When you think about getting away for a weekend outside of France, Amsterdam quickly stands out as a delightful choice. Just 3 hours and 30 minutes from Paris, the Dutch capital charms visitors with its unique allure, and colorful, bike-friendly streets lined with canals. But wait. Even though the city is pretty close to France, a trip to Amsterdam can get pricey quickly. Currently, it’s only available via Eurostar, and prices for a one-way ticket, not counting promotions, can skyrocket to sometimes several hundred euros. A European startup plans to address this with a low-cost offering that's set to launch very soon.
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A low-cost company linking France, Germany, and the Netherlands
What's its name? GoVolta. What's its ambition? To compete with European train companies by offering discount train tickets. Since March 2026, it has already been providing connections between Amsterdam and Germany (Berlin/Hamburg) starting from just €19 — with tickets usually costing about €30, according to Euronews — and it aims to connect France and the Netherlands by December 2026. The idea is to offer tickets around €50 for a one-way trip.
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The passengers
Offering such low prices obviously comes with some trade-offs. We should expect longer journeys (160 km/h), on older trains from the 1980s that have been modernized. These trains can accommodate up to 820 passengers, and could hold up to 1000 during busy times, as reported by Capital. A single type of ticket will be offered, and some options will be available but only with an additional charge. GoVolta hopes to “make train travel in Europe as simple and affordable as flying.” In the long run, the start-up wishes to further expand its European network into Germany, Denmark, or even Switzerland.
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