According to plans made by the German Ministry of Infrastructure, the Netherlands could look forward to an increased number of services - and a faster travel time! - between Amsterdam and Berlin in the not too distant future. 

Germany to improve rail connections between Amsterdam and Berlin

In an effort to provide a more sustainable and affordable travel alternative to flying, the Netherlands is taking numerous steps to improve train connections across Europe. The country is already looking to reduce travel time between Amsterdam and Berlin by 30 minutes by 2024 - but Germany seems to be taking that progress even further. 

According to timetable plans made under the direction of the German Ministry of Infrastructure, the country hopes to cut travel time between the two capitals by 55 minutes - from 6 hours and 22 minutes down to only 5 hours and 27 minutes - by 2030. 

This new and faster route will see trains reaching faster speeds and making fewer stops, and like now the service will run every two hours. But in addition to this, Germany is hoping to introduce a different service that will mean trains will run between the two cities every hour. 

The Netherlands looking to expand rail connections in Europe

On top of the significant plans coming from Germany, the Netherlands is also taking steps to improve rail connectivity. The country has already put aside 50 million euros to improve infrastructure and cut travel time to Berlin. 

On top of this, the Netherlands is looking to introduce other services. This year, Dutch Railways (Nederlandse Spoorwegen, NS) will launch a nightly service to Vienna which will travel through Munich and Innsbruck. 2020 also saw NS announce plans for a night train between Amsterdam and Zurich, and a faster service between Amsterdam and Brussels, as travel time is cut from almost three hours to under two and a half hours.