Finnish experiential rail operator Reissujuna and Berlin-based startup Luna Rail have announced a partnership to develop a new generation of premium night trains in Finland, with services between Helsinki and Lapland earmarked as the first commercial deployment of Luna Rail’s innovative cabin concept.
The project aims to tap into booming tourism in Finnish Lapland, where existing overnight trains regularly sell out months in advance during the winter season. Rather than introducing brand-new rolling stock, Reissujuna has already acquired a small fleet of second-hand seated and sleeper coaches that will undergo extensive refurbishment before entering service.
Luna Rail, founded in 2023, will provide the interior design and its patent-pending modular cabin technology, while Reissujuna will operate the trains. Financial details of the partnership have not been disclosed, and no launch date has yet been announced.
Private cabins with higher capacity
At the heart of the project is Luna Rail’s ‘hotel pod‘ concept, designed to combine the privacy of a private sleeper cabin with significantly higher passenger capacity than conventional night trains.
Unlike traditional sleeper coaches, the modular interiors can be reconfigured for different times of day. During daylight hours, the coaches would operate as premium intercity trains, with each pod serving as a private workspace or lounge. At night, the same space converts into a full bed, allowing operators to use the same rolling stock around the clock rather than only overnight.
Luna Rail says the design solves several longstanding problems facing night trains: limited capacity, high operating costs and a lack of privacy. According to the company, its layout can provide substantially more private cabins than conventional sleeper coaches while also lowering operating costs, potentially allowing cheaper tickets and making night trains commercially viable without relying heavily on subsidies.
The company has built full-scale mock-ups of its cabins and tested them with hundreds of participants to refine the design.
Passengers will also use a dedicated mobile app for bookings, travel information, digital ticket validation, cabin access and onboard food ordering.
Finland chosen as first test market
The partners say Finland offers an ideal launch market because demand for overnight rail already exceeds supply.
Tourism in Lapland has grown rapidly in recent years, while winter services operated by incumbent rail operator Valtionrautatiet (VR) frequently sell out well in advance.
Reissujuna founder and CEO Robert Ramstedt said Lapland was “one of Europe’s strongest growing tourism destinations” and that Finland represented an ideal environment for introducing a new generation of overnight rail travel.
He added that the ambition was not to recreate traditional night trains but to build “the night train experience of the future” by combining Finland’s tourism market with European rail innovation.
The long-term vision extends beyond domestic services, with the companies hoping eventually to connect the Nordic region more closely to Europe’s expanding overnight rail network.
First commercial deployment for Luna Rail
For Luna Rail, the Finnish partnership represents the first commercial implementation of the concept it has been developing since the company was founded.
Chief executive Anton Dubrau said the startup aims to become “the enabler of the night train renaissance” across Europe by providing operators with a more attractive and economically sustainable overnight train concept.
The company’s longer-term plans include purpose-built rolling stock with even greater capacity than the refurbished Finnish coaches. While the current design adapts existing railway vehicles, Luna Rail says a future bespoke train could increase capacity by a further 25%.
Development project rather than confirmed service
Despite the announcement, many operational details remain undecided.
The companies have not confirmed when services will begin, how frequently trains will operate, which destinations in Lapland will be served, or what fares will cost. The project should therefore be viewed as a development partnership rather than a confirmed passenger service.
The announcement also comes as Reissujuna continues restructuring its operations. Earlier this year, parent company Suomen Elämysjunat acquired steam operator Höyryraide, expanding its fleet to 25 coaches and four locomotives. However, Finnish transport authority Traficom later revoked Höyryraide’s safety certificate, meaning Reissujuna is currently applying for a new certificate before it can resume operations.
The company is also seeking strategic and financial investors to support its expansion into premium overnight rail.
If successful, the partnership could introduce a new competitor to Finland’s established night train market and provide a blueprint for similar high-capacity, privacy-focused overnight trains elsewhere in Europe as interest in rail travel continues to grow.
