On 17 July 2025, the United Kingdom and Germany signed a landmark bilateral treaty that could pave the way for direct train services between London and Berlin within the next decade. 

The agreement, described as a political breakthrough after years of stalled ambitions, was announced during German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s (CDU) first official visit to the UK, where he and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer (Labour) signed the Kensington Treaty. 

This wide-ranging cooperation pact covers defence, migration, technology and cross-border infrastructure, and is the first of its kind between the two countries since Brexit.

Taskforce for a train link

Central to the treaty is the creation of a UK–Germany rail taskforce charged with addressing the commercial, regulatory and technical barriers that have long prevented direct rail services beyond the established Paris–Brussels–Amsterdam corridor. 

Among the issues to be tackled are rail safety standards, customs and immigration protocols, operator cooperation and capacity constraints in the Channel Tunnel and at London St. Pancras International. 

The goal is to establish the first direct rail link between the UK and Germany by the early 2030s, with Berlin identified as the ultimate destination following potential initial connections to Frankfurt and Cologne.

A new era? 

UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander hailed the treaty as a new era of European rail connectivity. She said the project could fundamentally change how millions of people travel between the two countries by offering a faster, more convenient and significantly greener alternative to flying. 

Alexander suggested that within a few years, travellers could reach Berlin’s iconic landmarks such as the Brandenburg Gate, the Berlin Wall and Checkpoint Charlie directly from London by train. She also stressed the economic potential, highlighting opportunities for trade, job creation and improved access to European markets for British businesses, while facilitating German investment in the UK.

Still digesting Brexit

The treaty forms part of a broader UK strategy to strengthen post-Brexit ties with European partners and reintegrate infrastructure networks without rejoining the single market. 

The Swiss

Earlier this year, a similar understanding was signed with Switzerland to explore future London–Geneva rail services. Alongside the rail initiative, the treaty includes provisions to expand school exchange programmes and enable certain UK air passengers to use German passport e-gates by the end of summer, reducing border friction.

Current state of affairs

Currently, journeys between London and Frankfurt average eight to nine hours and require at least one change, while trips to Berlin take up to 11 hours with multiple transfers. 

Under the proposed scheme, direct services to Frankfurt could reduce travel time to around five hours, with Berlin services expected to follow. 

Eurostar has already announced plans for new connections to Germany and Switzerland in the early 2030s as part of a €2 billion fleet expansion. 

Other operators, including Virgin, Gemini and Italian Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane (FS)-backed Evolyn, are considering entering the market, though no operator has yet confirmed interest in the Berlin route.

Unlocking these services will depend on significant infrastructure and operational improvements. St. Pancras station is undergoing a major redesign to boost international passenger capacity from 1,800 to 5,000 per hour, while Highspeed – the station’s infrastructure manager – and Channel Tunnel operator Getlink have signed agreements to promote new open-access routes from the UK to Germany, Switzerland and southern France. 

Challenges

Despite these efforts, challenges remain, particularly around security procedures, rolling stock approval and commercial viability. Eurostar’s longest existing direct route, London to Amsterdam, faced similar obstacles before launching in 2018.

Scepticism

Experts remain sceptical about a London–Berlin service. Mark Smith, who runs the rail travel website Man in Seat 61, has argued that such a link is unlikely to be commercially viable. 

He noted that as distance increases, track access costs rise and the number of journeys a train can make in a day falls sharply, meaning an operator would only achieve one round trip daily. 

The revenue generated from such a service would not be significantly higher than on shorter routes such as London to Brussels, yet the operational costs would be far greater. He also highlighted the competition from airlines, where ticket prices for one-way flights are similar to those for existing Eurostar routes.

Never in Schengen

Border requirements create further complications. The UK remains outside the Schengen zone, so full customs, border control and passport checks would be needed, requiring dedicated facilities at Berlin and other stations. Infrastructure constraints, such as finding secure platform space in hubs like Frankfurt, Cologne and Geneva, present additional obstacles.

Demand for train travel

Despite these issues, there is clear demand for longer-distance train travel in Europe. A new eight-hour Paris–Berlin service, launched in December, has been heavily booked, reflecting growing passenger frustration with airport queues and an increasing desire for sustainable alternatives to flying. 

However, unlike the UK, Schengen countries avoid border checks, making these services easier to operate. 

Mark Smith believes services to Cologne and Frankfurt are more plausible in the near term, as Eurostar has already expressed interest in these destinations, as well as Geneva. 

Any London–Berlin service, he said, would require either significant government subsidies or a major operator willing to absorb high costs for strategic reasons.

If realised, a five- to six-hour journey between the two capitals could mark the start of a new chapter for sustainable travel between the UK and mainland Europe. For now, the Kensington Treaty represents a significant political signal – an ambition to reconnect Britain to Europe’s rail network in a way that is both commercially sound and environmentally responsible.

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