Free – DSB’s new Talgo trains begin commercial service on Hamburg–Copenhagen route

On November 3rd, DSB began operating their new Talgo 230 trains in passenger services. IC 396 from Hamburg to Copenhagen, and the return-service IC 397, were the first passenger trains with Denmark’s newest rolling stock.

In Hamburg and Copenhagen press events have been held before the departures, Jens Visholm, sales director of DSB comments:

“This is an important milestone. In recent years, we have seen a growing interest in international train travel. From 2023 to 2024, the number of passengers increased by 22 percent, and this growth continues. We are therefore looking forward to welcoming many passengers on the new trains.”

The new Talgo sets offer a modern travelling experience with WIFI, power sockets, a spacious interior, designated areas for strollers and bikes as well as a PRM-compliant section and toilet. It is the first time a train offering level access throughout the whole set is introduced which can be entered without steps on 76 cm platforms.

The sets start operations in a 15-car configuration with two end cars, the cab-control cars from a later call-off will be introduced later in 2026 and start operating in push-pull configuration in 2028. Each train will run with a Siemens Vectron locomotive at each end.

DSB aims to strengthen their long-distance fleet as well as replacing around 30 year old IC3 MF series DMUs in international services and IR4 ER series EMUs on national connections. For a year international connections between Hamburg and Copenhagen have already been taken over by DSBs Vectron locomotives with German IC1 coaches, which are even older than the DMUs they have been replacing. The new Talgo sets will be gradually taking over and the IC1 coaches will we withdrawn from service on this relation.

Status of deliveries

DSB states that eight out of sixteen sets have been outshopped to Denmark with two end cars, which means that all 16 end-cars have already been delivered. Therefore it will be interesting to see how the cab-control cars will be delivered and connected to the sets. Due to Talgo’s unique concept of having two car-bodies connected over one wheelset, the control-cars can not be shipped individually. This means that either all sets have to go back to Spain to have their control-cars fitted or that the remaining eight sets might be outshopped with two cab-cars each and the sets are then dis- and reassembled in DSB’s workshops in Denmark.