New train worth €11 between two of the most vibrant capitals in Europe

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Forget the $100 rail passes. How does it sound to travel Europe for $11?

The era of ultra-expensive train tickets and laughably cheap airline tickets is behind us. Soon, exploring Europe by rail will be as affordable and accessible as a $9 Ryanair flight to Mallorca.

If you thought that France’s SNCF or Germany’s Deutsche Bahn would be the ones to finally wake up, we’re sorry to inform you that it’s not either of the national railway companies: you may not have heard of it, but it’s a Dutch rail startup GoVolta at the helm of a continental revolution.

Promising affordable ratesguaranteed seats, and direct connections between big cities at truly competitive rates they will be officially launched in March 2026.

Not on a secondary route that focuses on European commuters and not tourists, but a mainline rail linking two of Europe’s most vibrant capitals, and for just $11:

Amsterdam to Berlin for cheaper than your Shake Shack lunch deal

You read that correctly.

This will be possible from this spring traveling from Amsterdamthe capital of the Netherlands, all the way to the vast city of Berlinthe administrative heart of Germany, with tickets from just €10 (or the equivalent in US dollars).

It’s no wonder that some travel publications GoVolta the ‘Ryanair from the railways‘, and we tend to agree: although there are already direct connections between both cities, operated by the Dutch NS International or Deutsche Bahn, tickets cost an average of $127.

In other words, you will soon be able to travel on the exact same route while paying about 91% less. Granted, you shouldn’t expect the same comfort as in a comfortable Deutsche Bahn carriage, but for those on a budget, $11 is a fair trade-off if you don’t have WiFi or onboard entertainment.

It’s the Ryanair of trains, guys.

More about the train itself

The The service will run three times a weekbefore you get upgraded to a daily route in the summer, and in case you’re wondering if tickets are available to book yet, and indeed they are That cheap.

Go to the official GoVolta website to check it out for yourself.

It’s important to note that $11 is just a starting price. As you’ll notice as you browse the available dates, the most common fare ranges from $40 to $52, but hey, still an absolute bargain considering the high fares you get on NS International.

As with budget airlines like Ryanair and Wizz Air, you should also know that the typical benefits of train travel may not exactly apply here, or they can be severely curtailed:

So what’s the catch?

For example, with a ‘Basic’ ticket you cannot choose your own seat, change your name for free if you make a mistake during the booking process, or take a large suitcase on board. Yes, you are only allowed to take aircraft-sized hand luggage on board.

We knew that one day we would grieve baggage limits on trains would come…

With a ‘Plus’ ticket you can choose your own seat and change your name for one $16.35 additional. The full ticket, which embodies the usual benefits of train travel, is called the ‘Premium’ package and includes all ‘Plus’ privileges, on top of unlimited travel date changes and a large suitcase.

GoVolta’s goal is to attract travelers who prefer trains to flying or driving, and to be honest, we can definitely see the appeal:

Between airports that are 8 to 10 miles outside of the city (if not 50 miles), complex booking systems, and constant delays (when has your flight ever actually left on time?), taking the train is a no-brainer.

The total journey is 6h46and when you factor in airport transfer times, long security waits, and long commutes to and from downtown (airports are never in the heart of a city, remember?), travel times almost balance themselves out.

Combine your train ticket and hotel booking in one reservation

In addition to individual tickets, GoVolta offers ‘ready-made’ city trip packages.

In simpler terms, you can combine train journeys And hotel accommodation in one booking.

In the words of co-founder Maarten Bastien: this makes traveling by rail feel ‘as easy as flying‘:

We’re not sure about you, but we’re totally sold on the idea of ​​getting off the tram right in front of Amsterdam Central Station and hopping on a direct train to Berlin, instead of then taking the regional train to Schiphol and dealing with the whole airport circus.

Team training all the way. Oh, and we haven’t even mentioned the actual train route yet!

Where will the train stop?

In case you’re wondering: the train from Amsterdam to Berlin stops at the following stations:

• Amersfoort, Netherlands
• Deventer, Netherlands
• Hengelo, Netherlands
• Bad Bentheim, Germany
• Osnabruck, Germany
• Hannover, Germany
• Berlin, Germany

There will be one free line Amsterdam-Hamburgwhich will branch north at Hengelo, where the Berlin line travels east towards the German capital.

It is worth noting that although the new routes offer direct connections from the Netherlands to Berlin and Hamburg, journey times will be longer than existing high-speed alternatives.

The fastest trains from Amsterdam to Berlin take 5h40, while the GoVolta alternative takes about an hour longer. That’s because GoVolta’s rolling stock has a maximum speed of 160 km/h, while Deutsche Bahn’s ICE or Eurostar services reach a speed of 300 km/h.

Hey, no problem. The ultra-low rates are still hard to beat in this scenario.

More exciting train routes will be launched in Europe this year

If you’re heading to Europe this year and traveling by train, check out all these exciting new routes opening in the coming months:

Vinicius Costa

Vini, our senior head writer at Travel Off Path, has over 60 countries to his name (and is currently weaving stories from Paris!), and a knack for turning off-the-beaten-path experiences into informative stories that will have you packing your bags.