Trenitalia has begun test runs of its Frecciarossa high-speed trains in Germany and Austria, moving planned direct rail links between Italy and Munich closer to launch in summer 2027.
The trials form part of the international approval process for services being developed by Trenitalia in cooperation with Deutsche Bahn and ÖBB. Test trains are currently operating on the Berlin-Munich-Kufstein corridor in Germany and between Kufstein and the Brenner Pass, as well as Salzburg and Vienna, in Austria.
If certification is completed successfully, Trenitalia plans to introduce four initial connections linking Milan and Rome with Munich. The Milan-Munich journey is expected to take around six and a half hours, with principal stops at Brescia, Verona, Rovereto, Trento, Bolzano and Innsbruck.
Rome-Munich services are expected to take about eight and a half hours and will call at Florence, Bologna, Verona, Rovereto, Trento, Bolzano and Innsbruck. The routes will provide a new direct high-speed option across the Alps and strengthen rail connections between major Italian, Austrian and German cities.
The project also presents a technical challenge because trains must operate across different national power supply and signaling systems. Trenitalia and Deutsche Bahn are sharing technical expertise to prepare the rolling stock for cross-border operation, while training programs have already started for German and Austrian drivers.
A Bigger European Network Is Planned
The new services are part of FS Group’s broader ambition to create what it describes as a high-speed “European Metro.” Frecciarossa already operates internationally in France and Spain, and the expansion into Germany and Austria will extend the brand further into Central Europe.
The trains being prepared for the project comply with European interoperability standards and are designed to operate across multiple rail systems. Their technical configuration supports operation not only in Italy, Germany and Austria, but also on networks in France, Spain, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Belgium.
The opening of the Brenner Base Tunnel is expected to make the routes more competitive by reducing journey times by around one hour. The tunnel will create a faster rail connection beneath the Alps and improve north-south passenger flows between Italy and Central Europe.
Expansion is planned to continue after the first Munich services launch. From December 2028, the full commercial plan calls for 10 connections between Italy and Germany, covering Milan, Rome and Munich before extending the network to Naples and Berlin.
The new services are also expected to influence travel beyond the cities directly served. FS says the routes could capture demand for destinations such as Frankfurt and Krakow through onward rail connections.
For travelers, the project adds another alternative to short-haul flights on major European routes. Direct trains offer city-center connections and avoid airport transfers, while the future Brenner Base Tunnel could make rail increasingly competitive on journeys crossing the Alps.
The start of testing therefore marks a significant step in Trenitalia’s international expansion, turning plans for a wider Frecciarossa network into a concrete cross-border project ahead of one of Europe’s most notable new rail launches in 2027.
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