Boss of Germany's Flixtrain upbeat with plans for new fleet from 2028

German rail operator Flixtrain will start putting another 65 new long-distance trains into service from 2028, the firm's boss told dpa, as the company strives to increase its market share and compete with the state-owned Deutsche Bahn.

"The first trains are already in production. We are right on schedule," Flixtrain chief executive André Schwämmlein said.

The carriages are being produced by Spanish manufacturer Talgo. This is the first time that the company has ordered new vehicles. Flixtrain has so far relied exclusively on older, used trains.

The Talgo vehicles, costing a total of €2.4 billion ($2.81 billion) will be introduced gradually from 2028 and form the backbone of the Flix long-distance train fleet in future.

Schwämmlein did not specify when the last vehicle would be delivered.

The trains are of the same design as Deutsche Bahn's new ICE L, which is also manufactured by Talgo. This means that the approval process will be much faster, said Schwämmlein.

Until the first new units arrive, the company intends to continue to rely on modernized used vehicles. Within the next two years, the firm's existing seating capacity is to be roughly doubled using this method, according to the company statement.

"We will be able to offer services every two hours on the major lines," Schwämmlein said.

He said he hoped to add the important Berlin-Munich route to Flixtrain's portfolio. "Basically, you can assume that we will offer all the important routes in Germany," he said.

Flixtrain, one of the brands belonging to the Munich-based travel platform Flix, is primarily known for its green long-distance motorway coaches. It is one of the few competitors to Deutsche Bahn in long-distance transport. Deutsche Bahn currently holds a market share of around 95%.

If you book early on Flixtrain, you often pay significantly less than with Deutsche Bahn. However, Flixtrain could also see price increases in the foreseeable future.

Europe is seeing growing competition in long-distance transport. It was recently announced that the Italian railway companies Trenitalia and Italo also want to get involved in German long-distance transport.

Schwämmlein believes his company is in a good position in view of the potential new competitors. "So far, we are the only ones to have ordered new rolling stock. We have the train paths and are already established with our network. We are in a very strong position."

In the meantime, the German government is investing in a massive refurbishment of the rail network.

"Despite the current critical situation on the network, I am optimistic that we will see a positive development in five years' time," Schwämmlein said.