Post by ALLRAIL, the Alliance of Passenger Rail New Entrants

🚆 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲’𝘀 𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. The Dutch-based new entrant daytime rail operators Heurotrain & GoVolta want to bring more choice, capacity and affordable fares to international rail—but accessing finance remains one of the biggest barriers facing newcomers. Heurotrain plans to invest around €500 million in ten new high-speed trains, providing an hourly Amsterdam–Paris service from 2030 and challenging Eurostar on a route where competition remains limited. Meanwhile, GoVolta already operates daily services between Amsterdam and Germany, achieving occupancy above 70%. Its refurbished high-capacity trains allow it to offer tickets reportedly 50–70% cheaper than competing services. Paris is due to follow later this year. Similar to the independent night train operator European Sleeper, both companies are using community financing to support their growth. This does more than raise capital: it creates a community of passengers, investors and ambassadors who want better international rail services. The message is clear: entrepreneurs are ready to invest, passengers want more rail, and competition can deliver lower fares and greater capacity. Europe must now ensure that new entrants have fair access to financing, rolling stock, infrastructure capacity and market dominant sales platforms. 👉 https://lnkd.in/exmqKNgR #RailCompetition #OpenAccess #PassengerRail #InternationalRail #SustainableMobility