Out of the darkness of the tunnel beneath Copenhagen Central Station, with Vesterport in the background, emerges DSB’s new international train.
The new route to Hamburg. A Spanish-produced Talgo train, now named EuroCity.
Gleaming red with a broad black stripe at window height. Adorned with five Danish flags on the front of the locomotive. 15 train carriages and 209 meters.
It’s very first trip begins Monday afternoon on platform 5 at Copenhagen Central Station. Before departure, there are servings of Hamburg’s Fritz-Kola soda and small pretzels. There are speeches, and a red ribbon is cut at the entrance to carriage 24.
Four minutes after the scheduled departure, the train starts moving. But who’s counting, when the Talgo train has already been delayed by about a year? Not DSB’s Commercial Director, Jens Visholm Uglebjerg, who calls the train a »milestone« and an example of DSB’s intensifying international traffic.
He is pleased that international customers will now ride a train that is a noticeable improvement compared to the type it replaces.
»It means a lot for DSB. It emphasizes a realistic alternative to other modes of transport and is an important step in the green transition«, says Jens Visholm Uglebjerg. He hopes the new trains will offer a good experience that inspires travelers to choose the train in other contexts as well.
International focus
The route to Hamburg is DSB’s only international route. Until the premiere of Talgo’s EuroCity carriers, it has been served by aging German IC1 train sets, whose heyday dates back to the mid-1980s. The type without power outlets, Wi-Fi, and window blinds.
But one thing is the shift from outdated equipment to brand-new carriers. Another is that DSB has simultaneously experienced growing interest in traveling by train across Europe. The number of transnational passengers increased by 22 percent from 2023 to 2024 and by seven percent this year.
Moreover, the route between Copenhagen and Hamburg is the second most popular among the approximately 1.2 million international travelers who traveled with an interrail pass in 2024.
Initially, DSB has received eight of the total 16 ordered train sets, which are now gradually being put into operation. The last eight are expected to be delivered in 2026 and 2027. Although the train can run faster than its predecessor, it does not reduce travel time. This will only happen once the Fehmarn Belt opens sometime in the future.
Bright and light interior
Upon departure, a group of train lobbyists is also present with a banner. ’New climate-friendly train abroad!’, it reads, and Poul Kattler, chairman of the Council for Sustainable Transport and part of the editorial team at Udlandstog.dk, says:
»We were also here when the IC1s began running, celebrating DSB’s start of electric operation on the route and the 50 percent increase in departures. Now we’re here to celebrate DSB’s commitment to serving passengers with more focus on international travel. They must stick to this. And also extend the route to Oslo and later to Amsterdam.«
According to Jens Visholm Uglebjerg, there are no specific dates yet for opening routes to either Oslo or Amsterdam. But it is being worked on.
Inside the train, the design is bright and light with various shades of gray. Some might say it has particular Scandinavian traits with its clean, understated style. The train runs relatively quietly. And everything works except for some carriers being steaming hot while others are cool and temperate. Something is not quite right with the temperature control.
In addition to a considerable number of DSB employees, many expectant train enthusiasts, journalists and photographers, there are also 150 regular passengers on board for the departure.
Praise from passengers
Most are enthusiastic about the new train. Among them is German Cureen H., who has taken the trip to Copenhagen once a month for the past two years to visit friends. Today, she is on her way home to the Ruhr area in western Germany, where she lives, and she had no idea that a different train than the one she usually rides was waiting for her.
»It’s really good,« she says, giving a thumbs-up.
In fact, it’s so nice that she thought she had accidentally entered first class.
»It’s a huge upgrade from what was before,« she says, referring to the IC1s.
Friederike Krien is on her way home to Hanover and is also positively surprised.
»It’s very nice and lovely. There are power outlets (which were not available to all passengers on the IC1s, ed.) and small displays on the seats showing whether they are vacant or occupied. It’s a good experience.«
Tyge Tiessen thinks it’s nice that the train is more comfortable, but something else is fundamentally more important to him.
»That the train runs on time and that there’s space on board.«
German Tyge Tiessen has lived in Denmark for 10 years and uses the Copenhagen-Hamburg route several times a year. He says the new Talgo train feels like a mix of the German high-speed ICE and a classic Danish train. Comfort is good, according to his assessment.
»And you can smell that it’s new,« he says, pointing to his nose.
