大象传媒

In literature and film, night trains are the setting for intrigue and romance, espionage and sudden death. And in real life too they鈥檙e places of possibility and the expectation of new adventures. Writer Horatio Clare boards a train to Vienna for a night-time journey across Europe鈥� and into the archive, aboard night trains of decades past.

His journey begins at the Gare de l鈥橢st in Paris, the departure point for the original Orient Express. He looks back to the golden age of the Wagons-Lits, sleeper trains with wood-panelled cabins, an attendant in every carriage ready to be summoned and dining cars where evening dress was obligatory. It was an era which provided rich inspiration for writers and Horatio evokes his predecessors who used night trains to tell stories of brief encounters, betrayal and, of course, murder.

But luxurious Wagons-Lits are only one part of the story. Other travellers find themselves on very different night-time journeys. There are the rucksack-lugging student inter-railers of the 鈥�70s and 鈥�80s, sleeping in train corridors on expeditions of discovery (and self-discovery); the perils of sharing sleeping compartments with strangers; and the Ukrainian refugees reluctantly taking the 鈥楻escue Express鈥� westward as they fled the Russian invasion.

After a long period of decline, night trains are on the rise again as new routes open up across Europe. Maybe it鈥檚 because we鈥檙e tired of the indignities of budget air travel but it鈥檚 also driven by the 鈥淔light Shame鈥� and 鈥淭rain Brag鈥� movements - a growing awareness that travelling by train is better for the planet. 鈥淚鈥檓 on a train鈥� is no longer an apology for a poor phone signal. Now it鈥檚 a claim to the moral high ground.

Horatio鈥檚 journey doesn鈥檛 quite go to plan. But as he overcomes the challenges and navigates his way to Vienna, he discovers that night trains have always taken our imaginations to new destinations.

Produced by Jeremy Grange for 大象传媒 Audio Wales and West