Well, that's France for you. The ÖBB Nightjet network is a lot less centralized:

https://www.nightjet.com/dam/jcr:6a8041cb-0131-4ad3-84fd-251...

ÖBB trains (even the ones reaching Czechia under Czech Railways brand) are super-good experience.

Yep, can confirm, using the Nightjet was surprisingly comfortable.

The biggest issue is that they tend to be booked up weeks in advance so getting a slot in private compartment is pretty hard.

Which is a good problem to be had right now, from a citizen’s perspective. Proves there’s a market for these trains and we can only expect more of them coming.

This startup is not from the SNCF (national railroad), it's not comparable in terms of service with another national railroad. I'd love to see the project including ÖBB, SBB, & SNCF!

> It only seems useful if you're Paris based, since this appears to be the center node of the network

That’s France’s rail network in a nutshell. It’s great, if your trip starts or ends in Paris. If you’re not, you might still go through Paris and driving could be faster than a high-speed train.

The other issue with domestic sleeper networks in France, other than sounding like a terrorist, is that high speed trains usually take 3-4h anyway.

I think the only takers for an overnight equivalent would be tourists that can save a night of stay somewhere. And that’s if you’re not staying with family or friends.

And the trains are almost all electric, so it’s harder to make an argument for “slower, therefore less carbon burn”.