Low-cost train travel could become a reality later this year in Europe. This is what GoVolta promises, a new international railway company that should operate in destinations in the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, France, Denmark, the Czech Republic and Belgium.
After postponements last year, operations are expected to begin in the last quarter of 2025, with fares from 10 euros per section – which is approximately R$63 at the current price.
GoVolta’s ambition is to make train travel as cheap as low-cost airlines, “taking people out of cars and planes”.
There are three routes planned for this year, all direct:
- Amsterdam and Berlin: daily;
- Amsterdam and Copenhagen: daily;
- Amsterdam and Basel: three times a week.
Trains and fares
The company must kick-start operations with six intercity trains with 12 cars each, and can accommodate up to 924 passengers. They will use existing lines and must be equipped with Wi-Fi and USB-C inputs.
GoVolta promises to work with three tariffs: the “budget class”, with sections sold by 10 euros ; the “economic class”, with each section 25 euros ; and the “comfort class”, with more legroom and larger seats, with each section 50 euros .
Tickets must be sold on the company’s own website, which has not yet been launched.
Future plans
From 2026, the company, based in the Netherlands, intends to increase connections and frequencies between destinations in Europe.
According to GoVolta, the number of trains is also expected to increase, reaching 12.
The routes should be:
- Amsterdam and Berlin: daily, with two departures;
- Amsterdam and Copenhagen: daily;
- Amsterdam and Basel: daily;
- Amsterdam and Paris: daily, with two departures;
- Amsterdam and Munich: daily;
- Antwerp and Basel: daily;
- Antwerp and Munich: daily;
- Antwerp and Prague: daily;
- Copenhagen and Prague: daily;
- Paris and Munich: daily;
- Paris and Berlin: daily.
Challenges of train travel
GoVolta is a private initiative by Flywise, a European tour operator focused on low-cost packages. In 2021, the company began operating its own night trains under the GreenCityTrip brand to around 16 destinations, including Venice, Prague, Milan and Vienna.
In order for the low-cost train travel project to be strengthened, the CEO of Flywise, Maarten Bastian highlighted that it is actively looking for investors.
“Competing with state-owned companies is particularly difficult, as large investors, such as banks, are often hesitant to invest significantly in the railway sector,” the CEO wrote to CNN Viagem & Gastronomia about the challenges of having a company like GoVolta.
“Unlike state-owned companies, which can leverage taxpayer money to finance new trains, we do not have access to this support. This creates an uneven playing field, presenting us with an ongoing challenge,” he said.
Tourist train on the border between RJ and MG should enter circulation
The post Low-cost train travel could be a reality in Europe in 2025 appeared first on CNN Brasil V&G.
Source: CNN Brasil
Johanna Foster is an expert opinion writer with over 7 years of experience. She has a reputation for delivering insightful and thought-provoking articles on a variety of subjects. Her work can be found on some of the top online news websites, and she is currently lending her voice to the world stock market.
