The night trains, which are heavily subsidised by the Austrian government in particular, are supposed to be a cheap and environmentally friendly alternative to short-haul flights, according to politicians. In some cases, however, these are significantly more expensive than flights and now the Austrian Federal Railways are turning the price screw up. The ÖBB have changed their pricing model without prior communication and introduced many new tariff levels. These are supposed to be based on supply and demand. In other words: the more people are interested in travelling by night train, the more expensive it becomes. A look at the reservation system shows that the state railway is charging even more, especially for couchettes and sleeping places. Prices turned up overnight without prior notice Night train connections were never cheap anyway. In many cases, even before the recent price increase, there were faster and cheaper alternatives by air. Considering that the Austrian federal government, for example, invests considerable sums in the form of subsidies in night train connections, it now seems questionable how the high prices can be justified. After all, Austria's Transport Minister Leonore Gewessler (Greens), who herself often uses private jets, always argues that saving the climate can also be achieved through night train connections within Austria and Europe. It is all the more surprising that the Austrian Federal Railways have completely overhauled the tariff system for their night jets without prior communication. As is usual in aviation: passengers will only get cheaper in very rare cases. On average, this will mean a price increase - and a significant one at that. New tariff classes, higher