Railway competition: Flixtrain is expanding a fleet – advantage for passengers?

Passengers could get significantly more selection in long -distance traffic on the rails in the next few years. The almost only competitor of Deutsche Bahn in long -distance transport, the company Flixtrain, will significantly expand its fleet. The company has ordered around 30 new express trains from the Spanish manufacturer Talgo. There is also the option to 35 other trains, as Flixtrain announced. Including maintenance, the package therefore costs up to 2.4 billion euros.

The new trains should create up to 230 kilometers per hour and have a barrier -free start. The locomotives come from the technology group Siemens. Until when the trains should be delivered, remained open. As a rule, train orders last several years.

Good signal for passengers

For rail travelers, the announcement is a good signal, judges Dirk Flege, the managing director of the Interest Association Allianz Pro Schiene. “There is a huge potential, especially in cross -border rail transport.” Flixtrain recognized the chances. “The passengers can look forward to improvements in the offer in the coming years.”

As a brand, Flixtrain belongs to the Flix Munich travel platform, which is primarily known for its green long -distance buses on the street. It is one of the few Deutsche Bahn competitors in long -distance transport that previously holds a market share of around 95 percent in this segment. Other state railways such as the Austrian Bundesbahn (ÖBB) and some night train providers are still active in long-distance transport.

Flixtrain announces the stale of the train fleet

With the 65 new trains, Flixtrain would almost thin out his train fleet. So far, the company has been cooperating in its offers on the rails with partner companies that provide the trains. The provider focuses on the highly requested and thus lucrative main routes such as from Berlin to Rhineland, Hamburg, to Frankfurt or to Baden-Württemberg.

There is no clock timetable like the train. Between Berlin and Cologne, for example, there are usually only a few train connections during the day. For comparison: the train with its around 400 ICE trains alone runs on the route at least once an hour.

Minister of Transport on board

“We not only want to increase our market share, we also want to significantly enlarge the market itself,” emphasizes Flix boss and co-founder André Schwämmlein. The offer will increase significantly in the coming years.

The Deutsche Bahn expressed calmly. “Competition among railway traffic companies revives the business,” said a spokesman. “So we welcome the competition with other long -distance transport providers like Flix and face it.”

Support comes from the new Minister of Transport Patrick Schnieder (CDU): “The fact that a German tech company is investing on this size is a strong signal for the rail market,” he says.

The traffic researcher and ironborn expert Christian Böttger from the Berlin University of Applied Sciences and Economic Affairs also sees possible advantages for passengers. “There should then be further offers on the rails, even if they then differ something from the well -known routes.”

For a long time, there has been discussion for a long time to have the trains run over Frankfurt-Süd instead of the Frankfurt main train station. It would also be possible, for example, between less overloaded city center stations, for example from Hamburg-Harburg to Berlin-Spandau or Munich Pasing. “Flixtrain is more variable and can try more niches,” emphasizes Böttger.

Risky step for flixtrain

For Flixtrain, ordering the new trains is still a risky step. The framework conditions in long -distance transport have become more complicated. “The overload is a significant problem,” says the specialist. The rail network is too full. The discussion is more likely to reduce the number of train journeys instead of in giving new ones. The overload is noticeable in the form of delays and train failures for passengers every day.

Increasing route prices that the transport companies have to pay for the use of the rails could also become a problem. So Böttger says: “This is a reasonably risky step because the framework conditions are completely unclear.”