Mastodawn

All this talk about a direct London-Barcelona train, but I am wondering why there’s no Amsterdam-Barcelona (easier to set up given no border/customs control with Schengen)! Should be feasible in 10hrs as a direct connection! I‘d definitely do it - would be one heck of a journey and train ride! Could even be 9.5-9hrs if less stops are planned.
Imagine it 🚄
Amsterdam - Brussels - Aeroport Paris CDG - Lyon Saint-Exupéry - Montpellier-Sud-de-France - Perpignan - Barcelona
@jon

Jon Worth Oct 28, 2025

@julienmarchal You need an opearator. Who would?

Julien Marchal Oct 29, 2025

@jon yes, indeed! It would have to be an operator with access to/owning train sets that can run in Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain. If I’m not mistaken, both ICE3neo (DB) and ETR1000 (Trenitalia/Iryo) train sets as well as coming TGV M (SNCF and some others) are capable of that and also able to run at the speeds relevant for the tracks given… I would rule out SNCF as I do not see them offering that, same for DB. This leaves me with Trenitalia / Iryo offering it. Wdyt?

Julien Marchal Oct 29, 2025

@jon if it were offered by Trenitalia/Iryo they could even split/merge the trains at Lyon Saint Exupéry with one half continuing onto Barcelona and the other onto Turin-Milano-Rome… should be especially feasible once the Lyon-Turin tunnel is operational…

Jon Worth Oct 29, 2025

@julienmarchal I'd bank on Trenitalia doing it eventually. The issue is there are simply too many routes where they'd be the only likely entrant, and they can't do it all!

Julien Marchal Oct 29, 2025

@jon absolutely! Trenitalia however seems to have the right mindset to do these routes and offerings (unlike SNCF) and they do have amazing train sets at hand with the ETR1000 that’s also able to operate in most/all European markets. I’d bet on them as well! 9-10hrs train ride is definitely not something absurd at all. Paris-Berlin is 9hrs and that train is packed. The (planned) Berlin/Munich-Milano & Rome/Napoli train will be 10-12hrs and Trenitalia is okay with it using ETR1000!

Jon Worth Oct 29, 2025

@julienmarchal The only issue is the manufacture of those trains is quite slow. Trenitalia's fleet of them is only growing by about 10 trains a year...

Julien Marchal Oct 29, 2025

@jon true! Shortage of trains is a true bottleneck, sadly. Any ideas why they receive only 10 trains a year? Is it because they didn’t order more per year or is the manufacturing that slow for them? ICEs (but also TGVs) get build at a significantly higher rate, if I’m not mistaken!

Jon Worth Oct 29, 2025

@julienmarchal There's only one production line. And for now no one else has ordered this design.

Julien Marchal Oct 29, 2025

@jon sad! Cause the trains are really nice!! (From what I could tell as a passenger!)

Cycling on Rails Oct 29, 2025

@jon @julienmarchal If I were Trenitalia, I'd first tackle Paris-Lyon-Barcelona & Milano-Lyon-Barcelona (waiting for the tunnel not needed) as France/Spain cross-border offer is massively below demand. Maybe one question is whether track access charges on the Perthus tunnel are worth it?

I'd also tackle the Eurostar routes, but a direct Amsterdam-Barcelona might be a long stretch in terms of reliability? A change around Paris or Lyon might make more sense if schedules are well coordinated.

Christiaan Jacobs Oct 29, 2025

@julienmarchal @jon not only your dream. European Sleeper, a startup that operates a night train from Brussels to Prague is planning the connection. Might even start in 2026!

https://www.europeansleeper.eu/nl/barcelona

Barcelona | European Sleeper

De nachttrein Brussel – Barcelona is in voorbereiding.

European Sleeper

Jon Worth Oct 29, 2025

@cejjacobs It won't. @julienmarchal

Jon Worth Oct 29, 2025

@cejjacobs @julienmarchal Sorry for the rather blunt previous post, but I don't trust that European Sleeper to BCN will happen. The headaches to make it happen are too numerous.

Estarriol, Terrorist Dragon Oct 29, 2025

@julienmarchal @jon

given that eurostar and tgv are owned by the same company, about the same set up costs. I am still waiting for London to Milan, London to Geneva and London to Frankfurt that we were promised in the 80s when the chunnel was being built.

Jon Worth Oct 29, 2025

@Thebratdragon @julienmarchal You're not going to get those from Eurostar. No way. From a rival to Eurostar, perhaps... https://crossborderrail.trainsforeurope.eu/projects/crosschannelrail/

Estarriol, Terrorist Dragon Oct 29, 2025

@jon @julienmarchal

but but thatcher promised!