FLIXTRAIN has announced it will launch services on the Gothenburg - Stockholm route in Sweden on May 6, the company’s first service outside of its home market of Germany.
FlixTrain will initially offer more than 30 trains in both directions per week with a journey time of 3h 26min. The service is a partnership with Stockholm-based rail operator Hector Rail, which will run the trains. FlixTrain will be responsible for network planning, ticket sales, marketing, customer service and pricing. Refurbished Bmmz, Bmmbz and Bmmdz coaches, built in the 1960s, will be supplied by Talbot Services, Aachen.
Tickets are available online and on the Flix app, starting at €12. The operator will compete with MTR and SJ.
FlixTrain also plans to relaunch services on the Hamburg - Cologne, Berlin - Cologne and Berlin - Stuttgart routes on June 24, after suspending the service twice in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The operator says it could possibly relaunch the trains sooner. Tickets for its German trains begin at €4.99.
FlixTrain says its international expansion into Sweden, which it initially announced in September 2019 with a view to launching the service in the first half of 2020, is a logical next step in making particularly sustainable mobility accessible to as many people as possible.
“Our success shows that passengers want a smart, sustainable and modern travel alternative to rail,” says Mr André Schwämmlein, co-founder and CEO of FlixMobility. “Sweden is setting an example of how to enable and promote competition in rail for the benefit of passengers. The consistent separation of infrastructure and operations, as well as low track fees and high transparency in the train path ordering process, enables private providers to launch new attractive offerings without unnecessary entry barriers. Sweden is one of the most attractive and exciting markets in Europe for private train operators.”
The coaches have been refurbished and feature new seats, at-seat power outlets, Wi-Fi including onboard entertainment services, and modernised toilets.
“The success of our business model is always based on a close and trusting cooperation with medium-sized partners,” Schwämmlein says. “We believe that the combination of our travel tech expertise and operational experience is the basis for an attractive offer.”
