Trenitalia has signed a preliminary agreement with Deutsche Bahn to operate the Frecciarossa high-speed trains between Germany and Italy.
New cross-border services in 2026
The first services are planned for the end of 2026, and the agreement is part of the broader Italy-Germany pilot project, jointly presented by Trenitalia and Deutsche Bahn and selected by the European Commission as part of its Action Plan aimed at developing long-distance cross-border services. With this service German tourists will be able to easily reach the most beautiful destinations in Italy and Italians will have yet another opportunity to travel around Europe. Passengers arriving in Italy will be able to choose from the various intermodal services offered by Trenitalia including the FrecciaLink, which allows them to arrive at their destination by combining trains and buses.
The high-speed Frecciarossa trains also operate in France and Spain
Trenitalia and DB are currently working on connections from Munich to Milan and to Rome. They are also assessing potential developments and extensions of the service with future connections to and from other German destinations. Work is also underway on the journey times, and with the future opening of the Brenner Base Tunnel, it is estimated that times will be reduced by approximately one hour. The FS Group’s Passenger Hub currently has some 13,000 daily train and bus connections. Frecciarossa is also present in Spain with 70 daily connections as well as with Iryo between the main Spanish cities, while in France there are 10 daily Trenitalia France services between Lyon and Paris.
