Deutsche Bahn, ÖBB and Trenitalia will launch four cross-border long-distance connections between Italy and Germany in summer 2027, growing to ten daily services from December 2028. The plan emerged at InnoTrans 2026 in Berlin.

DB board member for long-distance passenger transport Dr Michael Peterson set out the German incumbent's position on the same day. "To state clearly: we generally welcome competition under fair and transparent conditions," Peterson said. "When that is the case, the offering for rail passengers can indeed be improved."

He coupled that with a defence of joint working. In DB's view, "an efficient cross-border long-distance traffic is currently best delivered through complex collaborations, such as the ones we currently have with ÖBB and Trenitalia."

What services will launch in 2027?

The summer 2027 start will cover Milano – München and Roma – München. Trenitalia will supply the rolling stock: Hitachi Rail ETR1000 Frecciarossa trainsets, already certified to operate in Italy, France, Germany, Spain, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Belgium. Testing in Germany and Austria began in early September 2026.

Milano – München will run in 6 h 30 min, with stops at Brescia, Verona, Rovereto, Trento, Bolzano and Innsbruck. Roma – München will take 8 h 30 min via Firenze, Bologna, Verona, Rovereto, Trento, Bolzano and Innsbruck.

When does the network scale up?

From December 2028, Trenitalia plans ten daily connections between Italy and Germany on five corridors:

• Milano – München
• Milano – Berlin
• Roma – München
• Napoli – München
• Napoli – Berlin

FS expects the services to attract passengers heading for other destinations such as Frankfurt and Kraków.

What did the operators say at InnoTrans?

Trenitalia CEO Simone Gorini framed the project as part of a continental network. "With this project, we are contributing to the high speed 'metro of Europe' — connecting all European countries in an increasingly strong way through a highly sustainable mode with high comfort," Gorini said.

Dr Sabine Stock, member of the ÖBB Passenger Transport management board, stressed the political dimension. "This is about more than a trainset — it is a beautiful trainset, but nevertheless, it is more than just a train. It is about bringing different nations closer together," Stock said.

Stock also pointed to road congestion on the Brenner corridor. "All of you who have ever been stuck in a traffic jam at the Brenner Pass will celebrate with me that there is another attractive rail connection… because it relieves the roads in the very sensitive natural environment of the Alps," she added.

What infrastructure work underpins the timetable?

Travel times on the Italy-Germany axis will drop by roughly one hour once the Brenner Base Tunnel opens in 2032. That bore between Austria and Italy will reshape journey times across the corridor, though the operators have not yet published revised end-to-end figures.

Path allocation will require agreement with the infrastructure managers in each country. The "complex collaborations" Peterson cited will need to cover traction changeovers at the borders, on-board staffing across jurisdictions and timetable slots at congested nodes.

How does DB read the competitive picture?

Peterson's framing positions DB as open to new entrants while preserving the alliance model. Whether that posture holds once competitor open-access operators apply for paths on the same corridors will become apparent as the network expands toward Berlin and Napoli in 2028.

The 2027 launch follows an earlier plan, previously reported by Railway Gazette, that had envisaged a December 2026 start. The six-month slippage points to remaining certification, crew training and timetable work still to be done across three regulatory regimes.