New rail company GoVolta will begin running services from Amsterdam to Berlin and Hamburg in a few months, three years after first launching its plans.

From late March, the company plans three trains a week to Berlin and three to Hamburg, the company said on Monday.

It will be the first direct daytime rival to NS and Deutsche Bahn, which currently operate seven services a day between the two capitals. The connection to Hamburg is entirely new: travellers on NS or DB must currently change at least once.

GoVolta, which is privately owned, will operate the services in partnership with Keolis, which already runs various regional rail and bus lines in the Netherlands.

The launch follows regulatory changes that allow new operators to enter international routes previously served exclusively by NS.

Co-founder Maarten Bastian said the company aims to attract people who now opt for planes or cars. “Many people want to take the train, but often end up choosing the plane or car because the train is too expensive or too complicated,” he said.

The average one-way fare to Berlin will be €30, with the cheapest ticket – for the first 100 seats – priced at €10. GoVolta will also charge for large luggage in the same way airlines do.

Journey times will be slower than the current services at six hours 35 minutes from Amsterdam to Berlin and seven hours 45 minutes on the return. The NS journey is just under six hours. There is also no wifi on board.

GoVolta says it aims to increase its service to daily trains to both cities next summer and  plans to launch an Amsterdam–Paris route in December 2026, although that will be much slower than current Eurostar services.