New train route dubbed ‘easyJet on rails’ set to link top European cities from next year

BRITS heading abroad without wanting to fly can already visit several destinations across Europe by train.

France, Belgium, and the Netherlands are already accessible to Brits thanks to the Eurostar.

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And plenty of other holiday hotspots are set to become accessible for holidaymakers travelling by train thanks to a new route route.

According to Time Out Travel, GoVolta, a Dutch train operator, will be launching a handful of new railway services from Amsterdam in 2025.

The railway company plans to operate daily services between Amsterdam and Berlin and another daily service between Amsterdam and Copenhagen.

An Amsterdam to Basel service is also set to operate between the two cities three times a week.

These services are slated to launch from as early as May next year, with another route to Paris set to operate from 2026.

The founders of GoVolta, Hessel Winkelman and Maarten Bastian, have described the rail company as the “easyJet of the rails”.

This is because the rail services are set to be budget-friendly, unlike some other routes operating around Europe.

Instead of running at high speeds, the GoVolta services will run at a regular speed.

While it means the journeys will take longer, it does mean the train tickets will be much more budget-friendly.

For example, a standard second-class seat is likely to cost less than €10 (£8.56).

There will be roughly 110 cheap tickets up for grabs on each train, with tickets for the new routes going on sale this October.  

Other new routes

Meanwhile, another new train route could soon link two European countries by rail for the first time in 16 years.

From as early as next month, Venice and Ljubljana (the Slovenian capital) could be linked by a new train service.

While it is not known which train company will operate the cross-border route, the Italian train company Trenitalia tested out the proposed route on Monday (December 11, 2023).

the test run departed from Venice Mestre train station and stopped at Portogruaro, Monfalcone, and Bivio Aurisina before arriving at the border.

From Villa Opicina (a train station on the Italian and Slovenia border), the train then headed through into Slovenia calling at Ljubljana and Sesana.

Another route could connect Amsterdam to Barcelona by 2025.

This means Brits would be able to travel by train to the Spanish hotspot, with Eurostar services to Amsterdam.

European Sleeper previously said in a statement: “The Amsterdam-Barcelona night train will strongly improve Europe’s quality of north-south rail connections.”

Here are two other train routes hoping to launch in the UK.

London to Basel

Swiss National Railways (SBB) has proposed new routes between London St Pancras and Basel.

The five-hour trip would use the Channel Tunnel and Eurostar trains.

The direct route would make it much easier to visit, which currently requires three trains from the UK.

London to Paris

While Eurostar currently operates between the UK and France, a new start-up wants to offer similar routes.

Three scenic train journeys you can take in the UK

Cornish Coast – One trip that rail enthusiasts seem to love is along a stretch of the Cornish coast and takes just 10 minutes to complete.

The route from St Erth to St Ives only stops at Carbis Bay en route to its final destination, but the views out the window for the whole journey are pretty spectacular.

Another highlight of the journey is that St Ives station is situated right next to Porthminster beach, meaning the sand and sea can be accessed almost immediately.

Meanwhile, the station is less than a ten minute walk into town, where the harbour, shops, galleries and pubs can be explored.

Durham to Edinburgh – Another train route that people in the UK love is the East Coast train line between Durham and Edinburgh, with coastal views and city landscapes among the sights that can be seen out the window.

Newcastle, Berwick, Lindisfarne and Durham Cathedral are all among the highlights on that route.

Scotland’s West Highland Line – While Scotland is home to plenty of famous landmarks and top attractions, it also has one of the most breathtaking train routes in the world.

Scotland’s West Highland Line has previously been dubbed the best rail journey in the world by Wanderlust – and it’s easy to see why.

The journey from Glasgow to Fort William is one of my favourite train routes – and I’ve interrailed through mainland Europe.

With mountain landscapes, serene lochs, wistful moors, and wildlife all visible through the train window, it’s certainly a route all holidaymakers should consider doing at least once.

Evolyn has revealed plans to connect London St Pancras and Paris Nord by 2025.

If it goes ahead, it would be the first competitor to Eurostar since it first started 30 years ago.

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