Europe’s rail map is being redrawn as governments and operators across Germany, France, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland and Scotland unveil a wave of new high-speed and night-train routes.

Promising faster journeys, lower emissions and more seamless cross-border connections, these projects are turning rail into a central pillar of the continent’s climate and mobility strategy for the second half of the decade.

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Europe’s Rail Renaissance Gains Momentum

The latest wave of route announcements comes as the European Commission pushes an ambitious plan to accelerate high-speed rail and cut travel times between major cities by up to half by 2030.

Under the proposal, journeys such as Berlin to Copenhagen could shrink from around seven hours to just four, supported by upgraded tracks, new rolling stock and more coordinated timetables across borders.

This policy backdrop has emboldened national railways and private operators to launch new links that connect multiple countries in a single sweep. Rather than focusing on domestic corridors alone, many of the new services are explicitly international, with trains traversing Germany, France, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Sweden and Switzerland in one overnight or long-distance daytime run.

At the same time, there is a clear environmental rationale. Rail accounts for only a small fraction of the European Union’s transport emissions, and shifting passengers from short-haul flights to trains is seen as one of the fastest ways to cut the sector’s climate impact. Night trains in particular are being positioned as a low-carbon alternative to flying between city pairs that are too far apart for same-day high-speed travel.

For travelers, the result is a growing menu of options: new sleeper connections linking Paris, Berlin and Basel with Copenhagen and Malmö; a direct daytime express from Prague to Copenhagen via Berlin; and a fresh Anglo-Scottish link from London to Stirling that plugs Scotland more firmly into the European rail grid.

Germany and Czech Republic: Prague–Berlin–Copenhagen Corridor Upgraded

Among the most significant new links is the planned direct route from Prague to Copenhagen via Berlin, scheduled to launch on May 1, 2026. In a rare three-way partnership, Deutsche Bahn, Czech Railways and Danish Railways will jointly operate a year-round daytime service that knits together the capitals of the Czech Republic and Denmark with Germany’s largest city as the central hub.

The new train will reduce journey times and eliminate the need for multiple changes. Passengers can expect a journey of around seven hours between Copenhagen and Berlin and about eleven hours between Copenhagen and Prague, with key intermediate stops in Dresden and Hamburg. Modern Comfortjet trainsets are planned for the route, bringing air-conditioned coaches, power outlets, Wi-Fi, dining facilities and family-friendly spaces such as a children’s cinema.

The Prague–Berlin–Copenhagen link is designed not only for point-to-point travel but also as a building block for wider European connectivity. Berlin will act as a strategic interchange, allowing travelers from Central and Eastern Europe to access Scandinavian destinations in a single day. For tourism boards in Prague and Copenhagen, the route is expected to attract visitors who prefer scenic rail journeys over short-haul flights.

In parallel, Germany and the Czech Republic are pressing ahead with plans for a high-speed corridor between Dresden and Prague that will eventually cut cross-border travel times by about an hour. The project centers on a 30-kilometer base tunnel through the Ore Mountains and is scheduled for construction after 2032. While that infrastructure will not be ready this decade, it signals the long-term intent to make rail the fastest and most reliable way to travel between the two countries.

France and Germany are at the heart of Europe’s new rail chapter, with fresh commitments to both high-speed and overnight travel. Following the decision by Austrian operator ÖBB to withdraw its Paris–Berlin and Paris–Vienna Nightjet services in December 2025 after French subsidies were cut, many feared a setback for the continent’s night-train revival. Instead, a new player has stepped in.

Belgian-Dutch cooperative European Sleeper plans to relaunch the Paris–Berlin sleeper from March 26, 2026. The train is expected to run three nights a week in each direction, with departures from Paris Gare du Nord and arrivals in Berlin Hauptbahnhof and Berlin Ostbahnhof. Unlike the previous service, which split the train to serve both Vienna and Berlin, the new operation will dedicate an entire 12 to 14-car consist to the French–German route, offering capacity for up to 600 or more passengers per trip.

The overnight link will run via Belgium and northern Germany, likely passing through Brussels and Hamburg, and will offer a mix of seated carriages, couchettes and sleeping compartments rather than a full dining car in the initial phase.

Environmental campaigners and rail advocates have welcomed the restoration of this emblematic route, noting that overnight rail can replace some of the busiest short- and medium-haul flights between France and Germany.

On the high-speed side, Deutsche Bahn and SNCF are preparing a faster, more frequent service between Paris and Munich, slated for launch in late 2026. The new trains will supplement the existing single daily TGV in each direction and are expected to offer shorter journey times by making better use of high-speed infrastructure in both countries.

For business travelers shuttling between the French and Bavarian capitals, as well as tourists heading for the Alps or the museums of Paris, the expanded timetable could make rail a more compelling default option.

Denmark and Sweden occupy a pivotal position in the emerging north–south rail spine that stretches from Central Europe to Scandinavia. With the new Prague–Berlin–Copenhagen daytime service, Denmark gains a direct, daily rail artery to the heart of Central Europe. For Danish travelers, Berlin will be reachable in about seven hours without changing trains, while Prague becomes an eleven-hour trip with modern onboard amenities.

Private and state-backed operators are also expanding services over the Öresund link between Copenhagen and Malmö. Swedish operator Snälltåget has confirmed that from May 4, 2026 it will run a new direct daytime train between Hamburg and Stockholm via Copenhagen and Malmö, creating another fast, rail-based alternative to flying.

The route will complement the company’s existing night trains between Berlin, Copenhagen and Stockholm, which already provide overnight connections stretching from Germany to Sweden.

Night trains across Denmark and Sweden are also set for a shake-up. Sweden’s state-owned operator SJ will end its subsidised Stockholm–Berlin EuroNight in August 2026 after the government decided not to renew its financial support. However, the German company RDC, a partner on the existing route, has stated that it plans to continue operations on a commercial basis from September 2026, ensuring that an overnight link between Germany and Sweden remains available.

These moves underscore a shift from purely state-funded services to a mixed market where private and cooperative operators experiment with business models for long-distance trains. For passengers, the immediate impact is likely to be greater choice of operators and onboard products, although the future shape of timetables and pricing will depend on how well these services attract sustained demand.

Switzerland’s Basel–Malmö Sleeper and Cross-Border Ambitions

Switzerland, already a key node in Europe’s rail network, is stepping up its role in night-train revival with a new Basel–Malmö service planned for April 2026. Backed by Swiss climate-focused funding that supports low-carbon transport investments, the route is being developed by Swiss Federal Railways in partnership with private German operator RDC.

The overnight train is expected to cover roughly 15 hours of travel between Basel and Malmö, passing through major German cities such as Frankfurt and Hamburg before crossing Denmark and continuing to southern Sweden. Passengers will have access to sleeper cabins, couchettes and standard seats, along with basic catering facilities designed for long-distance overnight travel.

For Switzerland, the Basel–Malmö link demonstrates how climate legislation can translate into concrete new services. The Swiss parliament has earmarked tens of millions of francs through 2030 to expand climate-friendly transport options, with night trains viewed as a cost-effective way to cut emissions from cross-border travel without building new airports or motorways.

The country is also benefiting from ongoing infrastructure improvements on the Karlsruhe–Basel corridor in Germany, where upgrades and new sections of high-speed track are gradually cutting journey times between southwestern Germany and the Swiss border. Once complete, the project will shave roughly half an hour off travel times and increase capacity for both freight and passengers, enhancing the viability of long-distance day and night services that either start or pass through Basel.

Scotland’s New London–Stirling Connection

While much of the current rail expansion is focused on continental Europe, the United Kingdom is also seeing new routes designed to plug British cities more closely into the wider European network. In Scotland, open-access operator Lumo is preparing a new service between London and Stirling, planned to start in mid-2026.

The link will run on the existing East Coast Main Line and is expected to take around three hours between London and Stirling, bringing a new Scottish city onto the direct London rail map. For visitors, the service will significantly improve access to central Scotland’s heritage attractions, including Stirling Castle and the Wallace Monument, while opening up the surrounding countryside for rail-based tourism.

Although the train will not cross the Channel itself, it is likely to be marketed as part of a broader rail journey that includes Eurostar or future competitors to mainland Europe. With the Channel Tunnel operator and the owners of Britain’s high-speed line into London calling for new direct services to Germany and Switzerland from St Pancras International later this decade, travelers from Stirling could eventually make near-seamless rail journeys deep into Europe with only a single change in the British capital.

The new Scottish route fits into a broader pattern of UK rail liberalisation, as independent operators target specific markets with lower-cost, higher-frequency services. If successful, it could encourage additional Anglo-Scottish links that make rail more attractive than short-haul flights for domestic and near-European trips alike.

Greener Travel and the Shift From Short-Haul Flights

Across all of these projects, the central selling point is environmental performance. Rail produces significantly less carbon dioxide per passenger-kilometer than air travel, particularly when powered by largely decarbonised electricity grids such as those in France, Sweden and Switzerland. As European governments look for tangible ways to meet their climate targets, encouraging a shift from planes to trains on routes of up to 1,000 kilometers is increasingly seen as a practical step.

Night trains are especially important to this strategy because they compete directly with some of the busiest short-haul air routes. By allowing passengers to travel while they sleep, a sleeper from Paris to Berlin or Basel to Malmö can make the overall time commitment comparable to flying, once airport transfers and security checks are taken into account. For business travelers who want to maximize their working day and for leisure travelers keen to avoid the stress of airports, this combination of convenience and lower emissions is proving attractive.

However, operators caution that environmental arguments alone will not fill their trains. Pricing, comfort and reliability remain critical to winning passengers. Modern rolling stock with private cabins, good sound insulation, onboard Wi-Fi and reliable catering is expensive to procure and maintain, and several operators are still working with refurbished 1990s-era coaches while they await the delivery of new trains.

Infrastructure is another constraint. Many of the fastest journey-time targets outlined by the European Commission assume the completion of new high-speed lines, tunnels and upgraded signaling systems that are still in the planning phase. Until then, operators must carefully design timetables that balance speed, capacity and cross-border coordination on congested existing routes.

FAQ

Q1. What are the main new international rail routes announced for 2026?
Key new routes include a daytime express from Prague to Copenhagen via Berlin, the revived Paris–Berlin night train, a new high-speed Paris–Munich service, a Basel–Malmö night train through Germany and Denmark, and a London–Stirling link in Scotland.

Q2. How will the Prague–Copenhagen train improve travel times?
The direct service is expected to cut the need for multiple changes and provide a roughly seven-hour journey between Copenhagen and Berlin and about eleven hours between Copenhagen and Prague, with modern Comfortjet trains and onboard services.

Q3. When will the Paris–Berlin night train restart, and who will operate it?
The Paris–Berlin sleeper is scheduled to restart on March 26, 2026 and will be operated by European Sleeper, a Belgian-Dutch cooperative that is taking over the route after the withdrawal of the previous Nightjet service.

Q4. What changes are planned for high-speed travel between Paris and Munich?
Deutsche Bahn and SNCF plan to launch a faster, more frequent high-speed service between Paris and Munich in late 2026, supplementing the current limited TGV offering and reducing overall journey times.

Q5. How does the Basel–Malmö night train fit into Europe’s green transport goals?
The Basel–Malmö sleeper is backed by Swiss climate funding and offers a low-emission overnight alternative to flying between Central Europe and southern Sweden, connecting major hubs such as Frankfurt, Hamburg, Copenhagen and Malmö in a single journey.

Q6. What is happening to Sweden’s existing Stockholm–Berlin night train?
Sweden’s state operator SJ will end its subsidised Stockholm–Berlin EuroNight in August 2026 after the government declines to renew support, but partner company RDC has signalled its intention to continue the route commercially from September 2026.

Q7. How will the new London–Stirling route benefit travelers in Scotland?
The London–Stirling service, targeted for mid-2026, will provide a direct rail link between the English capital and central Scotland, cutting journey times to around three hours and improving access to Stirling’s historic sites and surrounding countryside.

Q8. Will these new rail services be faster than flying?
On some routes, particularly shorter city pairs, high-speed trains can rival or beat air travel when door-to-door times are considered. On longer routes, night trains aim to match the overall time commitment of flying by allowing passengers to travel while they sleep.

Q9. Are further infrastructure upgrades planned to support these services?
Yes. Projects such as the Dresden–Prague high-speed line with a new base tunnel, upgrades on the Karlsruhe–Basel corridor and broader European Union initiatives for high-speed corridors and unified signaling are intended to cut journey times and increase capacity over the coming decade.

Q10. How can travelers make the most of the new routes for multi-country trips?
Travelers can use hubs such as Berlin, Copenhagen, Basel and Paris to string together multi-country itineraries, combining daytime high-speed trains with night services to cover long distances efficiently while reducing their carbon footprint.