Flixtrain: No Frills, Max Thrills

Introducing the Flixtrain

You may have heard about the Flixtrain. The Flixtrain is a train service that is marketed by Flixbus, in competition with Deutsche Bahn.

Maybe you've been wondering how to use them. It isn't straightforward, as the Flixtrains operate totally outside the normal rail ticketing systems.

This post is to clear all this up. When you have finished you will know everything you need to know about how to use Flixtrain.

Who are Flixbus, anyway?

In 2013 the German government, clutching at straws to support Germany's bloated and obsolete motor industry, deregulated long-distance coach travel by scrapping a law from 1935 (a Nazi law) that had made it very difficult to run long-distance coach services. This law was in place to protect the national rail operator.

It worked: coach companies mushroomed and there was a surge in orders for coaches.

Fast forward and the fastest and most furious start-up in the barrel has eaten up the competition and escaped: Flixbus. Now it is on a rampage across Europe and North America.

Flixbus see themselves as the Google of mass transit and only actually own one bus. They need it to call themselves a bus company. Flixbus work with subcontractors. Imagine Uber with buses. And now trains.

Where do the Flixtrains go?

Flixtrain is working diligently to expand its network. The carriages it uses (RIC standard gauge) can go almost everywhere in continental Europe. As I write, there are Flixtrain services in Germany and Sweden. Flixtrain came close to launching in France, but were frustrated by the insane track access charges.

Flixtrain in Germany

The Flixtrain lines in Germany now form a veritable network. There are five lines: 

• FLX 10: Berlin-Frankfurt-Stuttgart-Basel
• FLX 15: Hamburg-Frankfurt-Stuttgart
• FLX 20: Hamburg-Cologne
• FLX30: Leipzig/Dresden-Berlin-Hanover-Cologne-Aachen
• FLX35: Hamburg-Berlin-Leipzig

Bear in mind, these trains all link up with Flixbus services, so you can get a lot further using only Flix.

Flixtrain in Sweden

Flixtrain also has what it calls a network in Sweden. This is currently one line from Göteborg to Stockholm.

Onbord services offered by Flixtrain

Wireless Internet

Wireless internet is a Flixbus non-negotiable. When their buses started to run they were famous for it, and it is arguably Flixbus that forced Deutsche Bahn to get off its complacent arse and make free WiFi available on all ICE trains, even in second class - long after it was standard in such advanced places as Slovakia.

On a side note, something similar happened in Austria when the Westbahn went into service in 2011 - WiFi was their thang. Just a few months later, ÖBB discovered they could make WiFi work on their Railjets after all. 

Not only do they have WiFi, they also now have a reasonable entertainment portal with films and series.

Power for your devices

Another Flix-Must is sockets for charging your phone and laptop. All places are equipped with power outlets.

Seat reservations on Flixtrain

Flixtrain's seat numbering system reflects their coach mentality. It organises the seats into rows with numbers and seats A-D, like on a plane.

I didn't like it at first, but now I'm, like, whatever works.

Note that beyond the seat numbers there is no indication that any particular seat is reserved. There is no electronic display or paper slip showing if a seat is actually reserved

What are the Flixtrains like?

Flixtrain now runs with a fleet of over 100 refurbished intercity carriages. They are capable of seating 100 people per carriage and can go as fast as 200 km/h (125mph).

Proven and robust technology

The main frames and chassis of the carriages are built in the 1960s and 1970s. They received new interior design in the late 1980s from Deutsche Bundesbahn (the ceiling from that refurb is still there, albeit painted). Then Flixtrain had the old seating removed and replaced with tightly packed new rows of new seats. They also updated the panelling to today's colour preferences.

Thin and upright

The seats I find quite comfortable. Personally, I prefer them to the ones on the ICE4. They are thin and without any reclining function. Upholstery is grey cloth, not slippery. The headrest is green synthetic leather.

There is an arm rest, and each seat has a power outlet for your devices (see above).

The leg room is not overwhelming, but it is better than on most budget airlines. I'm 180cm tall, and here are my long legs.

Biological air conditioning with zero carbon footprint

One of the more unusual features of the Flixtrain is that it still has windows you can open - if only about 8 cm. Enough to let in fresh air, not enough for you to stick your head out.

In most Flixtrain carriages, this is the only ventilation there is. There is no air-conditioning. The good thing about this is that the a/c can't break down if it doesn't exist. Windows are a 100% dependable source of fresh air.

The problems begin in hot and humid weather. If you are trapped in a siding outside Darmstadt in the scorching sun, it gets uncomfortable. Even worse is if everyone gets on out of a summer rain and the windows are closed because it is coming down in buckets. Then it is like a greenhouse. 

Great! So how can I get Flixtrain tickets?

Flixtrain tickets are not sold by the usual railway ticket offices. In fact, as mentioned earlier, the Flixtrains operate completely outside the pan-European ticketing system. No DB tickets are valid on Flixtrains, no Eurail or Interrail passes.

The Flixtrain appears in DB Navigator and bahn.de searches. DB will even sell you tickets for itineraries that include the Flixtrain. BUT: No DB ticket is ever valid for the Flixtrain. Ever.

Buying Flixtrain tickets online

Flixtrain tickets are easiest bought online. 

Flixbus's ticketing system is wonderfully easy to use. You can buy tickets online on their website, or download the Flixtrain app from the Apple or Google Play store. You don't have to set up an account (though that does make future bookings easier) and Flix accepts all kinds of electronic payment.

You are issued with a QR code, either within the app, or as a ticket you can either print out or simply show on your mobile device. Having been on the inspecting end of this system, I have to hand it to Flixbus: it is a wonderful system, so easy to use. It is brilliant.

What I particularly like is that Flixbus has gone to the trouble of having its system in 35 European languages, including Macedonian and Catalan. You can even pay in Ukrainian Hryvnyas if you so choose.

Right. Any way of buying Flixtrain tickets offline?

I'm glad you ask. You can get Flixtrain tickets at most major coach-stations (bear with me). 

However, there is an increasing number of kiosks, newsagents and tobacconists that sell Flixbus and Flixtrain tickets. Look out for the Flixbus sign.

Another offline sales point is at Penny Markt. Penny is a German supermarket chain with a dense network of shops. It is more convenient to go to Penny than to the coach station.

So how much do Flixtrain tickets cost?

A more reasonable price span is €20-€50, depending on how early you book and how busy the train is.

Is Flixtrain really competition?

This is what I think of Flixtrains:

Carriages

Why it is viable

Flixbus's concept offers something that no other privately-run train operator has been able to muster: a train service that is part of a greater network. 

Deutsche Bahn's ICEs and ICs are fed by regional trains and S-Bahns, and Deutsche Bahn can sell you a reasonably priced ticket for the whole journey. They can even rent a car out to you at your destination.

Flixtrains are fed by, and feed, Flixbuses. Together they form a network. Flixbus can sell you a ticket that begins on a bus, goes on to a train, then back onto another bus. Though Flixtrains run isolated from the other trains, they are closely knit into the Flixbus network. And this generates the critical mass of passengers needed to sustain a train service.

The return of third class travel 

Deutsche Bahn's newest trains have soft LED-lighting that adjusts to the time of day even in the second class, fair trade coffee and organic salads. In doing so, they have left a huge market behind. 

Flixtrain is bringing back basic train travel, at a time when it is desperately needed. There is nothing wrong with that. In France, SNCF are doing the same with their OUIGO trains.

Lots of people welcome this - students, pensioners, even business travellers.

Flixtrain gets its people from one place to another reasonably comfortably, at a reasonable speed and at a reasonable price.

For this reason, it is hard to see Flixtrain as competition for Deutsche Bahn because a sizeable amount of the Flixtrain customers never used Deutsche Bahn's trains in the first place. 

Give it a try

Now we've reached the end of this post. I hope you have enjoyed it.

Flixtrain is one of the most exciting developments so far on the European fast-train market. In some countries like Austria, Italy and Czechia there is competition on the railways. I reviewed new Romanian operator Astra Trans Carpatic in another.

In Germany, so far, competition has failed. Germany, with its huge motor lobby, is a hostile environment for anyone wanting to run trains. Now Flixbus, of all people, have entered the train market with a singular focus on low prices, and combined with their extensive bus network it looks as if the Flixtrains have come to stay. At least for the next few years.