10 new trains that will revolutionize travel in France and Europe in 2025

Written by Sophie Renassia

Published on December 31, 2024, modified on February 23, 2025

Paris-Brussels for the price of a pizza, Brussels-Venice by night train, Spain from Toulouse, a luxury train to discover Italy... Here's a summary of all the latest rail innovations in France and Europe for unforgettable journeys in 2025!

New international routes (Europe)

1. Paris-Brussels by OUIGO Train Classique for €10 (since December 2024)

Since December 19, 2024, you can travel to Brussels from France for just €10! Not only does this new OUIGO Train Classique line enable you to pay considerably less than with Eurostar for a journey time that's only slightly longer (3 hours, compared with 1h20 with Eurostar), but you can also depart more easily from an intermediate city (among the three other cities served: Creil, Aulnoye-Aymeries and Mons).

Schedules and frequency

Three daily round trips are offered in each direction in the early morning, midday and early evening:

- From Paris Gare du Nord: three departures a day at 8:18 a.m., 12:28 p.m. and 7:15 p.m.
- From Brussels-Midi: three returns a day at 7.38am, 1.38pm and 6.38pm (with a final departure on Sunday at 7.38pm, a handy way to extend your weekend!)

Rate

In practice, prices start at €10 and are capped at €59 for a single adult ticket (with a fixed fare of €8 for children under 12), but 70% of trains open to reservations offer €10 tickets!

New OUIGO Paris-Bruxelles line, december 2024

2. Paris-Berlin and Strasbourg-Berlin (since December 2024)

After the arrival of the night line between Paris and Berlin in 2024, it's the turn of the high-speed train. From now on, the two capitals will be linked daily from city center to city center in 8 hours thanks to a new line signed SNCF and DB!

Schedules and frequency

Every day, the train leaves Paris Gare de l'Est at 9:55 a.m. for an expected arrival in Berlin Hbf at 6:03 p.m. In the opposite direction, the train leaves Berlin Hbf at 11:54 a.m. for a 7:55 p.m. arrival in Paris. On the way, it serves Strasbourg, Karlsruhe and Frankfurt Sud stations!

Rate

Tickets start at €59 in second class and €69 in first class.

The new ICE train

3. Baltic Express: from the Czech Republic to the Polish Baltic coast (since December 2024)

Want to discover Central Europe? Just the thing, ČD and PKP Intercity launched a new international service, the Baltic Express, which will connect you from the Czech Republic to the Polish Baltic coast!

Frequency, schedules and cities served

With 4 pairs of trains per day, the line will serve the following destinations - Czech Republic: Prague, Kolín, Pardubice, Ústí nad Orlicí, Letohrad

- Poland: Kłodzko, Wrocław, Poznań, Bydgoszcz

- Polish Baltic coast: Gdańsk, Sopot, Gdynia

Departures from Prague at 06:50, 10:50, 14:50 and 18:50, for a total journey time of around 8 hours.

Rate

Tickets start at 400 Czech crowns (approx. 16 euros) for Wrocław and 750 Czech crowns (approx. 30 euros) for the Baltic coast (book online at cd.cz)!

4. Brussels-Venice by European Sleeper (from February 2025)

After its Brussels-Pragues line (in operation since spring 2024), European Sleeper has announced the creation of a new line - expected for February 2025 - that will allow you to fall asleep in Brussels (Belgium) and wake up in Venice (Italy), via Cologne, Munich, Innsbruck, Bolzano and Verona. What better way to spend a magical Valentine's Day in the city of lovers this year?

Schedules and frequency

For the time being, the service is scheduled to run around twice a week in February and March 2025. This new European Sleeper night train will leave Brussels Midi station at 7pm, arriving at Venice Santa Lucia station at 2pm the following day. In the opposite direction, departures from Venice Santa Lucia will be at 4pm, arriving in Brussels at 11:30am the following day.

Get ready, reservations are already open for 5 dates:

- In the Brussels-Venice direction: Wednesday February 5, Friday February 14 and Sunday February 23, 2025, as well as Tuesday March 4 and Wednesday March 12, 2025.

- Venice-Brussels: Sunday 9, Tuesday 18 and Thursday 27 February 2025, as well as Saturday 8 and Sunday 16 March 2025.

Rate

Sleeper tickets start at €99 for Brussels-Innsbruck and €129 for Brussels-Venice.

© European Sleeper

5. Toulouse-Barcelona via Renfe (from second quarter 2025)

Another long-awaited route offering a sustainable alternative to car and air travel (after a hiatus in 2020) is the new direct service between Toulouse and Barcelona signed by the Spanish company Renfe.

Announced for the second quarter of 2025, this high-speed train will offer a daily round trip between the two cities, with a journey time of around 3.5 hours. Initially, it will operate between April and mid-September 2025 (initially seasonal, with the possibility of year-round extension). Along the way, it will serve Toulouse, Carcassonne, Perpignan, Figueres, Girona and Barcelona!

Visit Parc Guëll and Sagrada Familia from Toulouse!

We'll let you know more as soon as there's any news.

6. La Dolce Vita Orient Express (from spring 2025)

This new Italian luxury train - initially announced for 2024 - should see the light of day next spring.

Cities served

An ambitious project will offer 9 routes across Italy (covering almost 16,000 kilometers of track in 14 regions and 131 cities), including:

• Adriatic and Mediterranean: Rome - Venice - Portofino
• 3 cities of art: Rome - Venice - Siena
• The heart of Italy: Rome - Palena - Matera
• The wine route: Rome - Montalcino :
• The truffle and wine route: Rome - Nizza Monferrato
• The wonders of the Tyrrhenian Sea: Palermo - Maratea - Rome
• Sicily through its myths: Palermo - Agreigente - Taormina :

There are also international connections from Rome to Paris, Istanbul and Split.

Rate

In practice, the train can accommodate up to 62 passengers in 12 luxury cabins, 18 suites, and an exclusive suite called “La Dolce Vita”. Be warned: luxury trains mean luxury fares. Depending on the type of accommodation chosen, rates start from 3,500 euros. If price isn't a barrier for you, then hold on: bookings are due to open in April 2024! Infos and booking here.

Cities served by the Dolce Vita Orient Express in Italy

7. GoVolta: the low-cost train to visit Europe on a budget (from September 2025)

After luxury, low-cost! Dubbed “the easyJet of the railroads”, the Dutch company could well revolutionize your travels in 2025! The idea? Daily journeys in Europe that are slightly longer than competing services, but considerably cheaper.

Cities served

- Amsterdam (Netherlands) - Berlin (Germany) in 8 hours: first line, scheduled for September 2025.

Also in 2025 :

- Amsterdam (Netherlands) - Copenhagen (Denmark)

- Amsterdam (Netherlands) - Basel (Switzerland)

Ultimately, GoVolta aims to offer 20 routes across Europe. Additional routes between Amsterdam and Paris, and Amsterdam and Munich, have been announced for 2026!

Rate

Tickets will go on sale in January 2025, and at least 110 tickets will be available for less than 10 euros on each service! Otherwise, you should be able to find tickets starting at 10 euros for standard second-class seats.

New lines in France

8. Paris-Rennes and Paris-Bordeaux by OUIGO Train Classique (since end-2024)

Paris-Rennes (since spring 2024)

Want to discover Brittany? Launched in early April 2024, this new OUIGO Train Classique line offers a daily round trip between Paris and Rennes for a journey time of between 3h50 and 4h20! A slower journey, but at a lower price than the TGV.

Schedules

- Departure from Paris-Austerlitz: mornings between 8am and 8:30am.

- Departure from Rennes: in the afternoon between 3 and 4 pm.

The line serves the stations of Paris-Austerlitz, Massy-Palaiseau, Versailles Chantiers, Chartres, Le Mans, Laval and Rennes.

Rate

Tickets range from €10 to €49 (€5 for children). Booking here.

Paris-Bordeaux(since December 2024)

Want to discover the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region? Launched in mid-December 2024, this new OUIGO line offers two daily round-trips between Paris and Bordeaux for a journey time of between 4h55 and 5h40: a slower journey than by TGV, but at a low price! Not to be confused with the OUIGO Grande Vitesse trains, which will continue to operate on the Paris-Bordeaux line with journey times of around 2h06, also at much more attractive prices than the TGV Inoui.

Cities served

The new line serves stations in Paris, Juvisy, Les Aubrais, Saint-Pierre-des-Corps, Futuroscope, Poitiers, Angoulême and Bordeaux-Saint-Jean.

Rate

Tickets range from €10 to €49 (€5 for children). Booking on OUIGO website.

UPDATE 01/16/25: Please note, even though we've cross-checked the information with several sources, sales of the OUIGO classic Paris-Bordeaux train don't seem to be available yet. We'll keep you posted!

9. Arcachon basin by night train (since December 2024)

Want to discover the Dune du Pilat and the famous cabanes tchanquées on Île aux Oiseaux? Good news: from December 16, 2024, two new stops will be available on the INTERCITÉS night train line between Paris and Tarbes:
- at Facture-Biganos, in Gironde,
- and at Saint-Vincent-de-Tyrosse, in Landes.

From Facture-Biganos station, you can then easily reach the various stations on the Bassin d'Arcachon (less than 20 minutes by TER)!

Schedules and frequency

Departure from Paris-Austerlitz at 9:41 p.m. daily, arriving in Tarbes at 7:25 a.m. the following morning (approx. 9.40 a.m. journey).

Rate

Tickets start at €19 for a seat, €29 for a second-class sleeper and €39 for a first-class sleeper. To book, visit the SSNCF Connect website.

To discover other destinations accessible by night train from Paris:

10. Nancy-Lyon with INTERCITÉS (since December 2024)

If you live in the Grand-Est region, you'll now be able to go to Lyon without passing through Paris! Since December 15, 2024, this new INTERCITÉS link marks the return of a direct connection between Nancy and Lyon, interrupted since 2018. With a journey time of around 4h30, the link is faster than a direct TGV (which makes a detour via Mulhouse).

Schedules and frequency

One trip per day: departure from Nancy around 7.50 am, return from Lyon-Perrache around 3 pm. On the way, the train serves stations in Nancy, Toul, Neufchâteau, Culmont-Chalindrey, Dijon, Chalon-sur-Saône, Mâcon, Lyon Part-Dieu and Lyon Perrache.

Rate

Tickets range from €15 to €60 each way. Since October 2, 2024, bookings have been open for journeys until January 8, 2025!

Bonus: rail innovations

11. The arrival of the TGV M, the train of the future (late 2025)!

The fifth generation of SNCF high-speed trains, the TGV M has been designed to mark a small revolution in European rail travel. Focusing on flexibility and efficiency rather than speed (maximum speed 320 km/h), it consumes 20% less energy than previous generations, while being 97% recyclable. In short, a modular train at the cutting edge of innovation, designed to be both ecological and economical!

To find out more about this “train of the future” announced for late 2025, we let you discover our interview with David Goeres, head of the TGV M project:

12. Reopening of the Paris-Lyon-Milan line (April 2025?)

Among the reopenings expected in 2025 is the Paris-Lyon-Milan rail line! According to our friends at voyagerentrain.fr, the line is due to reopen on March 31, 2025, after being closed for a year and a half following the landslide near Modane in Savoie in August 2023.

A line that will re-establish direct links between Paris and Milan operated by SNCF's TGV INOUI and Trenitalia's Frecciarossa. We'll keep you posted as soon as we hear anything!

Update 3/02/25: It's official: Trenitalia will be relaunching the Paris-Milan line from April 1, 2025 (and tackling the Paris-Marseille route on June 15), which has been partially closed since August 2023 due to a massive landslide in the Maurienne region.

A 6h30 to 7h journey will take you from Paris to Milan, via Lyon, Chambéry, Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne (served at weekends since December 2024), Modane, Oulx and Turin, thanks to 2 daily round trips. In practice, you'll be able to find tickets from €29 in second class!

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

13. Reopening of the Hendaye-Lisonne night service (in 2025)?

According to information shared by our friends at voyagerentrain.fr, the Hendaye-Lisbon line could also reopen in 2025! 5 years after its suspension (during the Covid pandemic), the Portuguese government is considering further discussions between the Portuguese rail company (Comboios de Portugal) and the Spanish Renfe to reactivate 2 emblematic lines: Madrid-Lisbon (the Lusitânia) and Hendaye-Lisbon (the Sud-Expresso).

Departing from Hendaye, in the Atlantic Pyrenees on the Spanish border, this night train would be a superb opportunity to reach Lisbon, one of the only European capitals without an international rail link to date.

A word of warning, however: the chances of reopening are still highly uncertain (mainly due to the lack of “available rolling stock”, as Jon Worth, an EU rail policy expert, points out on Linkedin).

We're keeping our fingers crossed that this project will see the light of day, and we'll keep you posted on developments in our newsletter!

14. Reopening of the Budapest-Belgrade line (by late 2025 - early 2026?)

Finally, if Central and South-Eastern Europe are on your bucket list, the Budapest (Hungary) - Belgrade (Serbia) line could soon be reopening! Currently undergoing renovation and modernization, its reopening is gradual. The latest news:

- the Serbian section between Belgrade and Novi Sad has been completed and will open in March 2022,

- the Novi Sad-Subotica section was originally scheduled for completion by the end of 2024, but has been delayed,

- the Hungarian section has been under construction since October 2021 and should be completed by 2025 or early 2026!

To be continued...