New direct train to connect Oslo and Berlin via Gothenburg

Vy, DSB and Deutsche Bahn will launch a new direct train connection between Oslo and Berlin via Gothenburg, Malmö, Copenhagen and Hamburg in summer 2028. This is stated in a press release.

The initiative means two daily departures all year round and is intended to strengthen Gothenburg’s role as a hub for international rail travel onwards into Europe.

- It is fantastic that we are now putting in place a new, permanent long-distance rail connection between Oslo, Gothenburg, Malmö, Copenhagen, Hamburg and Berlin, says Vy chief executive Gro Bakstad.

The trains will be operated with Deutsche Bahn’s new ICE L carriages and will offer a restaurant car, family section and first class. Vy is responsible for staffing the section between Oslo and Copenhagen.

For travellers, the initiative means it will be possible to travel between the Nordic capitals and Berlin without changing trains.

- With the new international route from Berlin via Copenhagen to Malmö, Gothenburg and Oslo, we are linking northern Europe and three capitals by rail, says Michael Peterson of Deutsche Bahn.

It is the first time in more than 20 years that travellers can once again travel on the same train all the way between Oslo and Copenhagen. According to Vy, demand for international rail travel has increased sharply in recent years, while the company has gradually expanded services towards Sweden and the continent.

During 2024, Vy doubled the number of departures to Gothenburg, and in the summer of 2025 services onwards to Malmö were tested. From this year, regular departures will operate during weekends and holiday periods.

In the longer term, the companies also see opportunities to develop more direct trains from Scandinavia to major European cities.