Overview
- Deutsche Bahn, which on Saturday detailed a 2028 Berlin–Oslo direct train, plans two daily services taking 14 to 15 hours via Hamburg, Copenhagen, Malmö and Gothenburg using the new ICE L under an EU pilot program.
- To meet summer demand in 2026, DB will double Copenhagen–Prague to two daily pairs from mid‑June, run Cologne–Brussels trains on weekends through to Ghent, Bruges and the Belgian coast, add Saturday Frankfurt–Bordeaux trips in July and August, and start four daily Cologne–Antwerp ICEs from September 7 with a stop at Brussels Airport.
- Next steps under review include a Munich–Milan–Rome direct link targeted for 2027 with Trenitalia and ÖBB, plus a possible second daily Berlin–Paris train pair with SNCF.
- International long‑distance ridership reached about 25 million in 2025, up 30% from 2019, with sharp gains on Munich–Zurich, Frankfurt–Paris and Cologne–Brussels routes.
- DB reported a multi‑billion‑euro loss for 2025 and is restructuring its long‑distance unit, while keeping long‑distance ticket prices flat for the next 12 months.