New European train service linking top holiday hotspots launching next year

A NEW service could link two European countries by train for the first time in 16 years.

The route will make it easier to travel between the two destinations, with holidaymakers no longer needing to change trains three times, board a flight, or take a bus.

From April next year, Venice and Ljubljana (the Slovenian capital) could be linked by a new train service.

While it is not known which train company will operate the cross-border route, the Italian train company Trenitalia tested out the proposed route on Monday (December 11, 2023).

According to , the test run departed from Venice Mestre train station and stopped at Portogruaro, Monfalcone, and Bivio Aurisina before arriving at the border.

From Villa Opicina (a train station on the Italian and Slovenia border), the train then headed through into Slovenia calling at Ljubljana and Sesana.

A statement from FS Italiane (Italy's state-owned railway) said: "The time seems to be ripe for the restoration of a cross-border service between the two countries."

The cross-border train was ditched back in 2008, and while a connection between Trieste and Ljubljana was proposed back in 2021 nothing ever happened.

Details of the new route, including how long trains will take and ticket prices, have yet to be released.

If the train service goes ahead as planned, it is slated to launch in April 2024.

From Ljubljana, holidaymakers will be able to change onto a train service to Lake Bled.

Set in northern Slovenia, Lake Bled is one of the country's main tourist attractions.

This isn't the only new train route set to launch in Europe next year either, with brand-new lines proposed across the continent.

Another train service, this time operated by Dutch-Belgian startup European Sleeper, will connect Barcelona to Amsterdam.

European Sleeper have already confirmed that the route will stop at Rotterdam, Antwerp, Brussels, and Lille in the evening and Avignon, Montpellier, Perpignan, Figueras, and Girona in the morning.

The company said in a statement: "The Amsterdam-Barcelona night train will strongly improve Europe’s quality of north-south rail connections.

"Even more so because one travels efficiently while asleep on the night train, and distances are reduced to just a night away."

European Sleeper will aim to launch the new Amsterdam to Barcelona in the spring of 2025.

Meanwhile, another sleeper train operated by Nightjet will run between Barcelona to Zurich in Switzerland.

The new route will reach a top speed of up to 230 km/h (142mph).

There are, as of yet, no concrete details about how long it will take to make the full journey, other than the fact it will run overnight.

We've rounded up the best UK railway journeys where Brit holidaymakers can enjoy beautiful scenery without dusting off their passports.

Meanwhile, tickets on the "most scenic train journey" in the UK only cost £3.