The official inauguration of the new direct rail connection linking Prague, Berlin and Copenhagen marked another important milestone in the development of cross-border passenger rail in Europe.
Representatives from Deutsche Bahn (DB), České dráhy (ČD), Danish State Railways (DSB), the European Commission and key stakeholders gathered in Berlin to celebrate the launch of this strategic international service, followed by a reception hosted at the Royal Danish Embassy.
UIC attended the event, underlining its continued commitment to supporting the development of attractive, interoperable and customer-oriented international rail services.
A flagship European pilot project
The new service is part of the European Commission’s pilot initiative to foster new cross-border passenger rail connections. The project forms one section of the wider Paris–Berlin–Prague–Warsaw corridor, one of Europe’s priority international rail initiatives.
The direct connection currently offers a journey time of around 11 hours between Prague and Copenhagen, while travel between Berlin and Prague takes approximately four hours. Looking ahead, the completion of the Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link, the 18-kilometre tunnel connecting Germany and Denmark, is expected to reduce overall journey times by around 90 minutes, significantly improving the competitiveness of rail on this corridor.
Growing demand for international rail
During the discussions, operators highlighted the strong growth in demand for international rail services. Deutsche Bahn pointed to the success of the Berlin–Paris route, which achieves average occupancy rates of around 80%, with approximately three-quarters of passengers travelling the full international route.
These figures illustrate the growing appetite for direct, high-quality international rail services as passengers increasingly seek sustainable alternatives for medium-distance travel.
Making international ticketing simpler
One of the central themes of the event was the importance of delivering a seamless ticketing experience for passengers.
Deutsche Bahn confirmed that implementation of the Open Sales and Distribution Model (OSDM) is nearing completion, enabling operators to offer fully integrated international journeys through platforms such as DB Navigator and Bahn.de. OSDM, created by UIC, is expected to simplify the purchase of cross-border tickets by allowing complete international itineraries to be booked through a single transaction.
Panel discussions also addressed the proposed European Ticketing Package, which could enable third-party commercial platforms to sell international through-tickets. While participants broadly supported improving customer access, operators expressed concerns regarding the allocation of responsibilities when disruptions occur. Particular attention was drawn to ensuring that operational responsibilities remain clearly defined and that any future regulatory framework guarantees a level playing field between railway undertakings and commercial distribution platforms.
Interoperability remains the key challenge
Beyond ticketing, speakers agreed that technical interoperability remains the principal enabler of international rail growth.
České dráhy highlighted the fragmented deployment of ETCS, describing the current situation as a “patchwork” that still limits operational performance despite infrastructure capable of supporting speeds up to 200 km/h.
DSB illustrated how national technical requirements continue to create barriers, citing examples where rolling stock may be prevented from operating across borders due to minor differences in loading gauge specifications.
Deutsche Bahn also noted that even trains already operating successfully in neighbouring countries require additional national authorisations before entering service elsewhere, demonstrating the need to further simplify approval processes while maintaining safety standards.
Representing the European Commission, Oana Gherghinescu reiterated that the ultimate objective must remain a simpler experience for passengers, while recognising that reducing national regulatory complexity and streamlining procurement and authorisation procedures are essential steps towards achieving this ambition.
Delivering a truly European passenger rail system
The discussions demonstrated broad consensus across operators and European institutions. Making international rail more attractive requires progress on several complementary fronts:
- accelerating technical interoperability, including ETCS deployment and vehicle authorisation
- implementing harmonised digital ticketing solutions such as OSDM
- ensuring clear responsibilities for passenger rights and disruption management
- continuing investment in cross-border infrastructure
The inauguration of the Prague–Berlin–Copenhagen service demonstrates that closer cooperation between railway undertakings, infrastructure managers and European institutions can translate ambitious policy objectives into tangible improvements for passengers.
For UIC, these discussions reinforce the importance of continued international collaboration to develop common standards and interoperable solutions that make cross-border rail travel easier, more reliable and more attractive across Europe.
