DB to launch night train connecting Berlin, Munich, Rome and Naples

Deutsche Bahn has announced that a new night train will connect Berlin and Munich with Rome, Naples and other Italian cities. It will first hit the tracks in 2026 and be expanded by 2028.

Deutsche Bahn train to run between Germany, Austria and Italy

Deutsche Bahn, Austrian rail operator ÖBB and Italy’s Trenitalia have announced that they will jointly run a new high-speed night train, connecting German cities with Austria and Italy.

The train will begin partial operation in 2026, connecting Munich, Innsbruck, Bolzano, Verona, Milan and Rome. When travelling southwards, the train will also stop in Bologna and Florence.

Italy’s Frecciarossa 1000 trains will run the route. At high speed, the journey between Munich and Milan is expected to take six and a half hours, and between Munich and Rome, eight and a half hours.

From December 2028, the route will be expanded to include Berlin at its northern end and Naples at its southern end, stretching over 1.600 kilometres across the continent.

Once the 55-kilometre-long Brenner Base Tunnel connecting Innsbruck and Franzensfeste in Italy opens in 2032, the journey times should be reduced by about one hour.

EU pilots “European Metro” project

“Our joint project will give the booming, international, long-distance train industry another boost,” Deutsche Bahn representative Michael Peterson told rbb. “Because successful, cross-border long-distance transport in Europe can only be provided in cooperation due to the complex framework conditions.”

The high-speed connection between northern Germany, Austria and southern Italy is part of a wider “European Metro” pilot project organised by the European Commission. The Commission hopes to increase the number of such routes across the continent in the coming years, making train travel more appealing and reducing the demand for short trips by plane.

According to a 2024 study by Greenpeace, there are “almost six times as many direct flight connections between European cities as direct train connections”, despite the fact that on average, planes emit five times as many greenhouse gases as trains. Meanwhile, another study from the organisation found that, according to 2023 pricing, German trains are 51 percent more expensive than flights.