InnoTrans 2026: High-Speed, Hydrogen and Night Trains in Berlin

InnoTrans 2026 is bringing 113 vehicles from 17 countries to Berlin this September. High-speed trains, hydrogen and battery vehicles, autonomous concepts and a new wave of night trains will all be part of this year’s outdoor display.

For many visitors, the outdoor and track area is the part of InnoTrans they come to see first. It is where the full-size trains, locomotives and other vehicles leave the brochures behind and can actually be explored up close.

This year, 130 exhibitors will fill around 20,000 square metres of outdoor space, including 30 companies appearing in this part of the fair for the first time. Between them, they will bring 113 vehicles from 17 countries to Berlin from 22 to 25 September.

"For many trade visitors, our outdoor and track area is one of the highlights of InnoTrans. Nowhere else can the diversity of the international rail industry be experienced so directly," said InnoTrans Director Kerstin Schulz.

"113 vehicles from 17 countries impressively demonstrate the significance of InnoTrans for the international mobility industry."

Vehicles from Asia Make the Long Journey to Berlin

Simply getting all those vehicles to the exhibition is a project in itself. Some of the longest journeys have been made by exhibits from China and South Korea. They first travelled to Europe by ship, with some continuing towards Berlin by inland waterway. Other vehicles are arriving by rail or road.

TATRAVAGÓNKA will have the largest fleet on display, bringing eight vehicles. Stadler Rail follows with seven, including a hydrogen-powered narrow-gauge train and a battery regional train.

Alternative propulsion will be hard to miss this year. CRRC is showing a hydrogen fuel cell hybrid locomotive for the first time, while Siemens Mobility and CAF will also bring vehicles using alternative propulsion technologies. Alstom, meanwhile, will display two Traxx locomotives fitted with new onboard signalling technology.

High-Speed Trains Meet Autonomous Rail Concepts

There will be plenty for high-speed rail fans too. Hitachi’s ETR1000 Frecciarossa and Hyundai Rotem’s EMU 320 can both exceed 300 km/h, bringing two major high-speed platforms from Europe and South Korea onto the same exhibition tracks.

Automation is another theme running through this year’s display. Railevo will show what it calls the world’s first autonomous rail taxi, while Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane is bringing an unmanned vehicle. TH Ostwestfalen-Lippe will present Monocab, an autonomous monorail vehicle designed for rural areas.

Belgian company Otiv plans to remotely operate a train in the Netherlands as a part of InnoTrans demontration.

Night Trains Are Back in the Spotlight

InnoTrans 2026 will also show just how much attention night trains are getting again. Nox Mobility is bringing a prototype made entirely of private compartments for one or two passengers. Founder Thibault Constant was among the winners at the Railway Influencer Festival two years ago and is now returning to Berlin as an exhibitor.

At the Luna Rail Lab, Luna Rail GmbH will present ideas including two-level seating and reclining areas, along with private cabins. Another concept, ALISA, comes from Tricon AG and a group of partners including Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, satek, the German Aerospace Center and GETA interieur. Visitors will be able to see mock-ups of the sleeper-car concept near the South Entrance.

"The fact that several new night train concepts are on display at InnoTrans shows just how dynamically this segment is currently developing," Schulz said.

"The night train brings together many issues that are important to our industry: sustainable long-distance mobility, new customer expectations, and the question of how to balance comfort and cost-effectiveness."

RAILTARGET Will Be at InnoTrans 2026

RAILTARGET will once again be in Berlin as an official media partner of InnoTrans 2026. We will be following the new trains, technologies and companies throughout the four days of the fair, from alternative propulsion and signalling to high-speed rail and the latest ideas for overnight travel. And with 113 vehicles lined up outside, there should be no shortage of things to see.