Dundee could get a direct train to Europe as Caledonian Sleeper explores expansion

Passengers could one day be able to travel directly from Dundee to mainland Europe without changing trains under ambitious plans being explored by Caledonian Sleeper.

A new working group involving Caledonian Sleeper, Transport Scotland and Scottish Rail Holdings has been established to examine the feasibility of extending Scotland’s overnight rail services beyond London and into continental Europe.

If ultimately taken forward, the concept could potentially allow passengers to board a sleeper service in Dundee before travelling south through London and the Channel Tunnel towards destinations such as Paris, Brussels or Amsterdam.

Caledonian Sleeper currently connects Dundee with London as part of its Highland service, which operates between the capital and Aberdeen.

Extending services into Europe could therefore create the prospect of Dundee becoming part of a direct international rail connection without passengers having to change trains along the way.

The proposals remain at a very early stage and no European routes, destinations or timetables have been confirmed.

The working group will instead examine whether an international expansion of the sleeper network would be technically and commercially viable.

Any future service would have to overcome a range of logistical and operational hurdles associated with running trains from Scotland through London and onwards through the Channel Tunnel.

However, the exploration of the concept raises the possibility of Scotland becoming directly connected with mainland Europe by overnight rail.

For Dundee passengers, it could mean boarding a train in the city in the evening and continuing towards continental Europe aboard the same service.

The Caledonian Sleeper currently operates six nights a week, with its Highland routes serving Dundee as part of the service connecting Aberdeen and London Euston.

While a direct Dundee-to-Europe journey remains only a possibility, the feasibility work marks an early step towards examining whether Scotland’s famous overnight trains could one day travel considerably further than London.