Direct high-speed trains between the United Kingdom and Germany have moved from long‑held ambition to detailed planning in 2025, with Eurostar, Deutsche Bahn and both governments now formally committed to making the link happen. Yet despite eye‑catching headlines and political fanfare, travellers keen to board a direct London–Frankfurt or London–Cologne service still face a wait of several years before the first trains roll out.

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From bold pledge to concrete plans

The story of direct Eurostar services to Germany accelerated in June 2025, when the cross‑Channel operator announced plans to launch new routes from London to Frankfurt in Germany and Geneva in Switzerland. The company set out a multibillion‑euro investment programme, including around €2 billion for up to 50 new trains, and framed the expansion as the start of a new era for long‑distance rail in Europe, designed to challenge short‑haul flights on key business and leisure corridors.

These proposed links are more than simple route additions. They would extend Eurostar’s network well beyond its current termini in Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam, using trains capable of operating across multiple national signalling and power systems. Early journey time estimates suggest London–Frankfurt in about five hours and London–Geneva in just over five hours, putting them in direct competition with air once airport transfer and security times are factored in.

Eurostar’s management has argued that growing passenger numbers and rising concern over aviation emissions make the case for expansion compelling. The operator carried about 19.5 million passengers last year, a five per cent increase on 2023, and has already announced additional frequencies on its busiest corridors, including more London–Paris and London–Amsterdam services.

A new UK–Germany treaty reshapes the rules

Infrastructure and rolling stock are only part of the puzzle. Until this year, the bigger barrier to a direct UK–Germany train was regulatory: differing safety regimes, complex border rules after Brexit and limited facilities for passport checks at potential German termini. In July 2025, those obstacles began to be tackled head‑on when UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz signed what both sides described as a first‑of‑its‑kind treaty on cross‑border rail.

The agreement commits the two countries to work together on enabling long‑distance services linking London with cities such as Frankfurt and Cologne, and eventually Berlin. A joint taskforce of transport officials, regulators and industry experts has been set up to examine the technical, commercial and legal requirements. Its remit ranges from safety and interoperability standards to how and where passport and security checks would be carried out on passengers travelling between a non‑Schengen country and the Schengen area.

Although the treaty does not itself guarantee that trains will run, it does remove a major source of uncertainty for operators. For Eurostar and Deutsche Bahn, it offers a formal political framework within which to design services and make investment decisions, reducing the risk that a project could be derailed late in the process by unresolved legal questions or border‑control disputes.

Deutsche Bahn joins forces with Eurostar

The most tangible step forward came at the start of December 2025, when Eurostar and Deutsche Bahn signed a Memorandum of Understanding confirming their intention to work towards direct London–Germany services. The agreement, announced alongside a UK government statement, envisages joint long‑distance operations between London and major German cities, with Cologne and Frankfurt named as the first targets for new high‑speed routes.

Under the memorandum, Eurostar brings its long experience of running trains through the Channel Tunnel and managing international border procedures, while Deutsche Bahn contributes its extensive network and brand presence across Germany. The partners will now study potential timetables, station layouts and terminal facilities required to host juxtaposed border controls, where UK and Schengen immigration checks are carried out before departure rather than on arrival.

Significantly, this is also the first time that a direct London–Cologne service has been explicitly referenced by the companies involved. Officials in both countries have pointed to the MoU as evidence that the treaty signed in July is already shaping concrete projects, while Germany’s transport minister has described the partnership as a strong signal for a more integrated European rail network.

When could direct trains actually start running?

For travellers, the crucial question is timing. Despite the flurry of announcements, no exact launch date has been set for the first direct trains between London and Germany. Both Eurostar and government sources consistently refer to services beginning in the “early 2030s”, and there is broad consensus that operations will not start before the new generation of trains is ready and key infrastructure upgrades are complete.

Eurostar’s expansion plan depends heavily on a major order of new rolling stock. The company has agreed a €2 billion purchase of 50 high‑speed trains from French manufacturer Alstom, with deliveries of the Avelia Horizon double‑deck fleet due to begin around 2031. These trains, also branded as the Celestia fleet for the cross‑Channel market, will offer higher capacity, lower energy use and greater flexibility to operate across up to six different national systems, including the UK, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland.

The UK Department for Transport has indicated that new direct routes between London, Cologne and Frankfurt are “set to start in the early 2030s”, using the Celestia trains once they are in service. Industry analysts note that, even after delivery, time will be needed for testing, crew training, regulatory approvals and fine‑tuning of timetables, especially on heavily used sections of track in Germany and on High Speed 1 between London and the Channel Tunnel.

Taken together, the current information suggests that passengers are unlikely to see bookable direct services before the turn of the decade, with the first trains more realistically appearing in the early years of the 2030s. For now, journeys between London and German cities will continue to require at least one change, typically in Brussels or Paris, even as the long‑term architecture for through services is gradually assembled.

What the new routes would mean for travellers

If the plans unfold as envisaged, the passenger experience on the future UK–Germany trains could be markedly different from today’s multi‑leg journeys. Current itineraries between London and Frankfurt often take eight to nine hours, with at least one connection and separate ticketing. By contrast, projections for a direct service suggest a journey time of around five hours, with London–Cologne potentially as fast as about four hours.

The routes are designed to tap both business and leisure demand. Frankfurt is one of Europe’s foremost financial centres, while Cologne is a major cultural and trade‑fair hub, and Berlin – a longer‑term ambition for direct trains – is among the continent’s most visited city‑break destinations. Direct trains would offer city‑centre to city‑centre connectivity, onboard Wi‑Fi and workspace, and fewer luggage and liquid restrictions than air travel, making them particularly attractive for frequent travellers.

Environmental considerations are equally central. Governments in London and Berlin have framed the project as part of a broader effort to cut aviation emissions by shifting short‑ and medium‑haul journeys onto rail. Eurostar’s new double‑deck fleet is expected to deliver substantial energy savings compared with its existing trains, while the Channel Tunnel and German high‑speed lines are largely powered by electricity from increasingly low‑carbon grids. Officials have highlighted the potential for the UK–Germany corridor to become a flagship for greener inter‑European travel.

For travellers from outside Europe, the impact could be even wider. Direct rail links between London and German cities would make it easier for visitors from North America or Asia to land in one hub and explore multiple countries entirely by train, stitching together itineraries that combine the UK, Benelux, Germany and Switzerland without ever stepping on a plane.

Challenges on the tracks: borders, stations and competition

Despite political enthusiasm and corporate investment, several substantial hurdles still stand between today’s agreements and tomorrow’s train departures. One of the most complex is border control. Because the UK is outside the European Union and the Schengen free‑movement area, passengers must undergo systematic passport checks. Existing Eurostar routes handle this through dedicated departure areas where UK and Schengen border formalities are carried out before boarding. Similar facilities would need to be created at German termini such as Frankfurt and Cologne, with secure zones, staffing and technology capable of processing large volumes of travellers.

Station infrastructure presents further challenges. Platforms must be long enough and built to handle high‑speed rolling stock, with appropriate safety systems and access to maintenance facilities. Capacity on busy German routes will need to be found in timetables already crowded with domestic ICE services, regional trains and freight. On the UK side, regulators have pushed High Speed 1, the line between London and the Channel Tunnel, to cut access charges in the hope of encouraging more international operators, but depot space in London remains extremely tight and the allocation of maintenance capacity is still being debated.

Finally, the competitive landscape is rapidly evolving. The prospect of Virgin Trains and other challengers launching their own cross‑Channel services by around 2030 has already ended Eurostar’s long‑standing monopoly on the route. While competition could ultimately stimulate demand and improve services, it also complicates decisions about scarce infrastructure, from train paths in the Channel Tunnel to workshop capacity in depots. Any delay in resolving these issues risks pushing back the launch window for new UK–Germany trains, even if the political will and funding are in place.

FAQ

Q1. Will there really be direct Eurostar trains between the UK and Germany?
Yes. Eurostar and Deutsche Bahn have signed a Memorandum of Understanding and, together with the UK and German governments, are actively planning direct high‑speed services linking London with cities such as Cologne and Frankfurt. While final contracts and exact timetables are still to be agreed, the policy and commercial framework now points clearly towards direct trains operating in the next decade.

Q2. When are the first direct UK–Germany trains expected to start running?
All the partners involved currently refer to services beginning in the “early 2030s”. That timing reflects the delivery schedule for Eurostar’s new fleet, the need for station upgrades and the time required to finalise border and safety arrangements. No specific year has been confirmed, so travellers should not expect tickets to appear for several more years.

Q3. Which German cities will be connected to London first?
Cologne and Frankfurt are at the front of the queue. Both have been named in government and company announcements as the initial endpoints for direct services, reflecting their strong mix of business and leisure demand and their position on Germany’s existing high‑speed rail network.

Q4. How long will the journeys take compared with today?
Current rail trips between London and Frankfurt usually take eight to nine hours and require at least one change, often in Brussels. The proposed direct trains are expected to cut that to about five hours, with London–Cologne taking roughly four hours. That would make rail considerably more competitive against flying once airport transfers and security are taken into account.

Q5. Will there be a direct London–Berlin train?
A London–Berlin route is part of the longer‑term vision but not in the first wave of services. The UK–Germany treaty and subsequent statements by ministers explicitly mention Berlin as an ambition once links to Cologne and Frankfurt are established and the technical, commercial and border‑control frameworks are proven on those shorter routes.

Q6. What trains will be used on the new routes?
The services are due to be operated by Eurostar’s forthcoming double‑deck high‑speed fleet, sometimes referred to as the Celestia or Avelia Horizon trains. These sets are being built by Alstom, are designed for cross‑border operation across multiple European rail systems and will offer more seats and lower energy use than the current fleet.

Q7. Will passengers still need to go through passport and security checks?
Yes. Because the UK is outside the EU and Schengen area, passengers will continue to undergo passport and security screening before boarding, similar to the current process for London–Paris or London–Amsterdam trains. New facilities will need to be created at German stations to host these checks for outbound and inbound services.

Q8. How much will tickets cost compared with flying?
Fares have not yet been announced. However, Eurostar has said that the routes are intended to compete with air travel, and governments are keen to encourage mode shift from planes to trains. Pricing is likely to be dynamic, as it is today, with advance‑purchase deals for leisure travellers and flexible fares for business passengers.

Q9. What happens to existing London–Germany rail journeys in the meantime?
Until direct trains start running, travellers will continue to make the journey with at least one connection, typically changing from Eurostar to German high‑speed services in Brussels or Paris. The new agreements do not affect those options in the short term, and rail operators are likely to keep refining through‑ticketing and timetable connections as demand grows.

Q10. Could the project still be delayed or cancelled?
Delays are possible, given the number of moving parts involved: new trains, station works, regulatory approvals and competing demands for scarce infrastructure. However, the combination of a bilateral treaty, government backing and formal cooperation between Eurostar and Deutsche Bahn makes outright cancellation unlikely unless there is a major shift in political or economic conditions.