ITALIAN State Railways (FS) subsidiary Trenitalia has signed a preliminary agreement with German Rail (DB) to introduce Frecciarossa services from Rome and Milan to Munich at the timetable change at the end of 2026.
FS confirmed that it is working with DB on potential extensions of this service to other destinations in Germany, including Berlin. FS says that connecting journey times will be reduced by up to an hour following the opening of the 55km Brenner Base Tunnel from Franzensfeste in northern Italy to near Innsbruck in Austria, which is scheduled for 2032.
The service is one of the 10 cross-border pilot projects announced by the European Commission in February 2023 in response to its action plan to boost long-distance and cross-border passenger trains, adopted in December 2021. The action plan identified obstacles hindering the uptake and operation of cross-border passenger rail services, and measures to address them.
FS confirmed in February 2023 that the Rome - Munich train will serve Florence, Bologna, Verona, Rovereto, Trento, Bolzano, Brenner, Innsbruck and Munich. Trains from Milan will stop in Brescia, Verona, Bolzano, Brenner, Innsbruck and Munich.
It said that services would be offered in collaboration with DB and Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB).
FS will operate ETR1000 Frecciarossa high-speed trains on the cross-border services to Germany. None of its existing fleet of 58 trains are certified to operate in Germany or Austria. However, Trenitalia placed a €861m order with Hitachi Rail for 30 of the high-speed trains in November, which will be equipped with multiple traction and signalling systems and certified to operate on high-speed lines in France, Germany, Spain, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Deliveries will commence in spring 2026 at a rate of eight to 10 per year. The contract includes an option for an additional 10 trains worth €287m.
FS says the service will enable passengers to travel cross-border more quickly with a low environmental impact. It says the service will boost travel options for both Italian and German passengers, with German tourists able to reach “the most beautiful parts of our country,” including via Trenitalia’s multi-modal services such as the FrecciaLinks train and bus service.
