From the spring of 2025, passengers from Switzerland will be given a new, cheap way to visit major cities across Europe with the launch of the new GoVolta rail service from Basel. GoVolta trains, operated by Dutch international company Flywise, will soon connect Amsterdam, Berlin, Basel and Copenhagen.

GoVolta to run trains between Basel and Amsterdam

Those ruing Deutsche Bahn’s decision to scrap the direct day train between Amsterdam and Basel need not fret for long with the news that a brand new, super-cheap service will soon start to run on the line. In a statement, Flywise confirmed that the new GoVolta public transport service will begin to run across Europe in the spring of 2025.

According to international train aficionado The Man in Seat 61, GoVolta will start by launching daily Amsterdam-Berlin and Amsterdam-Copenhagen services, plus an Amsterdam-Basel train running three times a week. The International Railway Journal reported that the firm hopes to offer 20 routes across Europe in the near future, with connections between Amsterdam and Paris and Amsterdam and Munich planned for 2026.

The new service from Switzerland will depart from Basel Badischer Bahnhof, calling at Freiburg, Ringsheim - the stop for German amusement park Europa-Park - Karlsruhe, Mannheim, Koblenz, Cologne, Kaldenkirchen, Venlo, Eindhoven and Utrecht, before arriving in Amsterdam Centraal. 

Swiss travellers promised tickets for as little as 10 euros

Self-described as the “easyJet of the rails”, the company hopes to offer a limited number of tickets for as little as 10 euros. However, with average prices of between 50 and 60 euros, the service will still be cheaper than Swiss public transport tickets and those offered by Deutsche Bahn. 

What’s more, from its launch the GoVolta train will be the only direct daytime service between Switzerland and the Netherlands, following the announcement that the direct ICE service run by Deutsche Bahn would be scrapped from July 2024. Passengers with Deutsche Bahn will soon have to make at least one connection to get between Basel and Amsterdam - quite the jeopardy considering DB's less-than-stellar punctuality record.

GoVolta trains from Switzerland: Cheaper but much slower

However, Swiss passengers on the GoVolta will certainly pay for the journey with their time, with the budget train between Basel and Amsterdam expected to take up to five hours longer than the fastest German long-distance trains, due to the trains they use and timetable restrictions. In addition, in their attempts to compete with flying on price, GoVolta has adopted some rather novel ways to make money, including charging for seat selection on some routes.