A spokesperson told IRJ that the service, which runs via Düsseldorf, Duisburg, Essen, Dortmund, Bielefeld and Hannover, will operate with newly refurbished coaches that feature a revamped Flix-branded interior.
The company is also introducing a new hygiene and safety framework to reduce coronavirus transmission, including compulsory facemasks during travel, and designated entrances and exits on trains.
Before the Covid-19 pandemic, FlixTrain operated three long-distance routes connecting Berlin - Cologne, Cologne - Hamburg and Berlin - Stuttgart. The operator shut down its passenger rail services in Germany on March 20, with passengers able to use FlixTrain tickets on German Rail (DB) long-distance services instead.
In April, the German subsidiary of Railroad Development Corporation (RDC), United States, announced it was ending its partnership with FlixTrain once services resume after the coronavirus shutdown. RDC’s train operating subsidiary BahnTouristikExpress (BTE) managing director, Dr Markus Hunkel, said this was due a “massive change” to the previous partnership agreement with FlixTrain.
