FlixTrain will add seven new destinations to its nationwide long-distance rail network with the start of the new timetable on December 15. The Berlin - Stuttgart service will call additionally at Leipzig, Halle (Saale), Erfurt, Gotha, Eisenach, and Lutherstadt Wittenberg. Aachen to the west of Cologne will also be added to the network.
FlixTrain will reduce the journey time for Hamburg - Cologne services from a minimum of 4h 8min to just over 3h 30min.
A new Hamburg - Stuttgart service will go into operation in spring 2020, giving passengers the chance to travel between the two cities for the first time without changing trains. The service will call at Hannover, Göttingen, Kassel Wilhelmshöhe, Fulda, Frankfurt, Darmstadt and Heidelberg. By summer 2020, up to three departures per day and direction will be offered.
“FlixTrain is a tremendous success for us,” says Mr André Schwämmlein, co-founder and managing director of parent company FlixMobility. “In less than two years, we have managed to establish a Germany-wide alternative offer by rail, which passengers accept very well.
Concern
“However, according to the federal government’s climate package with massive subsidies for German Rail (DB), we see this development endangered,” Schwämmlein cautioned. “The federal government must ensure that the many billions are actually invested in rail expansion, so that all competitors can benefit. A functioning competition would increase not only the number of passengers on rail, but also the quality of the offer and thus contribute to a sustainable mobility turnaround. Already today, all FlixTrain trains run with 100% green electricity from wind and hydro power from green energy.”
