The Anonymous Widower

Eurostar And Deutsche Bahn Advance Plans For Direct London to Germany High-Speed Trains

The title of this post, is the same as that, of this article on Global Railway Review.

This is the sub-heading.

Eurostar and Deutsche Bahn have signed an MoU to pursue direct high-speed trains linking London with Cologne and Frankfurt from early 2030s

These three paragraph add some extra details.

Eurostar and Deutsche Bahn (DB) have formally begun work on establishing a direct high-speed train link between London and Germany after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in early December. The development aims to introduce non-stop long-distance passenger services between the UK and major German cities including Cologne and Frankfurt, potentially from the early 2030s.

The service would cut journey times to around four hours between London and Cologne and just over five hours to Frankfurt, delivering a direct city centre-to-city centre connection with no interchange. The routes would use Eurostar’s forthcoming Celestia fleet, a double-deck high-speed train offering 20% additional capacity and up to 50% energy savings.

This announcement comes just over a month after the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) approved Virgin Trains’ access to the Temple Mills International depot in East London, adding fresh momentum to plans for new cross-border services through the Channel Tunnel.

These are my further thoughts.

Is There A Brussels And Frankfurt High Speed Line?

I asked Google AI, the question in the title of this section and received this reply.

Yes, direct high-speed trains run between Brussels and Frankfurt. The journey takes about 3 hours and 20 minutes, operated by Deutsche Bahn using ICE (Intercity Express) trains.

Route and Service Details

Train Type: German ICE high-speed trains.

Travel Time: Fastest trips take roughly 3 hours and 19 minutes.

Frequency: Around 7 direct trains run each day.

Key Stops: Liège-Guillemins, Aachen Hbf, and Cologne (Köln) Hbf.

Note.

1. It looks like the London and Brussels service is being extended to Frankfurt.
2. There doesn’t seem to be much new infrastructure.
3. Eurostar currently takes seven minutes under two hours between London and Brussels.

Using the same Celestia trains by both Eurostar and Deutsche Bahn surely makes sense operationally.

Do German High Speed Trains Run Between Frankfurt And Berlin?

I asked Google AI, the question in the title of this section and received this reply.

Yes, German high-speed ICE (Intercity Express) trains run direct routes between Frankfurt (Main) Hauptbahnhof and Berlin Hauptbahnhof. The fastest non-stop services take about 3 hours and 43 minutes, reaching speeds up to 300 km/h (186 mph) over a distance of roughly 262 miles (422 km).

Route and Schedule Details

Frequency: Direct trains run hourly or more during peak times, with dozens of daily departures.

Speed/Type: Operated by Deutsche Bahn, standard ICE trains and select high-speed ICE Sprinter services manage the corridor.

Stops: Many services run non-stop or make brief stops at major hubs like Erfurt or Halle depending on the specific schedule.

Note.

1. A London and Berlin service would only require one change of train at Frankfurt.
2. There doesn’t seem to be much new infrastructure.

With a good cross-platform interchange in Frankfurt, I estimate that the journey could be slightly less than nine hours.

Onward To Warsaw And Beyond

This is the first paragraph of the Wikipedia entry for Rail Baltica.

Rail Baltica is an under-construction rail infrastructure project that is intended to integrate the Baltic states in the European rail network. The project envisages a continuous rail link for passenger and freight services with stations from Tallinn (Estonia) to Warsaw (Poland), via Pärnu (Estonia), Riga (Latvia) and Kaunas (Lithuania), with two branches extending from the main line towards Riga International Airport and Vilnius (Lithuania). Its total length in the Baltic states is 870 kilometres (540 mi), with 213 kilometres (132 mi) in Estonia, 265 kilometres (165 mi) in Latvia, and 392 kilometres (244 mi) in Lithuania.

It is an ambitious project.

This map shows the routes.

Note.

1. I believe that the map is in Latvian.
2. Rail Baltica is shown as starting from Berlin in Germany.
3. A possible extension to Helsinki is shown, which would require a tunnel.
4. Ukraine is shown in the South-East corner of the map.
5. Part of Belarus is above Ukraine, with part of Russia above it.

If Ukraine joins the EU, then I’m certain that there could be a Warsaw-Kiev branch.

When Will Rail Baltica Be Open Between Warsaw and Tallinn?

I asked Google AI, the question in the title of this section and received this reply.

The Rail Baltica high-speed line between Warsaw and Tallinn is scheduled for an initial operational opening by 2030. According to the European Commission’s phased milestones, a functional single-track, electrified connection from Tallinn through Latvia and Lithuania down to the Polish border will be completed by 2030, enabling initial passenger services.

Project Timeline & Phasing

2030 Target: Completion of Phase 1, providing a continuous single-track operational line across the Baltic states connecting to Poland.

Full Buildout (Double-Track): Full expansion to a double-track network will continue past 2030, dependent on subsequent funding availability.

Public Sentiment: Opinions on the r/BalticStates subreddit are mixed, with some observers skeptical about meeting the tight 2030 deadline due to previous setbacks, while others note visible construction acceleration driven by EU oversight.

Expected Travel Benefits

Travel Time: Reduces the journey between Tallinn and Warsaw to just over 6 hours.

I would certainly love to be able to ride a train from London St. Pancras to Tallinn.

Putin Won’t Like It!

He probably believes that all railways East of Berlin should be Russian gauge.

But what are the odds, he has an untimely accident?

Conclusion

I believe that if Eurostar to Frankfurt can create a rail route between the UK and Finland and the Baltic States, it will create large amounts of growth in tourism all over Europe.

There are also two projects with similar completion dates.

• Eurostar to Germany aims to introduce non-stop long-distance passenger services between the UK and major German cities including Cologne and Frankfurt, potentially from the early 2030s.
• Completion of Phase 1 of Rail Baltica, providing a continuous single-track operational line across the Baltic states connecting to Poland has a 2030 target.

I believe competition between the two groups will mean both are on time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

July 31, 2026 - Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Belarus, Berlin, Brussels, Cologne, Deutsche Bahn, Eurostar, Finland, Frankfurt, Germany, Paris, Poland, Rail Baltica, Russian Gauge, Standard Gauge, TGV, Tourism, Ukraine, Vladimir Putin, Warsaw