We all know that traveling around the world is really awesome. We discover new countries, new horizons, and new cultures. But, when it comes to carbon footprint and our planet, flying around here and there might not be the best idea in the world. So, we end up turning to the train, but it’s not always very convenient, and sometimes it means 15 transfers and 27 hours of travel to reach our destination. Luckily, all of this could change very soon.
A unique network across the Old Continent
Right now, unless you’re 18, just graduated from high school, and you’re as excited as a puppy at the thought of spending 4 weeks on a train with Interrail, getting around by train in Europe.
is not necessarily a great pleasure. Aside from certain major capitals close to Paris that are easily accessible, you have to go through fragmented national networks, which offer tickets that can sometimes be equivalent to the price of a kidney on the black market.
© Starline
Luckily, the company Starline, probably with a bit of optimism, decided to answer all our prayers by envisioning a system of international rail networks that would allow us to travel across Europe from the north of Scotland to the south of Turkey, passing through all countries to the east, west, and center. A metro system for Europe, consisting of 5 lines as smooth as a metro (not the one in Paris, of course), which would connect the capitals, as well as some major cities like Lyon in France or Liverpool in England.
The Train of the Future
To promote the project, Starline promises trains traveling at over 400 km/h, to limit...the travel times at maximum, and imagine huge train stations like international HUBS located on the outskirts of cities. On the agenda, not just a platform and hellish ticket counters, but truly concert halls, cultural centers, and event spaces. A kind of station like Châtelet-les-Halles but better, you know.
21st europe proposes starline, a high-speed train that travels and stops across different cities in the continent like a metro https://t.co/5OFN3Q8DhZ pic.twitter.com/0Vz3xCWWrt
— designboom (@designboom) March 20, 2025
And on board the trains, there's no first or second class, but rather warm and shared spaces where you can savor a nice coffee while enjoying the scenery. All of this is enhanced with AI and strengthened security systems, aiming to offer the most attractive system possible and try to reduce the number of European thefts by 80%. And with the single platform system for all tickets, you can say they have some solid arguments on their side. Long live the “metro of Europe”!