The European Commission welcomes the launch of the new direct rail service connecting Prague, Berlin and Copenhagen, marking an important milestone for cross-border rail travel in Europe.
The new rail service, which directly links Scandinavia with Central Europe, has been supported by the Commission since January 2023 as one of ten EU pilot services to boost international passenger rail connections. The new service also builds on the EU’s trans-European transport network (TEN-T) and will benefit from large infrastructure investments made through the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) in the future, including support for the Dresden–Prague rail link and the Fehmarn Belt fixed link, two EU flagship projects that are strengthening rail connectivity between Central and Northern Europe.
Background
The European Commission actively supports the creation of new and better train connections across the EU, through targeted infrastructure funding along the TEN-T, as well as strategic measures to accelerate the development of high-speed rail and the recently proposed Passenger Package, which aims to simplify planning and booking for regional, long-distance and cross-border travel.
- Publication date
- 26 June 2026
- Author
- Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport