The 22 best new rail routes for 2025

It’s amazing how often world-changing events begin with inconspicuous moments. The dawn of rail travel, for instance, can be traced back to 1825 and the unfashionable heartlands of England’s Tees Valley, up in the North-East. It was then that the Stockton and Darlington Railway became the world’s first-ever steam-powered passenger rail service, lighting up the Industrial Age. Its inaugural run crammed in between 450 and 600 people on a route that would eventually stretch 40km when completed, from the collieries of Shildon to the port of Stockton. The Orient Express it was not!

Fast-forward two centuries, and as rail travel marks its 200th anniversary in 2025, we’re getting excited about trains once more. The return of sleeper services and vintage-style ‘hotels on rails’ (including a slew of exciting new Orient Express services) has made rail a luxurious and greener alternative to flying. And one thing never changes: the experience of watching landscapes, towns and lives scroll by is every bit as captivating as during the golden age of rail.

It also feels like the dawn of something special. Although Japan had the original high-speed trains back in 1964, China was among the first to embrace a new generation of ultra-fast rail, building a network that spans more than 40,000km, ten times more than anywhere else. Now, other countries are catching up. Spain has the second-largest number of high-speed rail lines in the world, Chile just launched the fastest rail service in South America, and Portugal’s upcoming Evora-to-Elvas route (2025) is the first link in a new high-speed network that will eventually connect Madrid to Lisbon in just three hours.

India, Egypt and the USA are all working on super-fast rail routes set to open over the next couple of years, while the new Budapest-Belgrade line should be rolling by 2026. For travellers, it’s the dawning of a new era of rail: one where you can speed across entire continents overland in the blink of an eye, or while you sleep.

At the same time, budget rail services and rivals to national operators offer more choice and, theoretically, lower costs, as we’ve seen in Europe with the rise of Ouigo, Avlo, Lumo and Iryo in recent years. The launch of the new ‘easyJet of the rails’ GoVolta in 2025 promises to shake things up even further, while South Africa got its own low-budget Shosholoza Meyl service back up and running this year.

Governments are even getting on board, with France having recently copied Germany by launching a short-lived version of its own €49 (£41.50) regional and intercity monthly pass for this summer gone. Hopefully, more and more countries will follow this example.
Two centuries after George Stephenson’s Locomotion No 1 pulled out of a colliery in Shildon, it makes you wonder what the ‘Father of the Railways’ would have made of his legacy, or indeed the first ‘round the world’ rail tour. It’s an awful long way from Stockton!

These are the best new rail routes for 2025…

The new 12-carriage La Dolce Vita Orient Express is a thrilling tribute act to the late-golden age of rail. Its retro-style interior channels the brass-accented simplicity of the era across 18 master suites and 12 deluxe cabins. It’s a luxury hotel on wheels in every sense, with a lobby (lounge) in Rome’s Ostiense Station and the kind of dining car where formal attire is ‘strongly recommended’. But it’s where it goes that has us excited. Set to debut in April, the service’s one- and two-night itineraries roam Italy, taking in journeys themed around rural Tuscany, the truffles of Piedmont or the treasures of Sicily. If that’s not enough, the same team is reported to be launching a new Orient Express service between Paris and Istanbul this year, featuring 17 restored vintage carriages that were discovered in Poland a decade ago, though details are still scarce.

More information: One-night trips on La Dolce Vita cost from £4,260pp. orient-express.com

Read next: The best rail journeys in Italy

KiwiRail runs a number of iconic rail routes on the North and South Islands, including the Coastal Pacific and TranzAlpine, which connect Christchurch with Picton and Greymouth respectively, and the Auckland-to-Wellington Northern Explorer, the country’s longest-running service. New for 2025, however, is a gourmet-themed 18-day tour combining all these routes with the islands’ finest produce. Guests are whisked from a wine dinner on Waiheke to tours of the Marlborough winelands, high tea at the Zealong Tea Estate and a food-themed excursion with Māori guides in Christchurch.

More information: The first tour is in March 2025; 18-day trips cost from £7,300pp. kiwirail.co.nz

The 200th anniversary of rail travel is a great excuse to rediscover the UK’s heritage railways. While the original Stockton and Darlington line – the first-ever steam-powered passenger rail service – is long gone, you can still explore its former route on foot by picking up a map from Hopetown Darlington, the city’s rail museum, where you can also learn about the early days of train travel. Or to experience it for yourself, head to one of the UK’s historical steam railways, many of which will be holding special events in 2025. Whether you chug a slice of coastal Lake District on Cumbria’s Ravenglass and Eskdale line (£23 return), ride the Ffestiniog’s 150-year-old puffing billies through the foothills of Mount Snowdon in Wales (from £29 return), or take a trip on Scotland’s Strathspey Railway through the heather-clad Cairngorms (from £21 return), it’s a thrilling way to mark a moment that changed travel forever.

More information: railway200.co.uk

Paris has been busy. The arrival of the 2024 Olympics saw a burst of new high-speed routes connecting the French capital with Europe (Berlin, Madrid), while reports of a new Channel Tunnel service to London with start-up Evolyn abound for 2025. But with lots of international connections to Paris already in place, our gaze turns to a new six-hour Intercités route connecting its Austerlitz station to Aurillac in the Auvergne. Launched at the start of 2024, it funnels visitors to a riverside town whose castle and medieval centre on the banks of the Cère River are the perfect destination in autumn, when they’re taken over by a spectacular street-arts festival. A stop en route at the picturesque riverside Laroquebrou, known for its artisan pottery and shoemakers, is the cherry in the clafoutis.

More information: Seats cost from £17 one way. sncf-voyageurs.com

After a three-year absence, the start of 2024 saw the return of the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa’s slow – and we mean slow! – Shosholoza Meyl rail route from Johannesburg to Durban (18 hours). Given you could drive this route in a third of the time it takes by rail, you might be wondering what makes it worthwhile. For many, the answer is the price, with seats going for £15 return (£105 for cabins). But the likes of the Man in Seat 61website have long touted this monthly route as ‘one of South Africa’s best-kept secrets’ for good reason, and its comfy two- and four-berth sleeper cabins let you watch the peaks of the Drakensbergs crawl by at a gloriously slow pace.

More information: shosholozameyl.co.za

Another new rail line embracing the retro look is Vietnam’s Revolution Express. This pair of renovated steam trains from the 1960s – which are the last of their kind in the country – are set to puff the east coast from the palace and tombs of former royal capital Hue to the mountain-backed city of Danang via the beaches of Lang Co. Inside, their vintage-looking carriages echo the trappings of the French colonial era, replete in gold accents and glistening mahogany. Due to launch around the start of 2025, the route crawls through the dizzying Hai Van Pass, where jungle-furred hills rise up on one side and a steep drop plunges to the East Sea on the other. And that’s not even the dramatic finale: at the final stop, passengers disembark to the full pomp of a military brass band.

More information: Seats cost from £43 one way. revolutionexpress.com

Read next: The Reunification Express: Explore Vietnam’s history by rail

Back in February 2024, Belmond’s Eastern & Oriental Express returned to full operation for the first time since it shut down at the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was a welcome return for a service whose stately dining car and cherrywood-and-burr panelling transplant the nostalgia of early European rail travel – all pressed linens, black tie and sundowners – to South-East Asia. Seasonal routes from Singapore’s Woodlands station juggle potential pit stops in the UNESCO-listed streets of George Town, the jungle-fringed beaches of Langkawi and the ancient rainforest of Taman Negara National Park, where you can meet villagers working to protect its endangered wild cats. Just don’t forget your cufflinks and pearls.

More information: Three-night trips cost from £2,930pp. belmond.com

In the land of high-speed rail, a pair of new sleeper services have caught our eye. Operating Friday to Monday between Hong Kong (West Kowloon) and either Beijing (Beijing West) or Shanghai (Shanghai Hongqiao), this night-time route is by far the most enjoyable way to skip between metropolises. Although even at 350kph, it’s still a 12.5-hour ride from the palaces of the capital to Hong Kong in a four-berth sleeper. Another new route to pique our interest is a daytime service between the Yellow River city of Lanzhou and Wuwei, known for its Confucian temples and grottoes. Taking just two hours, it’s a great opportunity to explore one of the lesser-known corners of the Silk Road, and the first link in a route that will eventually reach Xinjiang province.

More information: Beijing-Hong Kong sleeper cabins cost from £103 one-way; Lanzhou-Wuwei seats from £4 one-way. 12306.cn/en

Tanzania is one of Africa’s great rail destinations. In the 1970s, the completion of the Tazara line between Dar es Salaam and Zambia’s Kapiri Mposhi (then the longest route in sub-Saharan Africa) pointed to a bright future. But, together with the nation’s antiquated narrow-gauge network, its decline has been long and noticeable. The Tazara’s 1,800km route might still be a rite of passage, but at 60 hours (plus delays), it’s also a test of endurance. Work is underway to modernise it, but what has us more excited is the beginnings of the country’s electric railway. A 3.5-hour daily route between Dar es Salaam and inland capital Dodoma, including a stop at Morogoro (gateway to the Mikumi National Park), now sees trains hitting speeds of 160kph. Plans to extend this to Kigoma by 2027 offers the exciting possibility of whizzing 1,200km between Tanzania’s east coast and the chimp reserves of Lake Tanganyika by late afternoon.

More information: Seats cost from £9 one way; purchase tickets from stations.

The start of 2024 saw the launch of the first route in 20 years to connect the capitals of Lithuania (Vilnius) and Latvia (Riga). Now you can twin these two Baltic marvels in one rail journey, with stops taking in the cathedral town of Šiauliai, the bog walks of Joniškis and the Baroque majesty of Jelgava’s 18th-century castle, before disembarking to explore Riga’s markets and monuments or Vilnius’s magnificent Palace of the Grand Dukes. At present, there’s just one return service a day, complete with first- and second-class seating. But it has also been reported that this may become just the first link in a route that eventually links up with Estonian capital Tallinn, offering the tantalising prospect of one giant Baltic rail adventure. Our fingers are crossed.

More information: Seats cost from £20 one way. ltglink.lt/en

It’s hard to say which South American country we’d have guessed was home to the fastest rail service on the continent, but Chile – with its long, pencil-thin geography – would be a prime candidate. Back in January 2024, it launched its first fast (160kph) service from Santiago to the wine country of Curicó, putting the valley’s vineyards, century-old cellars and elegant manor houses within easy reach of the capital. By April, the line was extended to Chillán (four hours away), where the Feria de Chillán market is one of the liveliest in the country – you might find yourself walking away with anything from a personalised saddle to the area’s famous longaniza sausages. And what better finale than exploring the region’s volcano treks and hot springs?

More information: Seats cost from £13.50 one way. efe.cl

Read next: An urban guide to Santiago and Valparaíso

The idea of a 1,554km route looping the historical wonders of the Yucatán Peninsula is an irresistible one. By linking the plush Maya Riviera to Mexico’s historically under-resourced south-eastern states, the new Tren Maya funnels passengers to small villages and towns that would otherwise see few travellers. This spreads the impact of tourist dollars while travellers soak up underrated gems such as the historical plantations of Campeche, big hitters like the Castillo temple above Tulum beach, or visit the jungle-wrapped Maya ruins of Palenque and Calakmul. It should come without caveats, and yet the gloss was rather taken off the route’s initial launch in late 2023 by multiple reports raising concerns over the environmental impact of its construction. But while its origins leave a bitter taste, the potential for good this route offers when fully up and running this year makes it worth considering.

More information: Seats cost from £35 one way. trenmaya.gob.mx

There’s nothing new about the Indian Pacific. This transcontinental Australian rail icon has been running the tracks east to west, between Sydney, Adelaide and Perth, since 1970. However, in 2025, its 4,352km route is being adapted slightly to take in a few added stops (and perks!), extending the Perth-Sydney itinerary by an extra day. New off-train experiences include a signature dinner in the Barossa Valley, a drag-queen tour of historic Broken Hill and a visit to the ghost town of Cook, the only stop on the arid Nullarbor Plain, which is home to the longest piece of straight rail track in the world.

More information: Five-day trips cost from £1,870pp. journeybeyondrail.com.au

2024 saw the first summer season of the NostalChic Class service on Switzerland’s Gornergrat Bahn, a late-19th-century cogwheel railway that inches its way up from Zermatt base station. Its destination is the 3,089m summit of Gornergrat, high in the Pennine Alps, and the original route takes not much more than 30 minutes. But this new service now includes a stop at the Riffelalp Resort (2,222m), where passengers will stretch their legs and sate their gourmet leanings with a four-course meal before continuing to the summit for the greatest dessert of all: panoramic views of 29 Swiss peaks topping 4,000m.

More information: The service runs June–September and costs from £285pp. gornergrat.ch

Read next: The best rail journeys in Europe

The Drielandentrein had been ten years in the making when it finally launched in late June, but it was worth the wait. Myriad services already link Germany to the Low Countries, but this 78km Arriva route – squeezing two borders and three languages into 90 minutes – is a treat for those who want to maximise their free time. Running between the German spa town of Aachen and Belgian university city Liège, via the medieval cobbles of Maastricht in the Netherlands, it’s an invitation to explore a trio of cultures in just one day. Although we think Liège’s magnificent Santiago Calatrava-designed railway station is worth the trip alone.

More information: Day tickets cost from £18.50. arriva.nl

Until late 2023, there was no rail service between Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka and the resort town of Cox’s Bazar, which is otherwise pretty arduous to reach by car due to the condition of the roads. Now, an almost-daily (except Mondays) sleeper service ploughs south of Dhaka for nine hours via the port city of Chittagong – a notable stop in itself for exploring the little-seen Hill Tracts region, home to villages of the Indigenous Junma people. But the big reward here is your final destination. Bangladesh’s south-east coast consists of 155km of shoreline, making up what is claimed to be the world’s longest unbroken beach, while the wild Teknaf Peninsula is the gateway to 10,000 sq km of mangroves. Hop the islands or pay a visit to Buddhist village Ramu for serenity, culture and wilderness in equal measure.

More information: Sleeper cabins cost from £22 one way. 12go.asia

This seasonal long-distance train line (Apr–Jun) is a carbon copy of an existing route between Turkish capital Ankara and Diyarbakır, except for a few wonderful tweaks. Firstly, it’s far more comfortable, with both a dining car and the option for private two-berth cabins. Secondly, it makes only a handful of stops on its 1,051km journey, including Kayseri, a jumping-off point for the fairy chimneys and balloon rides of Cappadocia; Malatya, known for its 5,000-year-old tumulus; and Elâzığ, overlooked by the looming fortifications of Harput Kalesi. By the time you reach the UNESCO-listed walls of Diyarbakır, 24 hours after embarking, you’ve travelled through thousands of years of Turkish history.

More information: Sleeper cabins cost from £196 one way. ebilet.tcddtasimacilik.gov.tr

Amsterdam has fast become Europe’s night-train hub. And thanks to its connection to London via the Eurostar, the prospect for some epic rail journeys beckons in the coming year. First up is a new European Sleeper service to Barcelona, with stops in Antwerp, Lille, Avignon, Figueres and Girona among others, which is due to start running in mid-2025. Later that year also sees the launch of DSB’s new direct sleeper service to Copenhagen via Hamburg and Osnabrück, as well as a 14-hour NS/ÖBB sleeper route to Vienna. The latter utilises a new generation of carriages with free wifi, mini cabins for solo travellers and accessible couchettes. But arguably the biggest shake-up is the arrival of new Dutch rail operator GoVolta, dubbed the ‘easyJet of the rails’, which has budget connections set to launch in mid-2025. These include daily routes to Berlin and Copenhagen from Amsterdam, as well as a regular service to Basel.

More information: Ticket prices are all to be confirmed. europeansleeper.eu; dsb.dk; ns.nl; govolta.nl

We’ve covered a handful of exciting new US rail lines recently, including the Brightline route (Miami–Orlando) in Florida, as well as the much-anticipated return of Amtrak’s Gulf Coast service (New Orleans–Mobile) in 2025. But with the launch date for the USA’s first high-speed (240kph) rail line, between Boston and Washington DC, still to be announced at the time of writing, our interest turns instead to a new Midwest route that opened this summer. The Borealis service is a daily 7.5-hour connection between Minnesota state capital St Paul and Illinois’s museum-packed, foodie favourite Chicago. It’s not the only train on this line, but with it offering more stops along the way, it’s a welcome platform to explore some oft-overlooked corners of Wisconsin in between. The marshy hiking trails of La Crosse, riverboat jaunts from Wisconsin Dells and Lake Michigan cruises from Milwaukee are all tempting detours.

More information: Seats cost from £32 one way. amtrak.com

Read next: The best rail journeys in the USA

This new sleeper service, which began this summer, offers travellers two very different takes on South-East Asia. You’d be forgiven for claiming a case of cultural whiplash as you bid goodnight to the chaotic markets and glittering palace of Bangkok to wake up in Vientiane-Tai station, just a few kilometres from the quiet, contemplative Laos capital, or vice-versa. But that’s the point. In the glint of the golden stupas of Bangkok’s Wat Phra Kaew or the serenity of a water-cooled temple, it’s a chance to explore the cultural threads that bind two very different capital cities. Although with just one direct train making the return journey daily – and only a single air-conditioned sleeper car – it’s well worth booking ahead.

More information: Sleeper cabins cost from £21 one way. 12go.asia/en

Read next: How a new high-speed train is opening up the hidden corners of Laos

Back in 2023, the launch of the Brussels–Berlin overnight train by European Sleeper was one of the services that we were most excited about. Its seamless connection with the London–Brussels Eurostar put the German capital within easy reach of the UK, with stops in Antwerp, Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Amersfoort, Hannover and others sweetening the deal. In 2024, it got even better thanks to the route being extended to Prague, so that it now links four capitals on an epic cross-Europe escape. It’s almost worth staying awake for!

More information: Sleeper cabins cost from £93 one way. europeansleeper.eu

What if you could explore the entire world by rail, and in just 80 days? It’s enough to bring out the Phileas Fogg in most of us – and logistical shivers in the rest. Except for the odd connecting flight, it’s a dream that has been realised by ambitious tour operator Railbookers, which launched its Around the World by Luxury Train tour in August. It’s an 80-day epic that sounds exhausting just reading about it. But if you have the stamina, it packs in some rail gems, including Canada’s Rocky Mountaineer, Spain’s Al Andalus, India’s Maharajas’ Express and Malaysia’s Eastern & Oriental Express. There’s just one tour a year, but we’re told that it will return in 2025.

More information: Trips cost from £90,099. railbookers.co.uk