Direct train from Cologne to London could arrive sooner

Talks about a direct train connection between Cologne and London, in which Deutsche Bahn is also involved, are making progress. A start-up is now pursuing similar plans and could offer connections even sooner.

There have been considerations for quite some time about a fast direct connection between Cologne and London. Whether the German metropolis and the English capital will actually be directly connected in this way remains to be seen. Personal talks at the table, which apparently went promisingly, recently took place in the cathedral city.

From Cologne to London in under four hours

At the initiative of KölnBusiness, important partners connected to the project met, as the economic development agency announced on June 1, 2026. Among those present were representatives from Deutsche Bahn, the provider Eurostar, the German Federal Ministry of Transport, the British Department for Transport, as well as Roseanna Watson, the British Consul General in Düsseldorf. There was agreement that a high-speed route between the two cities should become reality.

Already in the summer of 2025, a task force had been established following a meeting between the then British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (63) and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (70). DB and Eurostar then signed a memorandum of understanding in December 2025 to explore options for a joint long-distance transport service between London and major German cities such as Cologne and Frankfurt, according to a railway statement.

Since then, there has been talk of a possible launch of a direct connection in the early 2030s. According to KölnBusiness, the journey on the planned route should then take just under four hours. Currently, the British metropolis can only be reached from Germany with a transfer. However, for implementation, the necessary technical, operational and legal requirements would have to be in place, it is said. To create additional capacity at Cologne Central Station, expansion would have to take place, and waiting areas and a section for border controls would need to be set up.

Will a start-up beat Deutsche Bahn to it?

However, a British start-up could preempt these plans and launch a direct connection even sooner, as the Sunday Times recently reported. The company Gemini Trains, which according to its own statements is financially supported by a fund from the Middle East, is planning connections to Paris and Cologne. Further plans reportedly also include connections to Frankfurt and Düsseldorf from London's Stratford International station.

According to the report, Gemini Trains plans to lease eight electric trains, each 200 meters long with a capacity of more than 550 passengers. By 2030, eleven connections per day are to be offered. It is unclear how many of these are planned between Cologne and London. The company could theoretically overtake the DB project if there really are first Cologne-London trips by 2030. Shortly thereafter, a rapid expansion is to take place. What this could look like remains equally uncertain for now. Here too, there is talk that the journey between London and Cologne should take around four hours.