ICE L will operate to Northern Europe from the end of 2027 • New direct
connection in cooperation with Norwegian Vy and Danish DSB • Today, over 25
million passengers travel abroad on 300 long-distance services every day •
Passenger numbers up by around 30 per cent since 2019
(Berlin, May 9th 2026) It will be one of the longest rail routes across Europe: From summer 2028, Deutsche Bahn (DB) will offer a new daily direct service between Berlin and Oslo via Hamburg, Copenhagen, Malmö and Gothenburg, in cooperation with the Norwegian company Vy and the Danish company DSB. The service will be operated with the ICE L, DB’s newest train. Two daily return services are planned. The journey time for the entire route from Berlin to Oslo will be around 14–15 hours.
From December 2027, the ICE L will already be operating between Hamburg and Copenhagen. The new direct service Hamburg–Copenhagen–Oslo is one of ten pilot projects supported by the European Commission for new cross-border long-distance rail connections. Particularly in light of the current oil crisis, rail travel is also proving popular for journeys to other European countries, with stable offers and reliable prices.
Michael Peterson, Member of the Management Board for Long Distance Passenger Transport at DB: “If you want to experience Europe, hop on a train! With fuel prices so high, long-distance trains remain a great alternative to driving or flying. With our new international service from Berlin via Copenhagen to Oslo, we’re connecting Northern Europe even more closely – and linking three capital cities by rail.”
DB is currently experiencing a boom in demand for long-distance international rail services: since 2019, nearly a third more people have switched to climate friendly rail travel for their journeys across Europe. That amounts to over 25 million passengers – and the trend is upward. Between Stuttgart and Paris, the ICE and TGV services, with their unbeatable journey time of under three and a half hours, have even replaced direct flights between the two cities since this spring. DB has also recently expanded its services to Eastern Europe: in the 2026 timetable, two new daily direct services link the European economic regions of Leipzig, Wrocław and Kraków.
These European routes were particularly popular in 2025:
New and seasonal highlights for Europe’s rail enthusiasts this year:
- From mid-June: Launch of the direct service between Copenhagen – Hamburg – Berlin – Prague, with two return services per day
- Between June 3rd and August 31st: additional summer ICE service from Cologne to Brussels, continuing on weekends to Ghent, Bruges and Ostend on the Belgian coast
- Again this year, every Saturday in July and August: direct service from Frankfurt am Main to Bordeaux, starting on July 4th
- From September 7th: four daily ICE services between Cologne and Antwerp, stopping at Brussels Airport for the first time and thus providing a connection to the ICE network
Simplified ticketing for train journeys in Europe:
Since the introduction of the new OSDM data standard by European railways and distribution service providers, buying international tickets has become even easier and more convenient. Tickets for ÖBB, SBB, SNCF, Eurostar, Trenitalia and SJ are now available directly via DB’s digital sales channels, bahn.de and DB Navigator: Customers can, for example, book connections between Rome and Naples, Toulouse and London, or even from Barcelona on the Mediterranean to Northern Sweden in a single transaction with just a few clicks. More than 8,000 additional European destinations are now available: by high-speed train, night train or regional train. This also includes stops on the respective local public transport networks. And DB is constantly expanding its offering: the Dutch railway operator NS, for example, will be added later this year.
The new system is paying off: since international tickets for European railways on local and long-distance services have been available directly via DB’s digital sales channels, sales for these tickets have increased by 75 per cent.
OSDM offers numerous benefits for customers: they usually receive clear pricing information for their desired connections immediately, including special offers from international rail operators. Furthermore, all booked tickets, including those from other rail operators, can be conveniently viewed and managed in the DB customer account.
Travel around Europe with the best ticket:
There are great savings and special offers available for cross-border travel to many European countries: from 19,99 Euro with super saver and saver fares to destinations including Belgium, France, Italy and the Netherlands: International journeys.
