Dutch open-access operator GoVolta has announced its most ambitious expansion plans yet, notifying the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (Autoriteit Consument & Markt, ACM) of three new international routes while also seeking permission to carry domestic passengers on its Amsterdam to Berlin and Amsterdam to Paris services. Spoiler alert: notifying a government agency such as ACM does not mean all these plans will come to fruition (in time).

The proposals, submitted on 28 July and disclosed on 31 July, include new routes from The Hague to Cologne and Strasbourg via Luxembourg, as well as a future high-speed Amsterdam–Paris service designed to compete directly with Eurostar. Under Dutch open-access rules, the services may only proceed if they do not threaten the economic balance of existing public service contracts.

New international hub for The Hague

The biggest expansion centres on The Hague, which has lacked regular daytime international rail services since the former Benelux and Thalys trains were diverted to the Dutch high-speed line.

GoVolta plans to launch two new routes with the December 2027 timetable.

The first would connect The Hague and Cologne with up to three return journeys per day. Two trains would operate daily, while a third would run on weekdays only. The trains would call at The Hague Central, The Hague Dutch Rail (Den Haag HS), Rotterdam Alexander, Gouda, Utrecht Central, Arnhem Central, Oberhausen Hbf, Duisburg Hbf, Düsseldorf Hbf, and Cologne Main Station (Köln Hbf), with an end-to-end journey time of around 3 hours 50 minutes. Domestic passengers would be able to use the Dutch section of the route.

The second proposal is a twice-daily service between The Hague and Luxembourg, with one train continuing to Strasbourg via Metz on weekdays. The trains would serve The Hague Central, The Hague DR, Rotterdam Central, Lage Zwaluwe, Roosendaal, Antwerp-Central, Brussels-Central, Brussels-South, Charleroi-Central and Luxembourg, with weekday extensions to Metz-Ville and Strasbourg-Ville. At weekends, both services would terminate in Luxembourg. Domestic travel would also be available on the Dutch section.

GoVolta co-founder Hessel Winkelman told Treinreizeiger.nl that Luxembourg and Strasbourg have become the company’s highest priority because they create an entirely new international rail corridor. He said the City of The Hague had actively encouraged operators to establish international rail links from the Dutch political capital. GoVolta believes a combination of services to Luxembourg and Cologne offers a stronger business case than a direct Paris train from The Hague.

High-speed challenge to Eurostar

The most eye-catching proposal is a high-speed Amsterdam–Paris service via HSL-Zuid, Belgium‘s high-speed network and the French LGV.

Planned to begin with the December 2028 timetable, the service would operate three return journeys per day between Amsterdam Central, Schiphol Airport, Rotterdam Central, Antwerp-Central, Brussels-South, and Paris-North. Unlike GoVolta’s conventional Paris service, it would not carry domestic passengers within the Netherlands.

Indicative schedules show departures from Amsterdam at 07:00, 11:40 and 16:30, arriving in Paris after around 3 hours 25 minutes. Return services would leave Paris at 07:30, 12:00 and 16:00.

Winkelman said the proposal reflects demand for a faster but affordable alternative to Paris. GoVolta intends to acquire second-hand high-speed trains currently being sold by Deutsche Bahn. While the ACM filing does not identify the rolling stock, Winkelman has indicated the company is looking at former ICE 3M trainsets.

Those trains, however, have a mixed reputation. The ageing fleet was withdrawn by Deutsche Bahn after years of high maintenance costs and recurring technical problems, particularly on services to Belgium and the Netherlands. GoVolta believes their relatively low purchase price makes them an attractive opportunity despite the operational risks.

If launched, the service would compete directly with Eurostar and potentially with other proposed operators, including Heurotrain and the planned Trenitalia / Qbuzz partnership.

Domestic travel on Berlin and Paris trains

GoVolta has also asked the ACM to allow domestic passengers to use its Amsterdam–Berlin and Amsterdam–Paris trains.

When the services were first registered in 2023, domestic ticket sales were explicitly excluded. The new notification removes that restriction.

From 28 September 2026, passengers would be able to travel solely within the Netherlands on the Berlin service between Amsterdam Centraal, Hilversum, Amersfoort Central, Apeldoorn, Deventer, and Hengelo. The revised timetable also reflects the diversion via Brunswick (Braunschweig) and Magdeburg, replacing the former route through Osnabrück because of engineering works in Germany.

From 14 December 2026, domestic journeys would also be permitted on the Amsterdam–Paris train between Amsterdam Central, Haarlem, The Hague DR, Rotterdam Central, Lage Zwaluwe, and Roosendaal before the train continues to Antwerp-Central, Ghent St Peter’s, Arras, Amiens (Longueau) and Paris-Gare du Nord.

GoVolta says the move follows repeated requests from eastern Dutch authorities after domestic intercity services to Twente were reduced. Winkelman noted that many seats remain empty until Hengelo because most international passengers board there, making domestic use a logical way to improve capacity utilisation.

The company hopes Dutch domestic tickets, including OV-chipkaart, OVpay and student travel products, will eventually be accepted, although that is unlikely immediately.

Passenger association Rover has previously argued that international trains should routinely be opened to domestic passengers whenever domestic services have been withdrawn, saying it is difficult to justify international trains passing crowded platforms with empty seats.

Wider European ambitions

GoVolta insists the latest announcements do not replace its earlier expansion plans. The company says proposals for additional services to Basel, Copenhagen, Munich, and Bruges, together with increased frequencies on Amsterdam–Berlin and Amsterdam–Paris via the conventional route, all remain on the table.

Industry observers note that the growing list of proposals comes only four months after GoVolta launched its first service. The company appears keen to demonstrate broad European ambitions as it seeks additional investors and commercial partners, although questions remain over how quickly such an expansion can realistically be financed. Much of the operator’s funding currently comes from crowdfunding through bond issues.

Approval not guaranteed

The ACM notifications do not amount to operating approval. Under European open-access rules, infrastructure managers, incumbent operators and transport authorities have one month to ask the regulator to investigate whether the proposed services would undermine the economic balance of existing public service contracts.

Only if the ACM concludes that the proposals meet those requirements can the new routes proceed.

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