Trenitalia’s Frecciarossa 1000 trainsets begin testing in Germany and Austria

EUROPE: Trenitalia’s Hitachi Rail-built Frecciarossa 1000 trainsets are undergoing an extensive authorisation programme in Germany and Austria ahead of the planned launch of direct services from Italy to München in summer 2027.

The testing is being carried out in co-operation with Deutsche Bahn and ÖBB. In Germany, Frecciarossas are running on the Berlin – München route and onwards towards Kufstein, just across the Austrian border, while in Austria tests are taking place between Kufstein and Brenner and between Salzburg and Wien.

The programme is intended to validate the technical adaptations required for operation across the three countries. According to German reporting, manufacturers have had to modify the traction equipment, brakes and pantographs for Germany, where power supply and national signalling requirements differ from those in Italy.

Braking is one example of those differences. DB said adapting the Frecciarossa for Germany was less complicated than preparing its own ICE fleet for Italy, where automatic onboard fire-extinguishing systems are mandatory. The Italian trains do have to be fitted with the magnetic track brakes required in Germany.

The test trains have also been fitted with extensive measurement cabling and sensors feeding data to computers in an onboard test area, while sandbags have been used to simulate the weight of passengers and luggage.

The first converted train has been testing in Germany since mid-June, including between Nürnberg and Ingolstadt and between Leipzig and Erfurt, while a second has been undergoing tests in Austria since August. During a media run on September 2, one of the 200 m-long trains reached around 300 km/h.

DB says around 300 test days are planned in total. Once the programme is completed, the modified trains will require authorisation in Germany and Austria and re-authorisation in Italy.

Direct services from Italy to Germany

The initial commercial offer is planned to comprise four trips on the Milano – München and Roma – München routes from summer 2027, subject to successful completion of the authorisation process.

The Milano – München journey, around 600 km, is expected to take about 6 h 30 min. DB says the direct service would cut around 75 min from the current journey, which requires a change of trains. Intermediate stops are planned at Brescia, Verona, Rovereto, Trento, Bolzano and Innsbruck.

The approximately 885 km Roma – München run is expected to take around 8 h 30 min, with DB estimating a saving of about 45 min compared with current journey options. Services will call at Firenze, Bologna, Verona, Rovereto, Trento, Bolzano and Innsbruck.

Training programmes for German and Austrian drivers have also been launched as part of the programme, with Trenitalia and Deutsche Bahn sharing technical expertise to help the trains operate with the 15 kV 16.7 Hz power supply and signalling systems.

Berlin and Napoli to follow

The four initial services planned for summer 2027 would form the first phase of a wider expansion. From December 2028, the cross-border service is expected to expand to 10 connections between Italy and Germany, with the network extended beyond Milano, Roma and München to Napoli and Berlin. A through Napoli – Berlin service, if introduced, would cover around 1 519 km.

FS Group CEO and General Manager Gianpiero Strisciuglio said the project confirmed the group’s ambition to make trains ‘the benchmark for European mobility’, adding that cooperation with DB and ÖBB was moving it towards its vision for a high speed ‘European metro’.

The Frecciarossa 1000 trains already run in France and Spain, and Trenitalia says the trains comply with the European Technical Specifications for Interoperability and have been designed for future operation in Switzerland, the Netherlands and Belgium too.

Trenitalia’s parent FS Group also expects the new links to meet demand for connecting journeys to other destinations, including Frankfurt and Kraków.