Venice lifts ban on DB trains
Those who wanted to begin their holiday in Italy in recent months by travelling on Deutsche Bahn (DB) or Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) trains were generally out of luck, or had to put up with a number of inconveniences. In December 2010, URSF, the Italian authority responsible for rail transport, informed DB and ÖBB that their trains would no longer be permitted to stop at stations in Italy, and that the ban would take effect immediately. After protracted negotiations, DB and ÖBB on the one hand and URSF on the other reached a compromise, but the ban remained in place for the two destinations Venice and Padua.
Die Deutsche Bahn bietet ab sofort wieder Zugverbindungen ab/bis Venedig.
Date: 30/09/2026
From now on, trains operated by DB and ÖBB may once again stop at Venice-Mestre and Padua stations, ÖBB announced on Monday. No details were initially given about the reasons for URSF’s change of heart, although this is likely to be of only secondary importance to many train travellers from Germany and/or Austria. With immediate effect, DB and ÖBB can therefore resume their direct services over the Alps to Italy, for example to and from Munich, without any disruption. Until now, the trains had to terminate in Verona at the latest, meaning that passengers had to travel the rest of the way to Venice by bus.
Travelling by train is an especially good option for a holiday in Venice, as the lagoon city on the Adriatic is largely closed to motor traffic. Anyone wishing to book a hotel in Venice city centre therefore had to either arrive by train or park their car outside the city. The usual alternative was to stay in hotels in Venice’s suburbs, which meant commuting every day between the accommodation and the main sights.
Kai Rebmann
Photo: Markus Lenk
