FlixTrain Says Italo Entry Will Hit Deutsche Bahn Hardest

Germany’s long-distance rail market is heading for major change. FlixTrain plans to expand its services with 65 new Talgo trains from 2028, while the expected arrival of Italy’s Italo could put further pressure on Deutsche Bahn’s dominant position.

FlixTrain’s distinctive green trains already operate on the German network under the open-access model, offering a lower-cost alternative to Deutsche Bahn’s long-distance services.

From 2028, however, the company intends to compete on a much larger scale. In an interview with German media network RND, Flix CEO André Schwämmlein said the new fleet would offer frequencies and journey times comparable with Deutsche Bahn’s ICE services. The company wants to attract tens of millions of additional passengers to rail rather than simply take existing customers from DB.

Flix has also cautiously welcomed Italo’s planned entry into Germany. Schwämmlein believes another private operator would primarily take passengers from Deutsche Bahn rather than weaken FlixTrain, which has spent the past eight years developing its service as a complementary alternative to the state-owned operator. "Should Italo decide to enter the market, this will come very much at Deutsche Bahn’s expense," Schwämmlein told RND.

Mobilität der Zukunft: Flix-CEO André Schwämmlein im Interview mit der SZ über den Wettbewerb mit der Deutschen Bahn, globale Expansion und seine Vision für nachhaltiges Reisen! #Mobilität #Wettbewerb pic.twitter.com/sVvas8UonB

— Flix News (@FlixBus_DE) July 26, 2023

FlixTrain Wants to Become Germany’s Second-Largest Network

FlixTrain has ordered 65 new long-distance trains based on the Talgo 230 platform, with the first units due to enter service in 2028. According to Flix, the trains will reach speeds of up to 230 km/h and will be hauled by Siemens Vectron locomotives.

The company expects the fleet to transform its position in Germany. Its ambition is to establish the country’s second major long-distance rail network after Deutsche Bahn, with an extensive timetable rather than a small number of isolated services.

All 65 trains are expected to operate in Germany, with more than 90% of their mileage covered on the German network. Flix has not ruled out individual international services, as the trains are designed for operation in several European markets, but Germany will remain the centre of the project.

The future network will be based around regular clock-face services, including hourly frequencies on major routes. Schwämmlein said FlixTrain would remain structurally cheaper than Deutsche Bahn because of its lower operating costs and a different onboard service model, including the absence of traditional restaurant cars. "Perhaps the price difference will become slightly smaller, but tickets will always remain affordable," he said.

The company says that simply moving passengers from a white Deutsche Bahn train to a green FlixTrain would bring little benefit to the market so the goal here is to use new routes, higher frequencies and lower prices to attract people who do not currently travel long distances by rail.

Flix Calls for Independence for DB InfraGO

Flix also supports a further separation of railway infrastructure manager DB InfraGO from the rest of the Deutsche Bahn group. Germany already formally separates infrastructure management from passenger operations. DB InfraGO controls the tracks and stations, while DB Fernverkehr operates most long-distance passenger trains. Both companies, however, remain part of the Deutsche Bahn holding group.

Schwämmlein said the network manager should operate independently from the companies using the infrastructure. "It makes sense for the network provider to be independent of transport operators," he told RND.

He also called for an end to the profit transfer agreement between DB InfraGO and DB AG. In his view, railway infrastructure should receive funding directly from the German state rather than through the Deutsche Bahn holding structure.

Schwämmlein also said Germany may have reached the lowest point in terms of infrastructure quality, although repairs and modernisation will take longer than originally expected. Visible improvements, he added, could also gradually restore public confidence in rail.

Regulator Opens More Capacity to Italo and FlixTrain

Access to train paths is still one of the largest barriers for private long-distance operators in Germany. Companies must apply for specific timetable slots, while DB InfraGO coordinates competing requests on an already congested network. Italo had asked the German regulator, the Federal Network Agency, or Bundesnetzagentur, for stronger protection for new market entrants and greater long-term certainty over access to train paths.

On 17 July, the Bundesnetzagentur confirmed new competition rules for capacity-constrained sections of the network. From the 2028 timetable period, DB InfraGO will not be allowed to allocate more than 60% to 75% of available long-distance capacity to a single operator when requests conflict. The precise limit will be set by DB InfraGO.

The rule is intended to guarantee that at least one competitor to DB Fernverkehr can operate on heavily used sections, including key nodes such as Munich and Frankfurt. Flix nevertheless views the change as a limited conflict-resolution mechanism rather than a fundamental reform of network access. Schwämmlein said it would help in individual cases where several operators request the same capacity, but would not remove the wider uncertainty involved in planning new services.

He also pointed out that private operators need years of experience to understand how to apply for and optimise train paths without creating conflicts with other services. He said that under the present system it remains difficult for a new company to promise investors attractive paths and the efficient use of an expensive new fleet before those rights have been secured.

FlixTrain Says It Will Serve More Than Major Cities

Private operators are often accused of focusing only on the busiest and most profitable routes between major cities. Flix rejects that criticism.

Schwämmlein said the company intends to operate a connected network rather than concentrate exclusively on a small number of high-demand corridors. FlixTrain already serves medium-sized cities such as Bitterfeld and Offenburg, while cooperation with regional transport is intended to support transfers at railway hubs. "We see ourselves as a network provider that also supports local transport," he told RND.

Flix says that in several German cities, it is already the only operator offering a direct long-distance rail service. The company therefore considers coordination with regional trains and local public transport essential to the future growth of its network.

Affordable Mobility as Part of an Open Europe

Schwämmlein has previously kept a relatively low public profile in Germany, but his more assertive position on rail competition has recently attracted attention beyond the transport sector. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier invited the Flix CEO to a small meeting with business leaders on corporate engagement in democracy. The selection got media attention because Deutsche Bahn CEO Evelyn Palla was not among the invited participants. The meeting took place in Berlin on 6 July.

Schwämmlein linked Flix’s business model to an open Europe, freedom of movement and affordable travel. "Participation needs affordable mobility," he told RND.

With FlixTrain preparing a new fleet and Italo seeking access to the German network, Deutsche Bahn could face its strongest long-distance competition in decades from 2028. Whether that competition delivers more passengers, lower fares and a broader network will depend on infrastructure capacity and how fairly train paths are allocated.