London To Berlin By Train: Government’s Bold Plan Faces Shocking Hurdles Experts Say It Won’t Happen, Know More

Wednesday, July 23, 2025

Expressing herself successful nary uncertain position earlier this week, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander declared nan dream to flog tickets for a nonstop train from London to Berlin will beryllium a boost to our relationships pinch Germany. “They are moving pinch Germany to create connections betwixt our peoples and to laic nan groundwork for a much sustainable, interconnected future, highlighting nan hopes for tourism, business and taste exchange.

The thought is surely commendable: providing a faster, much eco-friendly replacement to nan thousands of flights that run betwixt nan 2 capitals each day. However, while nan connection is simply a visionary measurement towards promoting obstruction recreation complete aerial travel, experts are raising superior concerns astir its feasibility. Mark Smith, known arsenic nan “Man successful Seat 61” and laminitis of nan renowned recreation website dedicated to world rail, has voiced skepticism astir nan plan. Having worked successful nan railway manufacture for years, Smith has go 1 of nan astir influential advocates for long-distance obstruction travel. His website is simply a go-to assets for obstruction enthusiasts, providing proposal connected really to navigate nan complexities of world train journeys. Despite his passion for nan cause, Smith is doubtful that a nonstop London-Berlin train will ever travel to fruition.

As portion of her announcement, nan carrier caput revealed that a caller task unit will activity to bring nan UK and Germany person together, which would see exploring nan logistics of a nonstop obstruction link. However, Smith, who has spent much than 2 decades promoting train travel, warns that nan barriers to making this scheme a reality are numerous. “I don’t deliberation we’ll spot a nonstop London-Berlin train,” Smith bluntly stated. While he agrees that location is undoubtedly a request for specified a service, he believes that nan financial viability of specified a task simply doesn’t adhd up.

A Train Journey pinch High Expectations and High Costs

At first glance, nan conception of a nonstop train betwixt London and Berlin seems appealing, particularly fixed nan increasing accent connected reducing nan c footprint of travel. Thousands of group already alert betwixt nan 2 cities each day, pinch 17 flights operating each way, amounting to astir 5,400 passengers daily. This precocious measurement of aerial recreation signals a request that mightiness make obstruction recreation a plausible option, particularly if nan travel clip tin beryllium competitive.

The thought of a nine-hour train thrust from London to Berlin, via Brussels and Cologne, has nan imaginable to lure travellers distant from nan plane. With travel times conscionable an hr longer than nan Paris-Berlin route, which is known for being heavy booked, it seems reasonable to presume that a akin inclination could hap betwixt London and Berlin. However, nan rumor is not 1 of demand, but alternatively nan economics of nan project.

The Paris-Berlin train route, for example, makes respective stops astatine cities for illustration Strasbourg, Karlsruhe, and Frankfurt, which enables nan train to transportation passengers from these intermediate cities successful summation to those travelling nan afloat distance. However, nan information and migration rules surrounding UK-EU borders coming a awesome challenge. Unlike nan French train, which does not look specified information checks, nan UK would require a afloat separator and migration process successful Berlin. This would importantly summation some nan costs and nan complexity of moving a nonstop service.

Smith’s concerns astir nan costs don’t extremity there. He estimates that moving a train betwixt London and Berlin would beryllium doubly arsenic costly arsenic a train moving betwixt London and Cologne aliases Frankfurt. The costs of staff, way access, and rolling banal would create a financial load that would beryllium difficult to justify. Even among business travellers, Smith suggests nan proportionality of high-spending passengers would beryllium “close to zero” compared to different routes, making nan task moreover little charismatic from a financial perspective.

Competition from Air Travel and Low-Cost Fares

A awesome problem for nan nonstop London-Berlin obstruction nexus is title from low-cost airlines. As Smith explains, Ryanair flies from London to Berlin for £25, while nan “equivalent” train – pinch aggregate changeovers – will costs you much than £350. This immense value differential makes it wholly uneconomic for obstruction services to compete pinch aerial travel, nary matter what biology benefits obstruction recreation whitethorn bring.

Looking up to nan return to activity connected September 1, Ryanair’s ultra-cheap £25 fare for a 1-hour and 45-minute formation from Stansted to Berlin presents a important situation to immoderate projected train route. It’s difficult to spot really obstruction fares could ever go competitory pinch nan hose industry’s expertise to connection specified debased prices, particularly fixed nan precocious operating costs of trains.

Despite these concerns, location is still dream for nan early of world obstruction travel. Eurostar, for example, is aiming to statesman moving trains betwixt London and German cities for illustration Cologne and Frankfurt successful nan early 2030s. However, moreover then, it will beryllium a agelong clip earlier immoderate nonstop train work betwixt London and Berlin becomes a viable reality.

Looking Ahead: Can We Ever See a London-Berlin Train?

While nan government’s imagination of a nonstop London-Berlin train is commendable and aligns pinch broader biology goals, nan financial realities of moving specified a work look insurmountable astatine nan moment. The aviation industry’s dominance, mixed pinch nan precocious costs of world obstruction recreation and nan complexities of UK-EU separator controls, make it improbable that specified a work will materialize successful nan adjacent future.

For nan clip being, it appears that nonstop obstruction work from London to Berlin will stay a dream aft all. Whether this communicative changes successful nan coming years will flail astir wider macro trends, astir successful alignment pinch shifts successful carrier policy, improvements successful railway exertion and a readiness for governments and operators to put successful semipermanent fixes. For now, travelers betwixt London and Berlin will conscionable person to settee for nan cheaper, faster and much convenient option: taking an airline.