Germany and Austria will be better connected by rail after Deutsche Bahn (DB) and Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) announced more cross border services.
The move comes as rail travel between the two countries continues to increase with both companies saying they expect to see around 40 per cent more passengers at the end of this year compared with five years ago.
Stefanie Berk, member of the DB Fernverkehr management board for marketing said: "The shift to rail is continuing unabated. More and more people in Germany and Austria are taking the climate-friendly train when they travel to neighbouring countries.”
The two companies will begin offering Nightjet connections from Berlin and Vienna to Paris and Brussels this December.
These connections will initially run three times a week, then daily next autumn, which will double the number of Nightjet connections available in Berlin.
The two companies have said they aim to double their Nightjet passengers by 2030.
Next year will also see the addition of the new ÖBB Nightjet trains, which can travel up to 230 km/h, and will be introduced on the Hamburg-Vienna and Hamburg-Innsbruck connections. Further connections in Austria, Germany and Italy will follow throughout next year.
The ÖBB Nightjet trains offer individual cabins in the sleeper carriages and level boarding for people with restricted mobility.
ÖBB and DB are also stepping up their investment in other new trains. ICE 4 trains will be used on the new Frankfurt–Munich–Salzburg–Klagenfurt route and the new generation of Railjets will also gradually be introduced on the route between Munich and Italy beginning next spring.
Berk added: “We want to boost growth even further with new trains, more comfort and convenience, and more connections. This can only be achieved through a joint effort by the rail companies involved. We're responding to this growing demand by expanding the international timetable in close cooperation with ÖBB."
Sabine Stock, ÖBB executive board member for passenger transport said: "By 2030, we want to double the number of passengers on Nightjet trains. Deutsche Bahn plays an important role since many Nightjet lines begin and end in Germany.
“The new connections from Berlin to Paris and Brussels and the new generation of Nightjet trains in Germany are sending a strong signal of DB's and ÖBB's confidence in night train service and intentions to expand the portfolio."
Key timetable changes
- A timetable change in December will add another ICE connection between Berlin and Vienna via Nuremberg. Extending the route to Hamburg will also give the major northern German city another daily connection to the Austrian capital.
- Beginning in December, DB and ÖBB will also be offering an ICE journey from Berlin to Innsbruck and back via Frankfurt and Stuttgart every day, instead of only on weekends.
- In the future, long-distance trains will connect Munich and Salzburg once an hour between around 0600 and 2100. Daily trains will connect Innsbruck and Munich every two hours between 0640 and 2140.