New railway news coming up in 2025! Opening of new services across the world!

Happy New Year to y'all, time flies very fast and now is already 2025. This year, there will be a few train services across the world that will commerce operations. In this blog post, there will be a few remarkable new trains that had commenced/will commerce operations that I would like to share.

1. Paris to Berlin in 8 hours

From December 16 onwards, a direct daytime high-speed InterCity Express (ICE) connection between the French and German capital cities was introduced by Germany’s Deutsche Bahn. The organization also planned on adding a second route between the two cities by 2026. This service operates once a day and takes around 8 hours one way with the use of the new fleet of (320km/h in France, 250km/h in Germany) ICE3neo trains. 

As for the tickets with included seat reservation, they are available from 59.99 euros in 2nd class and 69.99 euros in 1st class via bahn.de, the DB Navigator app and in DB travel centers and DB agencies. The prices stated are for the entire Paris to Berlin trip. For the capacity, the ICE 3neo trainset can seat up to 444 passengers, of which a quarter are first class. 

The schedule are as follows:

- Berlin Hbf (11:54 a.m.) --> Frankfurt/Main Süd (3:52 p.m.) --> Karlsruhe Hbf (5:06 p.m.) --> Strasbourg (5:53 p.m.) --> Paris Est (7:55 p.m.)

- Paris Est (9:55 a.m.) --> Strasbourg (11:40 a.m.) --> Karlsruhe Hbf (12:34 p.m.) --> Frankfurt/Main Süd (2:04 p.m.) --> Berlin Hbf (6:03 p.m.)

2. Direct high-speed line from Hong Kong to North Xi'an 

With effective 5 January 2025 onwards, a new route with 17 stations will commerce operations between Hong Kong's West Kowloon and Xian North Station. A pair of daytime high-speed trains ply between the two cities, with each direction taking 11+ hours. With this addition, there are now over 90 stations across the country with direct services to Hong Kong.

The screenshot below, taken from MTR website, shows the schedule of the trains. The rolling stock used on this route will be two Fuxing CR400BF-Z Intelligent EMU coupled with one another, with a seating capacity of 1,154 passengers and an operating speed of 350km/h. As for the fares for the entire journey, it will be 3612 on Business class, 1853 in 1st class, and 1160 in 2nd class. All stated prices are in Renminbi.

The exterior of the Fuxing CR400BF-Z Intelligent EMU by ETERLAINE.

3. La Dolce Vita - Italy's new luxury train debuting this April

Unlike the traditional Belle Epoque style design of the original Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, the interior of this long-awaited new luxury train will be based on 60's Italian décor for the interior and an exterior design that are inspired by luxury motorboats such as the legendary Riva Aquarama. As for the itineraries, there are six regular courses traversing from north to south of the country. They include the Italian Alps, Venice, Rome, and Palermo in Sicily in the South. For trips to Sicily, the train will be transported via a train ferry. 

For the amenities, the extravagant 11-car train will feature a bar, 12 deluxe wood-lined cabins and 18 master suites complete with double beds, a sofa, armchairs and private bathroom, as well as a dining car where passengers will be served Italian/regional delicacies with five-star service and seasonal wines. As this is a luxury train, tickets will cost around US$2000 per person and upwards.

4. Britannic Explorer - England and Wales

Currently, the most luxurious cruise train in the United Kingdom has been the Royal Scotsman. From this July onwards, there will be a brand new luxury cruise train, operated by the same company, called the Britannic Explorer. The 3-day itineraries for this train will start from London to Wales, Cornwall and the Lake District. As for the amenities, they include 18 cabins – three Grand Suites and 15 Suites, as well as a dining car, a longue observation car, as well as a wellness spa. The interior, which evokes a feeling similar to luxury British houses was designed by Albion Nord.

5. Saudi Arabia’s Dream of the Desert

This November, the Dream of the Desert luxury train will launch with an approximately 800-mile/1290km long journey between the capital city Riyadh with Al Qurayyat, a city adjacent to the Jordanian border. In this journey, passengers can relax while watching the vast kingdom’s stunning desert and mountain landscapes roll by. Also, it includes a visit to the King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Royal Natural Reserve. 

6. Le Grand Tour France train

Annually, the Tour de France is a cycling race that entails a circuit around various landmarks across France. If participating in this cycling race sounds like too much work, this 6-day 5-night luxury cruise train journey starts and ends in Paris and loops around various French landmarks such as the Champagne and Burgundy regions, Lake Annecy, and the world-famous Châteaux of the Loire Valley. 

As for the amenities, there will be only 18 cabins measuring 10 to 25m² for a total capacity of 42 passengers per trip, with butler services. In addition, there will be a bar car where passengers can sip some crafted cocktails with a musical atmosphere, as well as a restaurant car serving refined cuisine prepared by the three-starred chef and his brigade using seasonal produce from the regions crossed by the Grand Tour. Ticket prices per person for double occupancy will cost from €8,300 (S$11800/RM39000/Rp139 million) for standard cabin, from €13,000 (S$18500/RM61000/Rp 219 million) for suite cabin and from €18,100 (S$26000/RM85000/Rp305 million) for connecting cabins. Connecting suite cabins accommodates between 2 and 5 guests. 

References

Albion Nord. (2024, November 19). Albion Nord britannic explorer. https://albion-nord.com/projects/britannic-explorer/ 
Belmond Unveils Britannic Explorer, a new chapter ... LVMH. (n.d.). https://www.lvmh.com/en/news-lvmh/belmond-unveils-britannic-explorer-a-new-chapter-of-luxury-train-travel 
Britannic Explorer: Belmond Train. Luxury Train Club. (2024, November 14). https://www.luxurytrainclub.com/trains/britannic-explorer/ 
Jones, B. (2025, January 2). The most exciting new trains coming in 2025. CNN. https://edition.cnn.com/travel/most-exciting-new-trains-2025/index.html 
Le grand tour menghidupkan Perjalanan Mewah Dengan Perjalanan yang tidak dapat Dilupakan Merentasi Lokasi ikonik Perancis Pada 2025. Travel And Tour World. (2024, December 31). https://www.travelandtourworld.my/berita/artikel/le-grand-tour-menghidupkan-perjalanan-mewah-dengan-perjalanan-yang-tidak-dapat-dilupakan-merentasi-lokasi-ikonik-perancis-pada-tahun-2025/ 

Puckett, J. (2024, November 25). The most exciting train routes launching in 2025. Condé Nast Traveler. https://www.cntraveler.com/story/new-train-routes-2025