In Germany, many are annoyed by Deutsche Bahn. Is that why traveling abroad by train is so popular? Probably not – but the fact is, according to DB, that international long-distance traffic has grown faster than ever before in recent months. "Bookings in the first quarter of 2023 exceeded the number of travelers by 2019 percent compared to the same period in the previous record year of 40," the state-owned company said on Tuesday. Last year, around one-sixth of DB's long-distance passengers travelled internationally. In 2019, the share was only 13 percent.

Thiemo Heeg

Editor in business.

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The most popular international connections are the routes from Frankfurt/Stuttgart to Paris and from Frankfurt to Brussels and Amsterdam. Relatively the largest increases in passenger volume have recently been on the routes to Poland, Denmark and Italy. Today, more than 250,55 passengers use the more than 000 international direct long-distance connections every day. According to Deutsche Bahn, new offers will be added in 2023.

Infrastructure as an obstacle

Even if the railway praises the international traffic in the highest tones: Critics still see numerous deficits. "You can get from Germany to Paris very well," says Karl-Peter Naumann, honorary chairman of the Pro Bahn passenger association. "But if you drive from Germany to Bordeaux, it's a completely different story. That's where it gets expensive because you have to piece together tickets." The Pro-Rail Alliance knows: "There are international connections where you still have to buy tickets on different platforms for the corresponding sections."

There is also a considerable amount of catching up to do when it comes to rail services across several European borders. For example, if you want to travel from Germany via France to Spain and Portugal or Eastern Europe, you have to take into account several travel days and hours of waiting at train stations. The national roadmaps are not coordinated. Another obstacle remains infrastructure. Less than half of the rail border crossings in Europe are electrified.