Flixtrain expands fleet: Up to 65 new trains from Spain

Munich. Travel provider Flix plans to significantly expand its long-distance rail services and has ordered up to 65 new express trains from Spanish train manufacturer Talgo. The locomotives will be supplied by Siemens, Flix announced. Thirty of the trains have already been firmly ordered. A further 35 could be ordered on an optional basis, it said.

The Munich-based company says it is spending up to 2.4 billion euros on the entire package, including maintenance of the trains. Delivery dates for the trains have not been announced. The new trains are expected to reach speeds of up to 230 kilometers per hour and feature barrier-free access.

An express train operated by Deutsche Bahn and its competitor Flixtrain.

Source: IMAGO/Steinsiek.ch

Flix operates under the Flixtrain brand as one of Deutsche Bahn's few competitors in long-distance rail transport – but so far with only 13 trains, which are generally operated by partner companies. With the purchase of the new vehicles, the company is significantly expanding its fleet.

"We are pursuing a long-term strategy with FlixTrain and will significantly expand our offering in the coming years," said Flix CEO and co-founder André Schwämmlein. "We not only want to increase our market share, but also significantly expand the market itself."

Support came from the new Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder (CDU): “The fact that a German tech company is investing on this scale is a strong signal for the rail market,” he said.

RND/dpa