27. May 2025
A new era for train travel - FlixTrain has ordered 65 new European high-speed trains
+++ FlixTrain has ordered 65 new European high-speed trains, produced by Spanish train manufacturer Talgo, with locomotives supplied by Siemens
+++ The contract volume amounts up to EUR 2.4 bn, including certain maintenance services
+++ Flix sees enormous market potential for FlixTrain in Germany and Europe
+++ CEO André Schwämmlein: “We will start a new era of train travel”
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FlixTrain, a subsidiary of the global travel–tech company Flix SE, today announced that it has ordered 65 new European high-speed trains. Talgo will provide the respective trainsets and certain maintenance services, while Siemens will provide the locomotives. The contract volume amounts up to EUR 2.4 bn, of which more than EUR 1 bn is already firmly committed.
With this strategic move, FlixTrain is responding to the growing demand for fast and affordable rail travel. The company intends to use the new high-speed trains to leverage the enormous market potential in Germany and Europe. The high-speed rail market in Germany is expected to grow by 45% by 2030, compared to 2021 volume. Across Europe, the market potential is even greater – around EUR 27 bn in 2023 with an expected annual growth of 4 – 5%.¹ In 2024 alone, FlixTrain expanded its offering by 40%, and recorded significant passenger growth, building on the strong results of 2023.
“We are pursuing a long-term strategy with FlixTrain and we will significantly expand our services in the coming years,” says André Schwämmlein, CEO and co-founder of Flix. “With the tremendous expansion of our train fleet, we will start a new era of train travel in Germany and Europe.” FlixTrain’s overall goal is to bring more people to sustainable travel by train: “We plan not only to increase our market share, but also to significantly grow the market itself”.
On the political side, the newly formed German government has acknowledged the immense potential of long-distance rail by committing to long-term investments in rail infrastructure and a reform of the track access system in Germany. These plans could unlock more private investment in Germany’s rail sector, fostering innovation for a broader range of services. Ultimately, this would lead to more competition and a better offer for customers.
Patrick Schnieder, Federal Minister of Transport comments: “We expressly welcome FlixTrain’s investment. The fact that a German tech company is making an investment on this scale sends a strong signal to the rail market.”
“The new German government recognizes the importance of the framework for rail services, and rapid execution of the agreed priorities could lead to larger investments going into the German market”, says Schwämmlein. At the same time, FlixTrain works closely with the European Commission to foster European train travel and to provide a better overall offer for passengers.
Cutting-edge trains paving the way for pan-European growth
The new FlixTrains will be European high-speed trains that travel at speeds of up to 230 km/h. They will feature barrier-free boarding — a feature currently unavailable on any long-distance train in Germany – passenger information systems, air conditioning, state-of-the-art Wi-Fi solutions and many more features that will significantly increase travel comfort for passengers. The trains will be based on the Talgo 230 technical platform, with projects currently underway in Denmark and Germany. Both Flix and Talgo have devised project-specific enhancements to ensure high operational efficiency. In addition, traction will be provided by Siemens locomotives (Siemens Vectron) that have thoroughly proven their high reliability in operations over the past years.
Additionally, the trains will be unique due to their European footprint and capable of operating across many European countries, built on a universal concept that enables rapid expansion.
Currently, thanks to a comprehensive cooperation with regional transport, around 650 destinations are bookable via FlixTrain; 50 cities are directly connected to the vast FlixTrain network. Together with around 300 FlixBus stops in Germany alone, Flix provides a unique intermodal long-distance travel offer of international bus services and high-speed train connections. The new trains are intended to drive expansion in Germany and other European countries. “We see FlixTrain as a European product. Starting from our home market, we also want to make the service available in other countries” adds Schwämmlein.
¹ Source: OC&C Long-distance Travel Market Study 2023
About Flix
Flix intends to transform the collective transport sector by offering sustainable and affordable long-distance bus- and train travel solutions in more than 40 countries across four continents through its brands FlixBus, FlixTrain, Kamil Koç, and Greyhound. With its asset-light business model and innovative technology platform, Flix, launched in 2013, swiftly established a market-leading position for long-distance bus travel in Europe, North America and Türkiye and is rapidly expanding further into South America and India.
Driven by increased awareness for sustainable travel, Flix is committed to achieving Net Zero operations in Europe by 2040 and globally by 2050. To assess its progress within a scientifically recognized framework, Flix established near-term targets for emissions reduction with the Science Based Targets initiative.
While Flix manages the commercial side of the business such as network planning, pricing, operations control, marketing and sales, quality management and continuous product development with a data-driven approach, trusted Flix partners conduct the daily operations. The innovative combination of Flix’s technology and sales platform with traditional passenger travel has turned a European start-up into a leading and globally expanding travel tech company.
In Germany, FlixTrain has been driving competition in long-distance rail transport since 2018 and has quickly established itself as a popular travel alternative. Like FlixBus, the technology platform is at the heart of FlixTrain’s business model. Today, FlixTrain directly connects around 50 cities, with an additional 600 that are bookable through cooperation with regional train services. FlixTrain operates the first and largest private long-distance train network in Germany, giving even more people access to sustainable and affordable mobility.
For more information, please visit corporate.flix.com