Long-distance rail travel is intoxicatingly romantic and much more sustainable than flying. But when our lives are so busy, and our time and money so precious, it can sometimes be hard to justify taking the slower, more scenic route. However, these exciting new train journeys for 2024 and beyond might just convince you to give it a try.
From swanky sleepers to dynamic first-of-their-kind engineering feats, click through for the best new and upcoming rail routes to get excited about...
Inaugurated in late-2023, Whoosh is Indonesia’s (and Southeast Asia’s) first high-speed train. Finished four years later than originally planned, the new multi-billion-dollar line links the capital of Jakarta to the west Javan city of Bandung in less than an hour. With speeds of around 217 miles per hour (349km/h), Whoosh – a convenient acronym for 'time saving, optimal operation, reliable system' in Indonesian – is powered by electricity and therefore has no direct carbon emissions. Before this, the only way to reach Bandung from Jakarta was a three-hour car journey.
The 86-mile (138km) route is mostly raised and offers seats in three different classes – VIP, first and second. The state-of-the-art trains have been modified to suit the country’s tropical climate, and are also equipped with safety features that can respond to disasters like earthquakes and floods. There are future plans to extend the line further east to Surabaya (around 10 hours by car from Jakarta), as well as introducing a stop at Yogyakarta, where passengers would alight for the world’s largest Buddhist temple, Borobudur.
Before December 2023, there had been no direct trains between Paris and Berlin since the 1990s. But now passengers can travel between the two enticing capitals on OBB’s new signature sleeper service, the Nightjet, which currently runs three times a week and calls at Strasbourg and Frankfurt along the way. Clad in striking blue and red, Nightjet’s fleet will be replenished over the course of the next year, bringing the total number of custom-built new trains to 33, offering solo sleeping pods, en-suite compartments, better accessibility and extra storage.
The Paris-Berlin Nightjet will increase its offering later in 2024, when nightly departures begin. But soon this won’t be your only new rail option linking the two cities. SNCF (France’s state railway company) is liaising with Deutsche Bahn over a direct, high-speed TGV connection sometime this year, which will run during day and night, with a total journey time of around seven hours.
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The year's rail renaissance continues with Italian national rail operator Trenitalia opening up a plethora of new opportunities. First, its Frecciarossa (Red Arrow) bullet trains now whizz passengers from Rome to the ruined city of Pompeii (pictured), which was buried under volcanic ash after Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD. The service runs every Sunday and on selected public holidays, with the journey from A to B taking less than two hours.
Elsewhere, Trenitalia is in cahoots with Slovenia’s transport services to start a high-speed rail route from Milan (pictured) to Ljubljana, Slovenia’s gorgeously green capital. The two-and-a-half-hour trip between the two cities could open to passengers as soon as April 2024. Later this year, the zippy Frecciarossa trains will also tread through Paris, Madrid and Barcelona, as Trenitalia looks to increase its presence in France and Spain. This will be a boon to travellers crossing the Pyrenees, which has historically been low on rail services.
After partially opening in December 2023, Yucatan’s Tren Maya is set to become fully operational any day now. The rail megaproject, which entered construction in 2020, connects popular Caribbean coast resorts like Tulum and Cancun to culture-crammed cities and ancient archaeological sites like Merida and Palenque (pictured), in the hope of connecting tourists with areas they might not otherwise see. The route in its entirety serves 34 stations in five Mexican states and is divided into seven sections, offering both short and long-distance journeys.
The railway has already caused plenty of controversy. Indigenous leaders and environmental activists have spoken out against deforestation and the perceived briefness of research carried out ahead of construction, but others believe Tren Maya will ultimately help to alleviate poverty in the areas it serves. Whatever your stance, the 904-mile (1,455km) route marks a significant turning point for public transport and rail tourism in Mexico.
After pausing operations for a few years due to the pandemic, Belmond’s Eastern & Oriental Express is triumphantly returning to the tracks of Southeast Asia from February 2024, with a fully refurbished and restyled look. This sister train of the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express first entered service in 1993, making its inaugural journey between Bangkok and Singapore. Now, Belmond is launching two new seasonal round-trip itineraries that will depart from Singapore’s Woodlands station and wind through the landscapes of Malaysia.
The first route, 'Essence of Malaysia: A Gateway into Malay Culture', passes through Kuala Lumpur before passengers switch transport to private boats to visit the islands of Langkawi and Penang. The second, 'Wild Malaysia: Exploring Sights Unseen', takes in the eastern side of the Malaysian peninsula, with stop-offs also at Penang and the Taman Negara National Park, where Sumatran rhinos and tigers roam one of the planet’s oldest tropical rainforests. Belmond hopes to reinstate the E&O's signature Thai presence in due course.
From 16 March 2024, travellers will be able to explore more of Japan’s Hokuriku region via one of the country's world-renowned Shinkansen trains. The Hokuriku branch currently runs between Tokyo and Kanazawa, capital of Ishikawa Prefecture, but is being extended this year from Kanazawa to Tsuruga station in Fukui Prefecture. Located along the northwest coast of Honshu, Japan's main island, the Hokuriku region offers delicious seafood, dramatic mountains, castle towns and culture-rich cities for those intrepid enough to veer off the typical tourist trail.
The new Shinkansen route will see the current journey time between Tokyo and Tsuruga slashed by 36 minutes, with its fastest trains taking just two hours and 51 minutes to zoom between the two stations. The extension was due for completion last spring, but higher-than-expected construction costs led to a delay. Ultimately, there are plans to further expand the Hokuriku Shinkansen’s reach beyond Tsuruga to Shin-Osaka station, though construction is yet to commence.
It was one of the most anticipated new arrivals on the rail scene in 2023, and now the European Sleeper – which already links the Belgian and Dutch cities of Brussels, Antwerp, Rotterdam and Amsterdam to Berlin – is preparing for an exciting route extension. From 25 March 2024, the night train will no longer terminate in the German capital, but carry on to Dresden in eastern Germany and then across the Czech border into Prague (pictured).
The new Dresden-Prague leg includes further stops in Germany and Czechia, such as the Saxony spa town of Bad Schandau. At the end of 2023, the European Sleeper also introduced a new stop at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, increasing connections for travellers even further afield. From the train’s Brussels hub, international rail connections via the Channel-hopping Eurostar are a smooth ride. There are three different ticket options for European Sleeper passengers, ranging from budget-friendly reclining seats to convertible couchettes and cosy sleeping compartments (pictured).
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This sprawling new itinerary from tour operator Railbookers promises the most unforgettable adventure for train lovers. Calling at more than 20 cities across 13 countries and four continents, the 11-week itinerary sees passengers experience seven of the world’s most lavish trains in one trip: the Rocky Mountaineer in Canada (pictured); the Belmond Royal Scotsman; the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express; the Maharajas' Express in India; the Golden Eagle Danube Express; Rovos Rail in South Africa; and the freshly revived Eastern & Oriental Express.
Departing on 28 August 2024 from Vancouver, the epic overland expedition also includes stays in some of the world’s finest hotels, from the iconic Fairmont Banff Springs to the Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace in Budapest (pictured). With accommodation, luggage transfers, flights, excursions and most meals included, it should come as no surprise that all this comes at a cost – with prices starting from around £92,000 ($115,599) per person. Railbookers serves customers in the UK, US, Australia and Canada.
While the legendary Venice Simplon-Orient-Express (pictured) is nothing new, it's about to get a very trendy younger sister: the Orient Express La Dolce Vita, created by the Accor hotel group. Slated to hit the rails later in 2024 (a year behind schedule), this new iteration of the historic locomotive is targeted at more design-conscious travellers, swapping out Belle Epoque maximalism for mid-century curves and retro prints. La Dolce Vita's sleek fleet will also sport luxe wood-lined cabins, live music and menus dedicated to sustainable Italian produce. Pre-registration is open now.
As you might expect of the Orient Express dynasty, a trip on La Dolce Vita won't be your average train journey. Offering exquisite service on eight different itineraries that last from one to two nights, the stylish sojourns will sweep through Rome, Venice, Siena (pictured) and the Italian Alps, as well as Portofino, Matera and Sicily (via one of Europe’s last passenger train ferries). Future plans involve increasing the train's reach internationally to Paris, Istanbul and Split in Croatia.
Expected to start welcoming passengers later this year, a new Amtrak route between Mobile in Alabama and New Orleans in Louisiana will soon cruise along southern America’s gorgeous Gulf Coast (pictured). The train will also stop at four stations in Mississippi: Bay St Louis, Gulfport, Biloxi and Pascagoula. It will mark the return of passenger train services to the Gulf Coast for the first time since 2005. While an exact date for the launch is yet to be confirmed, familiarisation trips on the tracks began in 2023.
There’s other exciting Amtrak news while we wait for a date: a shiny new fleet of Acela high-speed trains (pictured) are due to enter service this year. They’ll take over the existing Northeast Corridor route connecting Boston, Providence, New York City, Philadelphia and Washington DC, offering smoother, speedier and more spacious rides. In November 2023, President Joe Biden announced $16 billion (£12.7bn) of funding for more than two dozen projects along this much-travelled line.
From 2025, there’ll be a new kid on the overnight train block, looking to further upgrade nocturnal rail travel in Europe. Midnight Trains is a French company putting the wheels in motion for several new routes out of Paris. The first service to launch will whisk passengers to Milan and Venice under cover of darkness. Self-described as hotels on rails, Midnight Trains will feature private, en-suite rooms throughout their fleet, with plush bed linen, a library of on-demand films to keep you entertained and top-range food-and-drink amenities.
Everything, from the point of booking to when you step off the train, will be managed through a bespoke app that allows you to personalise your journey. As well as the inaugural Paris-Milan-Venice route, Midnight Trains is also planning to seamlessly connect cities such as Edinburgh, Copenhagen, Porto and Madrid to the French capital (pictured). When complete, this new network will comprise more than 10 destinations across the continent.
Fans of the European Sleeper will be delighted to know that it will soon be adding another route to its roster – connecting Amsterdam to the buzzing Catalonian city of Barcelona. You’ll have to wait a little longer for this one, with the service not set to begin until spring 2025. Expect modern trappings such as wifi and charging points, as well as complimentary breakfast included with sleeper and couchette bookings (as with the existing run out of Brussels).
The proposed route between Amsterdam and Barcelona (pictured) includes stops in Avignon, Montpellier, Perpignan, Figueres and Girona, though it is not yet known how long the complete end-to-end journey will be. One thing we can say for certain, though, is that the views from your window will span the evolving scenery of at least four countries, and it'll be a wonder if you manage to steal any sleep at all.
They've been the missing piece in the European railway puzzle for a long time, but now – gradually – the Baltic states are at last getting connected with speedy train services. Rail Baltica is one of the region's largest ever infrastructure projects, and will link cities like Warsaw, Vilnius, Kaunas, Riga and Tallinn (as well as Helsinki indirectly and Berlin by night train) when the 541-mile (870km) route is completed in 2030. The idea has been more than 30 years in the making, since the former Soviet Union countries gained independence in the 1990s.
Eventually replacing the long-distance buses and unsustainable flights that travellers currently rely on to hop between Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, Rail Baltica will be a quiet, fully electric fleet with a colour scheme designed to reflect the sun, sea and sand of the Baltic Coast. While there’s still a long way to go before we can enjoy this particular route in its entirety, there are hopes that some sections will be ready to transport passengers by 2028.
In November 2022, the vision for an advanced high-speed rail link between the Portuguese cities of Porto (pictured) and Lisbon and Vigo in Galicia, northwest Spain, was laid out by the Portuguese government. While the existing fast service between the country's capital and second cities takes just under three hours, this new proposal could see the journey time more than halved to one hour and 15 minutes. Extending the route to Vigo will allow passengers to travel the length of Iberia's Atlantic coast at speeds of around 186 miles per hour (300km/h).
Construction on the Porto-Lisbon-Vigo route is set to start this year, but won't be completed until the early 2030s. This is all part of a wider infrastructure overhaul to Portugal's rail network, which will also include new local district connections and a crossing over the Tagus river (pictured), ultimately creating high-speed links from 10 of the country's main cities. In its entirety, the project is estimated to be completed by 2050.
Taking inspiration from the Al Boraq (pictured) – Africa's first express train, which runs along the coast of Morocco from Tangier to Casablanca – the African Union is in the process of laying the groundwork for a speedy, continent-wide rail system of epic proportions. Known as the African Integrated High-Speed Railway Network, the megaproject is supposed to open in its first phase by 2033, with more connections to be added by 2063.
Three pilot schemes have now been selected: the first routes to open will be Dar es Salaam in Tanzania to Kigali in Rwanda; Kampala in Uganda (pictured) to Bujumbura in Burundi; and Pretoria in South Africa to Walvis Bay in Namibia, via Botswana's capital Gaborone. The ultimate aim is to provide Africa’s 16 landlocked countries with better access to major ports and neighbouring nations, increasing connectivity and economic development across the continent.
It was first mentioned in theory back in 2018, but now it looks like the United Arab Emirates’ plans to build an undersea railway to India might be gathering steam. The bold project could connect the shimmering metropolis of Dubai with bustling Mumbai (pictured) in a matter of minutes, with proposed speeds of up to 621 miles per hour (1,000km/h). Provisionally named the Dubai-India Hyperloop, it’s set to push the boundaries of innovation beyond anything the UAE has accomplished so far.
It may sound like an audacious concept, but at its heart it's just a variation of what the Channel Tunnel between the UK and France has been doing since 1994. No timeline has yet been given for the Dubai-India Hyperloop, but we certainly shouldn’t expect it any time soon. Conceiving and creating the world’s fastest land-based public transport – and then putting it in a large tunnel – will be no mean feat.
Now read on for the world's most beautiful and affordable train journeys