Deutsche Bahn (DB) rail services in combination with Condor flights can no longer be booked via the GDS after DB terminated its agreement with distributor W2.
The change affects Condor’s Rail & Fly services as well as codeshare rail connections.
Egypt rail link targets 2027
Egypt’s new rail corridor connecting the Red Sea and the Mediterranean is expected to begin passenger services in July 2027, providing an alternative for movements disrupted by insecurity in the Red Sea.
The 660km line will connect Ain Sokhna on the Red Sea with Alexandria and Marsa Matrouh on the Mediterranean, passing through the Cairo region, according to TravelMole. Twenty-one stations are planned.
The initial fleet will comprise 15 high-speed trains and 34 regional trains. High-speed trains will be capable of reaching 250km/h, while regional services will operate at up to 160km/h.
Further lines are planned to connect the Cairo region with Abu Simbel and serve Red Sea destinations including Hurghada and Safaga.
Italo expands network
Italian rail operator Italo is expanding its network with new connections to Parma and seasonal rail-and-coach services to alpine destinations including Cortina d’Ampezzo, Aosta and Courmayeur.
The Parma service will connect the city with Turin, Milan, Bologna, Florence, Rome, Naples and Salerno via high-speed rail and Itabus coach links, bookable on a single ticket. Italo will operate six services in each direction.
For the winter season, Italo has launched two daily services to Cortina d’Ampezzo. Travellers can book the train and connecting coach in a single transaction, travelling from Rome, Florence, Bologna, Vicenza, Verona, Brescia or Milan to Mestre station. A dedicated coach then serves Longarone, Tai di Cadore and San Vito di Cadore before reaching Cortina.
A similar service will link Aosta and Courmayeur with Naples, Rome, Florence, Bologna and Milan, with two daily connections.
DB expands international rail services
Deutsche Bahn (DB) will increase international connections and domestic high-speed services in its 2027 timetable, effective December 13, 2026. Long-distance ticket prices will remain unchanged.
The German rail operator will offer more than 320 international train services daily, connecting more than 200 cities in 14 countries directly with Germany, according to TravelMole.
Through a partnership with Trenitalia, Munich will gain direct Frecciarossa high-speed services to Milan and Rome, from summer 2027.
From March next year, Hamburg-Copenhagen services will operate every two hours from 07h00, with seven departures daily in each direction throughout the year and up to 10 during peak summer.
Stuttgart-Paris will gain an evening connection in each direction, bringing the total to six daily services each way. Hamburg-Amsterdam will have up to four direct trains daily in each direction.
A new Hamburg-Munich ICE Sprinter will operate three times daily in each direction, taking five hours and 20 minutes. Berlin-Stuttgart Sprinter services will increase from one to three daily departures each way.
Infrastructure work will affect some routes during 2027. Direct ICE services between North Rhine-Westphalia and Berlin will continue at least hourly during construction, but journeys will take approximately 80 minutes longer.
DB has also introduced more flexible conditions for its Sparpreis Gruppe fare for groups of six or more. Since October 1, customers have been able to hold an online reservation free of charge for 14 days when booking at least 60 days before departure.
For bookings made at least 30 days before departure, groups can pay a deposit of €6 (R110) per person, per direction, instead of the full fare upfront.
