Back-on-Track Europe is an international non-profit association (AISBL) under Belgian law, with its seat in Brussels. It brings together national night-train groups and individual volunteers from across Europe who campaign for more night trains and better cross-border rail. The organisation is fully volunteer-led.
How we became an AISBL
Back-on-Track grew out of a grassroots network of national groups. To speak with one voice in Brussels and to manage common funds transparently, the network became an international non-profit association under Belgian law. The milestones:
Summary report of the AISBL process, presented at the Annual General Meeting of 16 June 2026: link coming soon.
The full timeline of the network since its beginnings is on Our History.
Board of Directors (2026–2028)
- Juri Maier – Chairperson
- Poul Kattler – Deputy Chairperson
- Giovanni Antoniazzi – Vice Chairperson
- Peter Baeyens – Treasurer
- Elizabeth Novacek – Secretary
The board guides the work between General Assemblies and represents the association legally. More about each board member: Back-on-Track appoints new Board of Directors for 2026–2028. Contact: board@back-on-track.eu
Member groups
Full members: Back-on-Track Belgium, Back-on-Track Germany, Back-on-Track Switzerland.
Associate members: Council on Sustainable Transport (Denmark), Oui au train de nuit (France), European Rail Campaign (UK), Back-on-Track Italy, Back-on-Track Iberia / PTP Catalonia.
Further country groups: Back-on-Track Sweden, Back-on-Track Netherlands, Ja zum Nachtzug (Austria), Back-on-Track Poland. See all local groups.
Working groups and projects
- Advocacy Working Group: position papers, statements and contacts with decision-makers at EU level. Coordinator: Poul Kattler. advocacy-wg@back-on-track.eu · Terms of Reference
- Communications Working Group: press, website, newsletter and social media. Contact: Elizabeth Novacek. communications-wg@back-on-track.eu
- Action Working Group: actions such as pyjama parties and petitions. Coordinator: Ellie. action-wg@back-on-track.eu
- Open Night Train Database (ONTD): the open dataset behind our night-train map. Project lead: Giovanni Antoniazzi. Project page
- Target Network 2032: a crowdsourced proposal for a European night-train network. Project lead: David. Planning tool · targetnetwork-wg@back-on-track.eu
How decisions are made, how to join a group and how the General Assembly works: How we work.