Finnish excursion and tourist train operator Reissujuna has formed a strategic partnership with German night train design and technology startup Luna Rail to develop next-generation night train services between Helsinki and northern Finland, according to railwaygazette.com.

The partnership will use a patent-pending compartment concept developed by Luna Rail. Reissujuna is an experiential adventure train project developed by Suomen Elämysjunat, which translates to Finnish Experience Trains. It operates themed and event-driven passenger journeys and steam excursions.

Reissujuna says it has already acquired a small fleet of used sleeper and seated coaches for the project, which will undergo extensive refurbishment. Luna Rail will be responsible for the interior design.

Luna Rail is a Berlin-based startup founded in 2023 by Anton Dubrau and Hendrik Lucka. It has developed a flexible cabin concept that enables vehicles to operate as premium inter-city vehicles during the day before transforming to offer overnight accommodation. The startup is also developing an app for the booking process, travel information and ticket validation, which will also unlock cabin doors and enable food orders.

The aim is to maximise passenger capacity, comfort and individual privacy for both day and night services. To refine the design, Luna Rail built full-sized mock-ups for user testing with hundreds of participants.

The initial deployment plan focuses on services connecting Helsinki with Lappi (Lapland). Existing overnight services to northern Finland regularly sell out months in advance during winter. Reissujuna founder and CEO Robert Ramstedt said it is one of Europe’s strongest-growing tourism destinations and an ideal environment for introducing the next generation of overnight rail travel.

Financial terms of the partnership and a targeted launch date for the inaugural passenger services have not been disclosed.

The collaboration, announced on July 28, follows a period of restructuring for the operator. Reissujuna’s parent company acquired steam train operator Höyryraide Oy in January, increasing its overall fleet to 25 coaches and four locomotives. However, the transport agency Traficom revoked Höyryraide’s safety certificate during the spring. Reissujuna is currently applying for a new safety certificate to secure operational rights again.

To support its growth strategy, Reissujuna is actively seeking strategic and financial investors. The company believes the combination of tourism and sustainable travel creates a unique investment opportunity.

Luna Rail views the Finnish partnership as its first commercial implementation. Dubrau hopes the startup will become ‘the enabler of the night train renaissance’ across Europe. The long-term vision includes connecting the Nordic region more closely with Europe’s growing overnight rail network.