Future European Long Distance Rail Routes

These are the future key long-distance services and direct links which will be coming to the railways of Europe.

The idea is that future new services will be added to the list as they are announced.
Then when they begin operating, they'll be moved to other Travel Checker and Trip Planning guides, which summarise the existing journeys that can be taken between Europe's most fabulous locations.

<> = the border crossings

Köln / Cologne - Antwerpen / Antwerp

What: 2 x ICE trains per day taking a Koln Hbf - Aachen Hbf <> Liege-Guilliemens - Bruxelles Airport-Zaventem - Antwerpen Centraal / Anvers-Central route

When: From September 7th 2026

Why: Both the beautiful city of Antwerp and Brussels Airport will gain direct rail links with a key hub station on the German rail network.
Connections will be available at Koln Hbf with trains to and from the likes of Basel, Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Hannover, Munich, Nuremberg and Stuttgart.

Connections will be available at Antwerp's stunning main station, pictured above, with trains from and to Breda, Brugge, Gent and Rotterdam.

Positives:

(1) For travellers coming long-haul to Europe, in order to take a rail travel based tour of the continent, Brussels Airport becomes a more viable location in which to begin and/or end a trip.
It will be an improved alternative to flying in and out of Amsterdam-Schiphol, Frankfurt or Paris CDG.

 (2) The connectivity available at both ends of the route results in a new rail bridge in north-west Europe.
There will be more options to choose from on routes such as Koln <> Rotterdam, Gent and Brugge.

(3) Antwerp will be an easy alternative stopover location to Brussels, when planning a round-Europe itinerary that includes both Belgium and northern Germany.

Wish List:

It would be fabulous, if at a future date the service could be extended beyond Antwerp to Den Haag / The Hague through Rotterdam, as it would provide both of those Dutch cities with a direct rail link with Germany.

Bruxelles / Brussels - Milano

What: On three nights per week a train operated by European Sleeper will be taking a Bruxelles-Midi - Verviers <> Aachen Hbf - Koln Hbf <> Aarau - Arth-Goldau - Goschenen - Bellinzona - Lugano <> Como-San Giovanni - Milano-Porta Garibaldi route.

When: From September 9th 2026  

Why: Belgium will gain a direct rail link to/from both Italy and Switzerland.

Positives:

(1) This service brings a mass of new rail connections across western Europe, the Swiss connections are:
Aarau - connect for Basel, Bern, Lausanne and Zurich
Arth-Goldau - connect for Lucerne and St Gallen
Goschenen - connect for Andermatt
Bellinzona - connect for Locarno.

(2) The service also restores a direct rail link between Koln/ Cologne and Italy, plus a link between Koln/ Cologne and destinations along the Gotthard rail route including Bellinzona and Lugano.

(3) in the space of 72 hours from early September, it will be much easier to access the wonder that is Aachen cathedral - the city will be gaining direct trains to and from the likes of Antwerp, Lugano and Milan.

(4) Those enticed by the romance of rail journeys can experience opening the window blind after leaving Aarau on the southward journey, to be wowed by the splendor of one of Switzerland's greatest journeys - the older, classic 'Gotthard rail route.

Wish-List

For budget minded travellers and for those who prioritise ease over comfort. this service will be an answer to many prayers.

European Sleeper has refreshed some older trains and therefore doesn't actually offer a full sleeper cabin style service.
So for those who want the finer things in life wherever they go, that will prevent this from being an alternative to the current connections along chains of daytime express trains.

Munchen / Munich - Rome / Roma by day

What: The plan, according to the Italian national rail operator, Trenitalia, is for one its super smart Frecciarossa trains on the Bolzano <> Roma route to have its journey extended daily.

This will create a new Munchen Hbf - Kufstein - Innnsbruck <> Bolzano - Trento - Verona - Bologna - Firenze - Roma Termini service by day: Not all station calls have been included in this summary.

When: From December 13th 2026    

Why: Both Germany and Austria will gain a daytime rail service to / from two of the three most visited cities in Italy; Venice already has daytime rail services to and from Innsbruck and Vienna.

Positives

(1) When travelling between Munich / Innsbruck and Florence / Rome by train, there is a currently a choice between travelling through the night on a direct train, or by making a connection in order to travel by day.

(2) A direct daytime train simplifies both the terms and conditions when buying tickets and when travelling with rail passes.
It will also save InterRail users money, as only one rail reservation fee will be required instead of two.

(3) It will be a new entry on the list of Europe's most epic and fabulous rail journeys. Ascending through the Brennero Pass on a Frecciarossa 1000 train will be a fabulous travel experience.

Zurich - Italy

What: From summer 2027 there will be a direct Zurich <> Rimini train, that's the new route.  

When: From December 13th 2026 the  Zurich <> Verona - Vicenza - Padua - Venice service doubles to 2 x trains per day; And the Zurich <> Genoa - Sestri Levante - Monterosso (Cinque Terre) - La Spezia service will be available daily year round.

Why: The revamped Gotthard rail route featuring the world's longest rail tunnel, which relatively new and fabulous trains race through, has galvanized rail travel between Switzerland and Italy.

Though evidently the recent extension of the Zurich <> Bologna daily train to Firenze / Florence hasn't met expectations, as its reverting back to being a service to / from Bologna - But with a new summer extension on to/from Rimini.

Positives

(1) If you have both Switzerland + the likes of Genoa, The Cinque Terre, Verona or Venice as locations on your ideal travel plan, the journeys between them will be easier than ever before.

(2) And riding the rather fabulous Giruno trains is the icing on the cake!

London to Antwerp

What: The Eurostar services on the London to Amsterdam route will call at Antwerpen-Centraal station on the outward journey to The Netherlands; The return journey from Antwerp to London will still require a connection in Bruxelles-Midi

When: From December 13th 2026  

Why: The trains currently have to slow down to pass through Antwerp, so calling there will only add a couple of minutes to the London to Netherlands journey time.
Security and passport control is carried out pre-boarding on the UK Eurostars, so stepping off the train and passing through the station on arrival at Antwerpen-Centraal will be straightforward.

The trains heading to London won't be able to call in Antwerp as security and passport control won't be available at Centraal station.

Positives

(1) For Interrail users, wonderful Antwerp becomes a logical and easy first stop from Britain when planning a European rail adventure - Especially for those who will be travelling to London, in order to connect into an onward Eurostar.

(2) Particularly as Antwerp will also have the option of 2 x ICE trains per day for onward travel to Germany.

(3) Antwerp is an excellent location for a couple of days exploring with Interrail passes. Trains which depart hourly and don't require reservations are available to the likes of Amsterdam, Brugge, Gent and Hasselt.

Paris - The Netherlands on the 'classic' lines

What: Train operator, Go Volta, is launching a Paris - Amiens - Arras <> Ghent - Antwerp <> Roosendaal - Lage Zwaluwe - Rotterdam - The Hague HS - Haarlem - Amsterdam route.

When: From December 13th 2026   

Why: The core idea is that Go Volta will be a cheaper alternative to riding the Eurostar trains on its Paris <> (Brussels) - Antwerp <> Rotterdam - Amsterdam route.
Though because the train avoids the high-speed lines and takes the 'classic' older routes, it also opens up a swathe of new direct journey opportunities to/from locations not on the high speed route.

Positives:
(1) Those new direct journeys include:

• Paris <> Ghent / The Hague / Haarlem
• Amiens <> Amsterdam / Ghent / The Hague / Rotterdam
• Ghent <> Amsterdam / The Hague / Paris / Rotterdam
• The Hague <> Amiens / Antwerp / Ghent / Paris#

(2) Plus there will be enhanced connections;
- at Arras for Lille- at Ghent for Brugge and the Belgian coast
- at Roosendaal for Arnhem, Den Bosch, Middleburg and Nijmegen
- at Lage Zwaluwe for Dordrecht:

Wish List:

Interail passes cannot be used on the Go Volta trains, so hopefully in time Go Volta will introduce a rail pass reservations policy -  Particularly as the mandatory reservation fees on the Eurostar trains on the Paris <> Amsterdam route, are exceptionally expensive.

Bruxelles - Basel

What: One of the daily trains on the Bruxelles <> Aeroport CDG- Lille - Strasbourg route is to have its journey extended from / to Basel via Mulhouse.

When: From summer 2027

Why: Belgium will be one again linked to Switzerland by direct daytime trains; Which are among Europe's fastest rail services.

Positives 

(1) Until 2016 the 'Vauban' service by EC trains took a Bruxelles <> Luxembourg <> Strasbourg - Mulhouse <> Basel route, but it was 'replaced' by a combination of high speed trains from and to Paris, with an awkward multi-station transfer in the French capital.

So it's great to see that the rail operators have come to their senses to restore a direct Bruxelles <> Basel link.

(2) Both Bruxelles-Midi and Basel SBB stations are key hubs of the European rail network, so a mass of new connections will be available,
Basel has trains to and from Bern, Brig, Chur, Interlaken, Lausanne, Lucerne and Lugano.

(3) Lille will gain a direct rail link from / to Switzerland: And it seems likely that the return journey from Basel will answer the prayers of many UK rail travellers by offering a convenient connection in Lille Europe into a Eurostar on to London!

Wish list

There won't be a connection in Lille into the outward train on to Basel when travelling from London, so the London to Switzerland rail journey will still require a cross Paris transfer.

Innsbruck - The South Tyrol by regional trains

What: Some of the regional trains operated by Trenitalia on its Merano/Meran - Bolzano/Bozen - Bressanone/Brixen - Fortezza/Franzensfeste (connect for San Candido/Innichen) - Brennero/Brenner route are to have their journeys extended to/from Innsbruck.

When: From summer 2027  

Why: The only direct trains currently crossing the Austria / Italy border between the North Tyrol and the South Tyrol are the Railjet trains taking a Munich - Innsbruck <> Bolzano - Verona (and beyond) route.
Taking the regional / local trains currently requires a connection in Brennero/Brenner.

Positives 

(1) Easier journeys by train between two of the most popular hiking and biking areas in all of Europe.

(2) The new connection will provide an easier alternative to Interrail users, seeking to avoid the comparatively expensive rail pass reservation fees, charged for the cross-border journeys by the Railjet trains.

Wien / Vienna - Firenze / Florence by daytime trains

What: The plan is for one of the daily Railjet trains on the Wien/Vienna - Graz - Klagenfurt - Villach <> Udine - Venice / Venezia route to have its journey extended to/from Firenze/Florence: With calls in Padova, Rovigo, Ferrara, Bologna Centrale and Prato.

When: From December 12th 2027 (tbc)

Why: A string of some the most beautiful cities in Europe will be linked by a direct rail service.

Positives:

(1) Wien / Vienna and Graz are linked to Bologna and Firenze/Florence by Nightjet trains, but because that train also serves Roma / Rome, the morning arrival times in Firenze and particularly Bologna, are comparatively inconvenient.

(2) The EC trains from/to Zurich won't be serving FirenzeFlorence from the December 2026 timetable change, so it's great to hear that the third most visited city in Italy, will gain a fresh international rail service.

Hamburg - Oslo

What: The German national rail operator, DB, is to use its new ICE-L trains on a Hamburg <> København / Copenhagen <> Malmo - Helsingborg - Göteborg / Gothenburg <> Oslo route.

When: From May 9th 2028 (tbc)  

Why: A minimum of two connections are currently required when travelling by train between Hamburg and Oslo.

Positives:

(1) The renaissance of rail connections from and to Scandinavia will continue - This will be the third new international rail connection between Germany and Sweden to be introduced in recent years.

(2) For those planning a rail trip around Europe to travel by its most scenic routes, the Bergen Line, the Flamsbana and the other wonderful journeys in Norway, will become easier to access!

(3) The epic journey itself will have multiple highlights.