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And if you could join Amsterdam by direct train from Paris for 19 € ? It's now a reality: the Dutch airline GoVolta has just opened sales for its future low-cost Paris-Amsterdam route, with the first trains scheduled to arrive as early as December 14, 2026. After Amsterdam-Berlin and Amsterdam-Hamburg the operator is pursuing its ambition to make international rail travel more accessible with low-price tickets. Schedules, stops, comfort, prices, dining cars... Here's everything you need to know about these new GoVolta trains. !
GoVolta is a new Dutch open-access rail company that aims to revolutionize train travel in Europe. Its aim is to offer international journeys at very low prices, with a model inspired by low-cost airlines. In concrete terms, this means tickets from €19, connections without connections and simplified booking.
Launched by Maarten Bastian and Hessel Winkelman, two entrepreneurs already active in rail tourism, the start-up has a clear ambition: to make trains more accessible and compete with air travel on European routes. Note: the founders were also behind GreenCityTrip (since sold to European Sleeper), and are still linked to the Flywise travel agency, which now offers train + hotel packages at attractive prices!
© GoVolta
The great novelty of GoVolta trains is their promise to break international train prices, often considered too expensive. And the early results look promising: on its first run, one train was fully booked with over 600 passengers on board, after more than 40,000 tickets had been sold in advance.
As co-founder Maarten Bastian sums up: "We believe that international rail travel should be affordable, comfortable and accessible to all. Today, we're proving that it can be done."
This arrival is part of a wider trend: the development of low-cost trains in Europe. In France with OUIGO, in Spain with Avlo and in Germany with FlixTrain, several operators have already tried to slash prices. But GoVolta is going one step further by directly attacking international rail travel, which is still not very accessible at low cost today.
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GoVolta adopts a low-cost model:
An approach already well known in the airline industry, but even rarer on international trains.
To offer these prices, GoVolta has made several choices: using old but renovated rolling stock, running at lower speeds and adopting a model with options.
Inside the GoVolta
© GoVolta
The first trains will run from March 2026:
At launch, frequency remains limited to a few round trips per week (three rotations per week on each route). The goal is daily service between Amsterdam and Berlin by July 2026.
In the absence of sufficient demand for Hamburg, the route was discontinued. Failing this, it was redirected 6 times a week to the Amsterdam-Berlin route, for which the company has seen strong demand from the outset.
Concerning the Paris-Amsterdam GoVolta plans:
The journey will take just over 7 hours in both directions.
Updated May 28, 2026. This time, it's no longer just a project: GoVolta has officially opened sales of its future direct Paris-Amsterdam service. The first trains will run from December 14, 2026, with a daily round trip.
Tickets are now available from 19 € between France and the Netherlands. Launch bonus: GoVolta is also offering a "flexible dates" option at €1 for a limited time.
"Our international trains are accessible to all at affordable prices. You can travel between capital cities or discover smaller ones, and regional residents finally have access to a direct international link, from just 19 euros", explains Hessel Winkelman, co-founder of GoVolta.
The train will run directly from Paris to Amsterdam via :
This is a real change for certain cities with little or no direct international rail service. GoVolta points out that it chose Ghent over Brussels, which is already well connected to Paris by Eurostar.
In the longer term, the operator plans to extend its network to :
with the ambition of building a truly affordable European rail network.
© GoVolta
Tickets are advertised from €10, but in practice, the first prices observed tend to be around €19, with an average of around €30. In reality, most journeys are likely to cost between €20 and €40.
As with air travel, prices vary widely according to demand, booking date and train occupancy. As is often the case with affordable fares, to take advantage of the best prices, it's best to book early.
Updated May 2026. Good news: as a member of the Club HOURRAIL!you can benefit from a 25% discount on all your tickets GoVolta until the end of June 2026. If you're not yet a member of the Club, it's time to join! this way !
Most tickets are expected to cost between €20 and €40, with options available to increase the price. One thing to bear in mind, however: at this stage, the model is still in the launch phase, and its success will depend in particular on its ability to deliver on price and regularity.
The basic ticket includes :
This is a real plus, especially when compared to certain rail offers without reservations.
©GoVolta
As in air travel, several options are available:
These services are available at extra cost, generally starting at around 15 euros depending on the options.
Tickets are available online via the official GoVolta. A word of advice: as always, book as early as possible to take advantage of the best prices.
For information, reservations already cover a large part of the year 2026 on certain lines.
Good to know: GoVolta also offers offers combining train and accommodation in line with its positioning close to the tour operator.
In keeping with their positioning, GoVolta also offers packages combining train + 2-night 3-star hotel from €199, via their link with the Flywise agency. A direct inheritance from their past experience in rail tour operating.
Benjamin Martinie
The trains are made up of renovated 80s cars, with a maximum speed of around 160 km/h. Each train will be able to accommodate up to 840 passengers, and will comprise 11 cars: 9 Economy cars, 1 Comfort car and 1 restaurant car called the "GoVolta Lounge". No luxury, but a decent level of comfort, with the aim of keeping prices low!
Tolt on board the first GoVolta trip
The return of Benjamin - aka Tolt - who tested for you: "On board, you'll find an Economy class and a comfort class. The seats are frankly quite comfortable, but be warned, there are only two sockets at the ends of each car, so you'll have to organize yourself accordingly!"
On the other hand, GoVolta now announces the presence of a dining car named "GoVolta Lounge, offering breakfast, lunch or dinner depending on travel time.
According to the company, this offer, along with its comfortable Corail-type seats, " clearly distinguishes GoVolta from low-cost operators".
GoVolta trains are slower than high-speed trains like Eurostar or ICE, but offer much cheaper tickets.
Here are the advertised journey times:
This means slightly longer journey times than fast trains (around an hour longer).
On the new Paris-Amsterdam route, trains will run once daily from December 14, 2026. Here, GoVolta is banking more on affordable prices and direct connections than on high speed. The journey will therefore be longer than by Eurostar, but with tickets starting at €19.
To coincide with the launch of the Paris-Amsterdam route, GoVolta has announced the opening of a equity loan of 1.5 million euros to finance its growth, the doubling of its fleet and the development of new international routes.
The company claims to have carried over 90,000 passengers since March 2026 on its routes to Berlin and Hamburg.
"Those who invest today are concretely financing the next step: better timetables, more lines, a stronger GoVolta." says Maarten Bastian, co-founder of GoVolta.
On paper, GoVolta ticks all the boxes: attractive prices, international routes, alternative to air travel... And above all, as a ProRail manager points out: "The more affordable and attractive the connections, the easier it becomes to switch from car and plane to train."
In practice, you'll have to accept a few compromises: slower trains, simpler comfort, and a model that's still young. But if the promise is kept, GoVolta could well democratize train travel in Europe as never before.
To be continued...
Issue du monde de la communication et des médias, Sophie est Responsable éditoriale chez HOURRAIL ! depuis août 2024. Elle est notamment derrière le contenu éditorial du site ainsi que La Locomissive (de l'inspiration voyage bas carbone et des bons plans, un jeudi sur deux, gratuitement dans ta boîte mail !).
Convaincue que les changements d’habitude passent par la transformation de nos imaginaires, elle s’attache à montrer qu’il est possible de voyager autrement, de manière plus consciente, plus lente et plus joyeuse. Son objectif : rendre le slow travel accessible à toutes et tous, à travers des astuces, des décryptages et surtout, de nouveaux récits.
