Dubbed the ‘easyJet of the railways,’ Dutch startup GoVolta is preparing to roll out international train services in 2026, luring passengers with ultra-low introductory fares.
The company has begun selling tickets for its inaugural route between Amsterdam and Hamburg via Berlin, with prices starting at just €10 (£8.70).
Journeys are scheduled to begin in March next year, with the lowest fares limited to the first 100 tickets on each train.
Outside the introductory offer, tickets are expected to average around €30 (£26).
GoVolta’s goal is to simplify international rail travel by offering three guarantees: affordable prices, a reserved seat with every ticket, and direct connections.
The company’s co-founder, Hessel Winkelman, said: ‘You spend ages searching, you pay a premium, and then it’s questionable whether you even have a seat. We want to change that.’
Currently, standard Deutsche Bahn ICE tickets on the Amsterdam–Hamburg route in March cost between €34 and €59 – with some journeys requiring up to four changes and seat reservations costing an extra €5.70.
Passengers travelling with GoVolta will also be able to book city break packages combining train travel and hotels, and the company plans to expand with an Amsterdam–Paris route starting in December 2026.
Budget Dutch startup, GoVolta, has begun selling tickets for as low as €10 (£8.70) for its inaugural route between Amsterdam and Hamburg via Berlin
However, the rail operator’s low prices do come with some trade-offs, such as longer journey times.
GoVolta’s trains will have a top speed of 160 km/h, significantly slower than ICE and Eurostar services, adding around an hour to trips between Amsterdam and Berlin, while journeys to Paris could take roughly twice as long as the Eurostar.
The company follows in the steps of other budget rail operators championing sustainable travel and challenging Europe’s budget airlines, such as the European Sleeper, which launched night services in 2023, as reported by Euro News.
It also joins the likes of Ouigo in France, Avlo in Spain, and Lumo in the UK.
GoVolta trains will carry around 820 passengers across 11 carriages, including a lounge car serving drinks, snacks and light meals.
Travellers can choose between economy and comfort classes, with economy passengers able to reserve the seat opposite at a reduced rate for extra space.
Tickets include two pieces of hand luggage, with larger or additional luggage available for an extra fee.
It comes as Lumo, the ‘Ryanair of trains,’ has launched new tickets from London to Scotland for less than £35.
It joins other budget rail operators championing sustainable travel and challenging Europe’s budget airlines, such as Lumo in the UK (pictured)
The budget train company is known for offering bargain prices for routes between London King’s Cross and Edinburgh.
It first launched in the UK in 2021 and travels across the country with its all-electric fleet.
Now, Lumo has announced a new service from Glasgow, linking to Falkirk, Edinburgh, the North East of England and London.
Tickets are priced from just £33.10 from London to Glasgow, and are as little as £10.90 between Newcastle and Glasgow.
