Vy, DSB and Deutsche Bahn have announced plans to introduce a direct international rail service linking Oslo, Copenhagen, Hamburg and Berlin from summer 2028.
The service will become one of Europe’s longest direct rail connections and mark the first direct train route between Norway and Denmark in more than 20 years.
The partnership was officially announced on May 9, with plans for two-year-round daily return services operating across four countries. The full Oslo–Berlin journey is expected to take approximately 14 to 15 hours.
The new route will use Deutsche Bahn’s latest ICE L trains, featuring 17 coaches with 562 seats, including first-class cabins, a restaurant car and dedicated family sections. Vy crews will operate the Oslo–Copenhagen section of the route.
The service will connect several major cities across Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Germany. Planned stops include Moss, Fredrikstad, Sarpsborg and Halden in Norway, followed by Trollhättan, Gothenburg, Halmstad, Helsingborg, Lund and Malmö in Sweden.
In Denmark, the train will stop at Copenhagen Airport, Copenhagen Central, Odense, Kolding and Padborg before continuing to Hamburg and Berlin in Germany.
The ICE L trains are also scheduled to begin operating between Hamburg and Copenhagen from the end of 2027, ahead of the full Oslo–Berlin launch.
Michael Peterson, DB Board Member for Long-Distance Passenger Transport, said, “Anyone who wants to experience Europe should take the train. In view of high fuel prices, long-distance trains remain a good alternative to cars or planes.”
He added that the new route would strengthen rail connectivity across Northern Europe while linking three European capitals through a direct passenger service.
The Hamburg–Copenhagen–Oslo connection is among ten pilot projects selected and supported by the European Commission as part of efforts to expand cross-border long-distance rail services across Europe.
