New Amsterdam to Paris train starts in December

A new low-cost train from Amsterdam to Paris is planned for December. The service will be run by Dutch rail company GoVolta.

The train will travel from Amsterdam Centraal to Paris Gare du Nord. The journey will take about seven hours and eight minutes. That is much slower than Eurostar, which usually takes around three hours and twenty minutes.

But GoVolta is not trying to compete mainly on speed. It is trying to compete on price and access. The cheapest tickets from Amsterdam to Paris will start at 19 euros. Tickets for shorter international trips, such as between the Netherlands and Belgium, will start at 10 euros.

The route is also different from the high-speed connection. The train will stop in cities including Haarlem, The Hague, Rotterdam, Antwerp and Ghent before reaching northern France and Paris.

That could be useful for travellers who do not live near Amsterdam Centraal. It also gives The Hague and Haarlem a more direct international rail option. For people living in these cities, the route may make weekend trips to Belgium and France easier, even if the journey is longer.

The choice to stop in Ghent is important. Brussels already has many international train links. Ghent has fewer direct connections from the Netherlands and France. GoVolta is trying to serve cities that are often missed by high-speed routes.

The train will have space for 840 passengers. That makes it a large service, aimed at budget travellers, students, families and people who are flexible with time.

For many people, the choice will be simple. Eurostar is faster. GoVolta is cheaper. A seven-hour trip may not suit business travellers or people going for a short meeting. But it may work well for tourists, students and anyone who wants to avoid high ticket prices.

The launch also fits a wider trend in Europe. More travellers are looking for alternatives to flying, especially for city trips. But rail travel is often expensive. Low-cost train services are trying to fill that gap.

The service is expected to begin in December. If it proves popular, it could add pressure on other operators to offer more affordable international train tickets from the Netherlands.