A new high-speed spine is about to stitch Central Europe to Scandinavia. From May 1, 2026, a collaboration between Czech Railways, Deutsche Bahn, and Danish State Railways links Prague, Berlin, and Copenhagen with a sleek 555-passenger train capable of 230 km/h, complete with dining carriages and even a movie area.
Three Railways, One Route
Cross-border European rail has long been hobbled by the awkward seams between national networks. This new service tackles that head-on, uniting three countries' operators behind a single flagship route. Passengers can board in the Czech capital and glide north through the German heartland to the Danish shore without the transfers and timetable gymnastics that once defined the journey.
What Sets It Apart
- Top speed: 230 km/h across suitable stretches.
- Capacity: A 555-passenger train, built for volume.
- Onboard: Dining carriages and a dedicated movie area.
- Operators: A joint effort by Czech Railways, Deutsche Bahn, and Danish State Railways.
- Launch: May 1, 2026.
Why It Matters
The route arrives as European travelers increasingly favor rail over short-haul flights, driven by both environmental concerns and the growing hassle of airports. Connecting three capitals in a single high-speed corridor makes the train a genuine alternative to flying between them, particularly for city-break travelers who value arriving in the heart of each destination rather than a distant airport. The onboard dining and entertainment amenities signal an ambition to make the journey itself part of the appeal.
Part of a Rail Renaissance
The Prague-Berlin-Copenhagen link is one of the marquee entries in a remarkable 2026 wave of new European rail routes. A high-speed Paris-Munich service launches the same year, Swiss Federal Railways introduces a Basel-Copenhagen-Malmo sleeper, and the Caledonian Sleeper extends deeper into England. Together they mark the most significant expansion of cross-border European rail in a generation, a deliberate push to make trains the default choice for medium-distance travel across the continent.
What Travelers Gain
For visitors, the route unlocks an appealing multi-city itinerary: Prague's baroque old town, Berlin's restless creativity, and Copenhagen's design-led cool, all threaded by a single comfortable train. It also removes a persistent gap in the map between Central Europe and Scandinavia, regions that were surprisingly hard to connect by fast rail. When the first service departs on May 1, 2026, it will do more than move passengers; it will demonstrate what a genuinely borderless European railway can feel like.