FlixTrain is back! After six months out of operation, FlixMobility’s rail service will restart in Germany from May 20. The company will also expand its network by adding a route to Munich.

FlixTrain to resume its services

FlixTrain is expected to return to the German railways by the end of the month. The long-distance train service has been suspended since November 2020 due to coronavirus.

FlixTrain’s routes through Hamburg, Berlin and Cologne are scheduled to resume from May 20, and by May 27, trains will run eight times a day between Leipzig, Berlin and Hamburg. Service on the route between Berlin and Stuttgart will follow in June.

New train routes scheduled for June

FlixTrain has also announced an expansion of its rail network, offering routes to and from Munich for the first time. "We are proud that our company headquarters will now also be part of our train network in Germany," said André Schwämmlein, founder of FlixMobility, which is indeed headquartered in the capital of Bavaria.

From June 17, a night connection will start running between Hamburg, Berlin and Munich, and from June 18, a day service is scheduled to start between Frankfurt and Munich.

Rivalling Deutsche Bahn

Over the past few years, FlixTrain has established itself as a viable competitor to Germany’s state-owned transport company, Deutsche Bahn. Despite offering a significantly smaller service, with only nine trains compared to Deutsche Bahn’s fleet of over 300 ICE trains, FlixTrain plans to offer travellers a real alternative in public transport.

"We want to build a nationwide alternative offer, all metropolitan areas are now connected," said Schwämmlein. With FlixTrain’s planned expansions, a total of around 40 cities will be covered by their network.

FlixTrain also plans to become an international company and has recently announced it will soon offer rail services in Sweden. The first route to be offered outside of Germany will connect Stockholm with Gothenburg.