By the end of 2026, travelers will be able to ride direct high-speed trains between Germany and Italy, thanks to a new route announced by German rail operator Deutsche Bahn.
The first service will connect Munich with Milan and Rome, running through Austria.
The trip from Munich to Milan will take around 6.5 hours—about 75 minutes faster than current options, which require transfers. The full journey to Rome will be completed in about 8.5 hours, saving passengers roughly 105 minutes.
Initially, there will be one train per day in each direction. However, Deutsche Bahn, along with Italy’s Trenitalia and Austria’s ÖBB, plans to increase this to five daily services each way. Future expansions are also set to include stops in Berlin and Naples.
Once the Brenner Base Tunnel—an ambitious rail tunnel project under the Alps—is completed in 2032, travel time will be cut by another hour.
The route will use Italy’s Frecciarossa high-speed trains, marking the first time these trains will operate in Germany.
“Europe is coming closer together on the rails. More and more people want to travel across borders in an eco-friendly way,” said Deutsche Bahn’s Michael Peterson.
European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, added, “Expanding high-speed cross-border rail is a top priority. This new connection is a great step forward.” Photo by CAPTAIN RAJU, Wikimedia commons.