also have catering services at their disposal and are given complimentary breakfast, depending on the type of ticket bought. A night train with sleeping carriages included operates on the route between the two largest Croatian towns, [[Zagreb]] and [[Split, Croatia|Split]], and Croatian sleeping coaches are included on the Zagreb-[[Stuttgart]]-Zagreb and Zagreb-[[Zürich]]-Zagreb [[EuroNight]] lines.

==== Czech Republic ====
Sleeping car services in the Czech Republic are operated by [[České dráhy]] and [[RegioJet]]. ČD operates them on the [[Prague]] - [[Leipzig]] - Zürich line, Prague - [[Linz]] - Zürich line, Prague - [[Humenné]] line and others.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.cd.cz/nase-vlaky/nocni-vlaky/ceske-drahy/-25866/ | title=Lůžkové a lehátkové spoje ČD – pohodlné noční cestování vlakem po Evropě &#124; České dráhy }}</ref> RegioJet provides them on various trains on the Prague - [[Košice]] line.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://regiojet.cz/sluzby/servis-ve-vlaku/spaci-vozy | title=Spací vozy - plnohodnotný spánek během vaší cesty }}</ref>

====France====
Another of the more substantial examples of current European sleeping-car service is the ''[[Le Train Bleu|Train Bleu]]'', an all-sleeping-car train. It leaves Paris from the [[Gare d'Austerlitz]] station in mid-evening and arrives in [[Nice]] at about 8 in the morning, providing both first-class rooms and couchette accommodation. The train's principal popularity is with older travelers; it has not won the same degree of popularity with younger travelers. Recently, the upper-class coaches (wagons lits) have been sold to foreign railroad companies, so that only [[couchette car]]s (1st and 2nd class) and seating coaches remain. The Train Bleu is part of the French night service network called ''[[Intercités de Nuit]]''.

====Italy====
In Italy, [[Ferrovie dello Stato]] operates an extensive network of trains with sleeping cars, especially between the main cities in [[Northern Italy]] and the [[Southern Italy|South]], including [[Sicily]] using train ferry.

====Poland====
[[File:Bautzen86 353 (2).jpg|thumb|PKP Intercity sleeper car]]
[[File:ShowerWC Dxsleeper PKP7090 20160814.jpg|thumb|Interior of a sleeper compartment with a private bathroom on a PKP IC train]]
Sleeping trains in Poland are run by [[PKP Intercity]]. Sleeper cars are used on long-distance domestic trains such as the [[Przemyślanin]] as well as international trains. Polish night trains also contain standard first and second class seated cars as well as [[couchette car|couchette cars]]. The sleeper cars offer various types of accommodations, including 4-bed, 3-bed, 2-bed and single accommodations, as well as a deluxe option with a private bathroom and shower.<ref>https://www.intercity.pl/pl/site/dla-pasazera/oferty/wagony-sypialne-i-kuszetki/</ref>

====Romania====
Night train numbers have been reduced significantly, as the quality of the rail infrastructure is declining and repairs are insufficient, which leads to longer ride times between cities. A journey from Gara de Nord station in [[Bucharest]] to [[Arad, Romania|Arad]] (599&nbsp;km) usually lasts 11 hours 20 minutes when there are no delays.
Most night trains in Romania cross the country, covering distances of 400 to 750&nbsp;km, usually to end at certain international destinations or in large cities at opposite ends of the country. The overwhelming majority of night trains with sleeping coaches are owned and operated by [[Căile Ferate Române|CFR Călători]] (Romanian Railways). Recently, private operators such as [[Astra Rail Carpatica]], the newly founded private operator of [[Astra Vagoane Arad]], has started offering sleeping train services, using own-made sleeping cars and Servtrans locomotives. 
[[File:CFR WLABmee 50 53 71-31 009-3 Beograd 100910.jpg|thumb|A WLABmee 71-31 car, the standard sleeping car of the CFR, at the defunct [[Belgrade Main railway station]]]]
CFR today prefers operating more couchettes than sleeping cars in its trains, a practice used in Italy and Austria, adopted by the CFR in the early 2010s, thus enabling it to increase the capacity on sleeping trains. The sleeping cars of the CFR in the 1990s consisted of Bautzen and Görlitz-made sleeping cars, standard in the Eastern Bloc. They were replaced by Grivița-made WLABmee 71-70 and Hansa-made WLABmee 71–31, bought second-hand from Deutsche Bahn. The most recent sleeping cars are the WLABmee 70-91 made by Astra Arad, which is the same type used by Astra Rail (although the liveries differ), starting from 2014, 2 of the WLABmee 71-70 cars were refurbished, but no other examples have received the same treatment. Other examples that have been withdrawn since were second-hand examples of the TEN MU and T2S types.

====Spain and Portugal<!-- This section is out of date, please refer to https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trenhotel -->====
In Spain, ''[[Trenhotel]]'' was a long-distance, overnight [[train]] service which used [[Talgo]] [[tilting train]]s technology and sleeping cars developed by the Spanish rail network operator [[Renfe]]. It was operated by [[Renfe]] and [[Comboios de Portugal|CP]] where it operated International Sud-Express and Lusitanea services between Spain and Portugal, and by its subsidiary [[Elipsos]] (a joint venture between Renfe and French [[SNCF]] with a 50% share each) when operating in [[France]], [[Switzerland]] and [[Italy]].

Trenhotel services were discontinued during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], this was due to some routes being covered by daytime high-speed trains, the age of rolling stock and the diminishing popularity of some of the services.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nuevo |first=Mar |last2=Fernández |first2=Alejandro |date=2021-03-12 |title=Estos son los últimos destinos de los trenes nocturnos en España |url=https://www.businessinsider.es/tren-hotel-dejaran-prestar-servicio-muy-pronto-828505 |access-date=2024-11-01 |website=Business Insider España |language=es}}</ref> Renfe announced that trains to and from the Spanish region of [[Galicia (Spain)|Galicia]] would eventually be reintroduced.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-05-30 |title=Renfe suprime el tren nocturno que Greta Thunberg eligió como opción más sostenible |url=https://www.lavanguardia.com/economia/20200531/481443734491/renfe-suprime-rutas-tren-hoteles-lusitania-greta.html |access-date=2024-02-18 |website=La Vanguardia |language=es}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-06-02 |title=Renfe no suprimirá definitivamente el tren hotel que une Galicia con Barcelona |url=https://www.lanuevacronica.com/actualidad/renfe-no-suprimira-definitivamente-el-tren-hotel-que-une-galicia-con-barcelona_87788_102.html |access-date=2024-02-18 |website=La Nueva Crónica |language=es}}</ref> This marked the end of sleeper trains in Portugal and it left [[Celta (train)|Celta]] as the last international train service between Portugal and Spain.

The Estrella (Star) is a low-cost night train between [[Madrid]] and [[Barcelona]] served by berth carriages, with compartments for up to 6 people.

====Turkey====

While most of Turkey's overnight trains operate within [[Anatolia]], in [[Asia]], [[TCDD Taşımacılık]] operates one train from [[Istanbul]] to [[Sofia]] and [[Bucharest]]. The train runs through Turkey as a single train and later splits in Bulgaria. Formerly, overnight trains departed Istanbul to several European destinations such as [[Thessaloniki]], [[Belgrade]], [[Budapest]], [[Warsaw]] and [[Kyiv]] but were all discontinued in the 1990s and 2000s.

A privately operated overnight train, the [[Optima Express]], runs between [[Edirne]] and [[Villach]] in [[Austria]] with an average trip time of 35 hours.

====United Kingdom====
[[File:Caledonian Sleeper Mk5 suite.jpg|thumb|A ''Caledonian Sleeper'' double berth in the UK.]]
In the United Kingdom, a network of trains with sleeping cars operates daily between [[London]] and [[Scotland]] (''[[Caledonian Sleeper]]''), and between London and the [[West Country]] as far as [[Cornwall]] (''[[Night Riviera]]''). These services offer a choice of single- or double-occupancy bedrooms. These services operate all week, except Saturdays and usually depart London from [[Euston railway station|Euston]] and [[London Paddington station|Paddington]] stations in the evening, arriving at their destinations at approximately 08:00. The Night Riviera service uses [[Sleeper Either Class|British Rail Mk3 sleeper]] coaches, whereas Caledonian Sleeper uses [[British Rail Mark 5 (CAF)|Mk5 coaches]].

===North America===

====Canada====
In Canada, all regularly scheduled sleeping car services are operated by [[Via Rail]], using a mixture of relatively new cars and refurbished mid-century ones; the latter cars include both private rooms and "open section" accommodations.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://corpo.viarail.ca/en/projects-infrastructure/train-fleet | title=Train fleet - Rolling stock &#124; VIA Rail}}</ref>

==== United States ====
[[File:Viewliner (13970131747).jpg|thumb|Bedroom of [[Amtrak]] Viewliner sleeping car in 2014]]
In the United States, all regularly scheduled sleeping car services are operated by [[Amtrak]]. Amtrak offers sleeping cars on most of its overnight trains, using modern cars of the private-room type exclusively.

Today, Amtrak operates two main types of sleeping car: the bi-level [[Superliner (railcar)|Superliner]] sleeping cars, built from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s, and the single-level [[Viewliner]] sleeping cars, built in the mid-1990s. Superliners are used on most long-distance routes from [[Chicago]] westward, while Viewliners are used on most routes east of Chicago due to [[Structure gauge|tunnel clearance]] issues in and around [[New York City]] and [[Baltimore]].

In the most common Superliner sleeping car configuration, the upper level is divided into two halves, one half containing "Bedrooms" (formerly "Deluxe Bedrooms") for one, two, or three travelers, each Bedroom containing an enclosed toilet-and-shower facility; and the other half containing "[[Roomette]]s" (formerly "Economy Bedrooms" or "Standard Bedrooms") for one or two travelers; plus a beverage area and a toilet. The lower level contains more Roomettes; a Family Bedroom for as many as two adults and two children; and an "Accessible Bedroom" (formerly "Special Bedroom") for a wheelchair-using traveler and a companion; plus toilets and a shower.

The Viewliner cars contain an Accessible Bedroom (formerly "Special Bedroom") for a wheelchair-using traveler and a companion, with an enclosed toilet-and-shower facility; two Bedrooms (formerly "Deluxe Bedrooms") for one, two, or three travelers, each Bedroom containing an enclosed toilet-and-shower facility; "Roomettes" (formerly "Economy Bedrooms", "Standard Bedrooms", or "Compartments") for one or two travelers, each Roomette containing its own unenclosed toilet and washing facilities; and a shower room at the end of the car.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Guide |first=Travel |date=2022-01-22 |title=Viewliner trains: Layout, routes and other things to know |url=https://amtrakguide.com/2022/01/22/viewliner-trains-layout-routes/ |access-date=2024-11-01 |website=Amtrak Guide |language=en}}</ref>

===Asia===

====China====
[[File:Railroad passenger car of China.jpg|upright=1.2|thumb|A double-deck conventional passenger sleeping car of China in April 2006]]
[[China Railway]] operates an extensive network of conventional sleeper trains throughout the country, covering all [[Province (China)|provincial]] capitals and many major cities. The Chinese [[Hard sleeper|"hard" sleeping car]] in use today is very basic, consisting of 6 fixed [[bunk bed]]s per compartment, which can be converted into seats in peak season. The middle level bunk bed will be folded and top level bunk bed will still be sold as sleeper, while the lower bed will be occupied by three passengers. Chinese trains also offer [[Soft sleeper|"soft"]] or deluxe sleeping cars with four or two beds per room.

China is the only country to operate [[High-speed rail in China|high-speed]] sleeper trains. Sleeper services are operated using high-speed [[China Railway CRH1#CRH1E|CRH1E]], [[China Railway CRH2#CRH2E|CRH2E]] and [[China Railway CRH5#CRH5E|CRH5E]] trains outfitted with [[Berth (sleeping)#Berths in trains|sleeping berths]] ([[Couchette car|couchette]]). Services run between [[Beijing]] - [[Shanghai]] and [[Beijing]] - [[Guangzhou]] at speeds of up to {{Convert|250|km/h|mi/h|abbr=on}}, one of the fastest sleeper trains in the world.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Bombardier ZEFIRO Very High Speed Trains|url=https://www.railway-technology.com/projects/bombardier-zefiro/|access-date=2020-06-07|website=Railway Technology|language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=我国首列时速250公里纵向卧铺动车组下线-南方都市报·奥一网|url=http://epaper.oeeee.com/epaper/A/html/2017-03/29/content_17933.htm#article|access-date=2020-06-07|website=epaper.oeeee.com}}</ref> A new variant of CRH2E consists of double level bunk capsules in lieu of sleeping berths. These trains have been dubbed "moving hotels".<ref>{{Cite web|date=July 2017|title=China's New High-Speed Sleeper Train is Literally a 'Moving Hotel'|url=https://nextshark.com/chinas-new-high-speed-sleeper-train-literally-moving-hotel/|website=nextshark}}</ref>

{{Multiple image
| align = center
| direction = 
| total_width = 
| image1 = CRH2E-2465@SHA (20170910185510).jpg
| alt1 = 
| caption1 = Exterior of the CRH2E sleeper high speed train
| image2 = Interior of CRH2E-2465 (20170910223249).jpg
| caption2 = Interior of the CRH2E sleeper high speed train
| image3 = CRH2E-2463@BJX (20190624193548).jpg
| caption3 = A 16 car CRH2E sleeper high speed train leaving [[Beijing West railway station]]
}}

====India====
{{Further|Indian Railways coaching stock}}
A major portion of passenger cars in [[India]] are sleeper/couchette cars. With railways as one of the primary mode of passenger transport, sleeper cars vary from economical to First Class AC (air conditioned). Most Indian trains come in combinations of first class A/C and non-A/C private sleeper cars with doors, and A/C 3-tier or 2-tier [[couchette car|couchette]] arrangements.{{citation needed|date=March 2014}}<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.tripsavvy.com/indian-railways-trains-travel-classes-1539646|title=Essential Guide to Classes of Travel on Indian Railways Trains (with Photos)|work=TripSavvy|access-date=2017-09-07}}</ref>

====Japan====
[[File:JR East E26 Suronefu-E26 side.jpg|upright=1.2|thumb|[[JR East]] ''[[Cassiopeia (train)|Cassiopeia]]'' sleeper car service from [[Tokyo]] to [[Sapporo]] with 180 degree views]]
{{Further|Blue Train (Japan)}}
Japan used to have many sleeper trains, but most of these routes have been removed because of the development of air travel, overnight bus services and [[high-speed rail]]. As of May 2016, sleeper car trains of regular service in Japan are as follows:<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-10-26 |title=Night Trains |url=https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2356.html |access-date=2024-11-01 |website=www.japan-guide.com |language=en}}</ref>
* ''[[Sunrise Izumo]]'': [[Tokyo]] – [[Izumoshi Station|Izumoshi]]
* ''[[Sunrise Seto]]'': [[Tokyo]] – [[Takamatsu Station (Kagawa)|Takamatsu]]

==== Indonesia ====
The [[Indonesian Railway Company|Indonesian State Railways]] once operated sleeper cars on the ''[[:id:Kereta api Bima|Bima]]'' between its launch in 1967 and 1995, when the last berth ("couchette") cars were decommissioned.

The successor to the Indonesian State Railways, PT Kereta Api Indonesia, relaunched the Sleeper Train service on 11 June 2018.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Exist |first=Exist In |title=Kereta First Class Hadir di RI, Harga Tiket Rp 900.000 |url=https://www.cnbcindonesia.com/news/20180413175825-4-10958/kereta-first-class-hadir-di-ri-harga-tiket-rp-900000 |access-date=2024-11-01 |website=CNBC Indonesia |language=id}}</ref>  The first route for sleeper train is from [[Gambir, Jakarta]] to [[Surabaya]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=KAI121 (@kai121_) on Instagram {{!}} Ghostarchive |url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/instagram/kai121_/1798983062202599407_1798980752508259123 |access-date=2024-11-01 |website=ghostarchive.org}}</ref> The Luxury Sleeper Train is managed by another KAI subsidiary, KAI Wisata.

==== Philippines ====
The [[Philippine National Railways]] (PNR) operated a number of 7A-2000 and 14 class sleeper cars between 1999 and 2013. These units were first built for the [[Japanese National Railways]] (JNR) in 1974 as 14 series passenger cars <small>([[:ja:国鉄14系客車|ja]])</small>, and were donated to the Philippines in 1999. They were meant to serve the ''Bicol Express'' in the South Main Line.<ref name="peadon">{{cite journal |last1=Peadon |first1=Brad |date=2020 |title=PNR Passenger Rolling Stock |journal=Philippine National Railways Rolling Stock Update |volume= 3}}</ref> The 7A-2000 class were a group of 5 single-level cars that were decommissioned after being involved in the fatal 2004 Padre Burgos derailment.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna6464693 |title=10 dead in Philippines train derailment |date=2004-11-12 |publisher=[[NBC News]], through the [[Associated Press]] |access-date=2020-03-28}}</ref> On the other hand, the 14 class were a group of bilevel-style [[couchette car]]s. After all services to the [[Bicol Region]] were halted in 2013, the 14-class couchettes were stored in the [[Tutuban station (PNR)|Tutuban Yard]] in [[Manila]].<ref name="peadon"/>

==== Vietnam ====
The [[Vietnam Railways]] provides sleeper cars on [[North–South railway (Vietnam)|North-South Railway]] between [[Hanoi]] and [[Ho Chi Minh City]], and [[Hanoi–Lào Cai railway]] between Hanoi and [[Lào Cai]]; the latter has much better sleeper cars.

===Oceania===
====Australia====
[[File:NR45_%2B_NR10_%2B_Ghan_Alice_Springs,_2015_(03).JPG|thumb|right|Sleeping cars on ''[[The Ghan]]'' near [[Alice Springs]] in 2015.]]
[[File:NSW TrainLink XPT Sleeping Cabin Twin.jpg|thumb|right|Sleeping cabin of a [[NSW TrainLink]] [[New South Wales XPT|XPT]] in 2013.]]
Sleeping cars are used on:
* [[Journey Beyond]]'s east–west transcontinental train the ''[[Indian Pacific]]'' between [[Central railway station, Sydney|Sydney]] and [[East Perth railway station|Perth]], and the north–south transcontinental train ''[[The Ghan]]'' between [[Adelaide Parklands Terminal|Adelaide]] and [[Darwin railway station|Darwin]].
* [[NSW TrainLink]]'s overnight [[New South Wales XPT|XPT]] services from Sydney to [[Southern Cross railway station|Melbourne]], [[Casino railway station|Casino]] and [[Roma Street railway station|Brisbane]].
* [[Queensland Rail]]'s long-distance trains the ''[[Spirit of Queensland]]'' and ''[[Spirit of the Outback]]''.

==See also==
{{colbegin}}
* {{annotated link|Auto Train}}
* {{annotated link|Jovita (railcar)|''Jovita'' (railcar)}}
* {{annotated link|Lists of named passenger trains}}
* {{annotated link|Pullman (car or coach)}}
* {{annotated link|Red-eye flight}}
* {{annotated link|Sleeper bus}}
* {{annotated link|Troop sleeper}}
* {{annotated link|Twinette}}
* ''{{annotated link|Waltersburg}}''
{{colend}}

== Notes ==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
{{refbegin}}
*{{White-Passenger-1985}}
*{{cite book|last1=Martin|first1=Andrew|author-link1=Andrew Martin (novelist)|title=Night Trains: The Rise and Fall of the Sleeper|date=2017|publisher=Profile Books|location=London|isbn=9781781255605}}
{{refend}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite magazine|title=All Aboard... ...The Night Train|first=Ben|last=Jones|magazine=[[Model Rail]]|pages=38–44|issue=181|date=Spring 2013|location=Peterborough|publisher=Bauer|issn=1369-5118|oclc=173324502}}

==External links==
{{commons category-inline|Sleeping cars}}
{{Wikivoyage inline|Sleeper trains}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050330200926/http://www.csrmf.org/doc.asp?id=280 A. Philip Randolph / Sleeping Car Porters]
* [http://www.pullman-car.com The ''Abraham Lincoln'' 1910 Heavyweight Pullman Business Car] &mdash; photographs and short history.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090418002719/http://www.csrmf.org/doc.asp?id=187 Canadian National Railways Sleeping Car No. 1683 ''St. Hyacinthe''] &mdash; photographs and short history of a Sleeping Car built in 1929.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160303171928/http://www.srmduluth.org/Features/pullmans.htm Sleeping in Comfort: Pullman Fundamentals]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130909050229/http://trains.darlex.pl/sleepers Sleeping cars - photo gallery]
* [http://www.kaemena360.com/360/SleepingCarTour Sleeping cars from Argentina, USA, Scotland, Austria, Spain, Germany, Syria, Malaysia in interactive 360° Panoramas]
* [http://railswest.com/pullman.html Pullman Sleeping Cars add Comfort to Overnight Travel, description, with illustrations, contrasting the roomettes, bedrooms, double bedrooms, drawing rooms and compartments]
{{Passenger cars}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Passenger railroad cars]]
[[Category:Night trains| ]]