Trains to Planes

Photo: Lufthansa and Deutsche Bahn are setting an example for how international airports should approach their relationship with trains. The red represents the current feeder train network and the green are additional services being added this year.

Trains to Planes in Germany and the Midwest

Lufthansa is working with German train operator Deutsche Bahn to run connecting trains to select major cities from Frankfurt International Airport. Deutsche Bahn will add direct trains to and from 6 new cities, adding to their already robust trip offerings from Frankfurt.

Current offerings include 134 daily feeder trains between 17 cities that connect passengers to city centers within 4 hours from Frankfurt Airport. This reduces the need for short-haul domestic flights which are a drain on resources and the environment. Demand for these flights in Germany were already waning before the pandemic as travelers were choosing trains over planes.

Lufthansa says these feeder trains will be treated as a connecting flight, meaning that in the case of delays, Lufthansa will rebook the passenger.

Harry Hohmeister, Member of the Executive Board of Deutsche Lufthansa AG, spoke directly to the benefits of this partnership:

“With this joint initiative, we are strengthening the offer of mobility in Germany, thus bolstering the local economy. By intelligently linking rail and air transport, we offer our customers a seamless and convenient travel network, benefiting consumers and the environment.”

Frequent connections and integrating travel between flights and trains creates a positive relationship between the forms of travel and benefits airlines, railroads and most importantly, travelers.

We are advocating for a similar relationship in the Midwest with our O’Hare Direct initiative.

O’Hare plays a similar role in the Midwest as Frankfurt Airport does in Germany, it is an international hub that is the Midwest’s gateway to the world. O’Hare has more international destinations than all other airports in the Midwest combined but today, getting there usually means a long car drive or a cramped regional flight. We all want a fast, reliable and stress free way to get to O’Hare.

Read more about our vision and how you can get involved!

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