GoVolta launches direct trains from three German cities to Amsterdam

Two new direct trains connecting Berlin, Bremen and Hamburg with Amsterdam have hit the tracks. Journeys will be cheaper than with Deutsche Bahn, but take longer.

GoVolta launches two direct Amsterdam trains

From March 19, Dutch railway company GoVolta will run a direct train from Berlin to Amsterdam and a direct train from Hamburg to Amsterdam, stopping in Bremen. 

The Berlin train will depart Berlin Gesundbrunnen at 3.46pm three times per week on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, stopping in Hanover, Osnabrück, Bad Bentheim, Hengelo, Deventer and Amersfoort. The train will arrive in Amsterdam at 11.55pm.

From March 20, the direct train from Hamburg will depart Hamburg-Harburg at 2.21pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and arrive at Amsterdam Centraal at 8.26pm, with stops in Bremen, Bad Bentheim, Hengelo, Deventer and Amersfoort.

Deutsche Bahn trains already directly connect the German and Dutch capitals six times per day, with varying punctuality, but often use the brand-new ICE 3neo models, which have more bike storage, modernised toilets, luggage racks, and ambient lighting.

GoVolta route will be cheaper but longer

Offering slightly cheaper tickets than Deutsche Bahn - they will cost somewhere between 19 and 45 euros for a single - GoVolta is vying to get DB’s customers on board.

But there is another price to pay for cheap tickets. While the Deutsche Bahn connection between Berlin and Amsterdam takes around five hours and 50 minutes, GoVolta’s connection clocks in at eight hours. Deutsche Bahn's connection between Hamburg and Amsterdam takes five hours and 15 minutes, while GoVolta's will take just over six hours.

GoVolta doesn’t mention any ambient lighting, but its Berlin-Amsterdam trains will have a “lounge wagon” with hot and cold drinks and light meals on offer, perhaps a bit more spacious than Deutsche Bahn's "Onboard Bistro".