New train connection Prague - Berlin - Copenhagen starts May 2026

Suspicious, that date is a Friday and nobody introduces a new daily service on Fridays. And the trains already ran from Prague to Hamburg until the current line closure.

Not suspicious at all. Here is an official press release from DB: https://www.deutschebahn.com/de/presse/pressestart_zentrales_uebersicht/Die-Bahn-verbindet-Europa-ohne-Umstieg-von-Prag-ueber-Berlin-nach-Kopenhagen-13433132# And here is one from DSB: https://www.dsb.dk/om-dsb/presse/nyheder/tat-samarbejde-giver-direkte-tog-til-berlin-og-prag/

And why can't you introduce a new service on a friday?

Whether there will be further stops will be decided in the fall, the
company added.

According to DSB there will be stops in København H, Ringsted, Odense, Kolding, Padborg, Schleswig, Hamburg-Altona, Hamburg Dammtor, Hamburg Hbf, Berlin Hbf, Berlin Südkreuz, Dresden-Neustadt, Dresden Hbf, Bad Schandau, Dečín hl.n., Ústí nad Labem hl.n., Praha-Holešovice, Praha hl.n.

Suspicious, that date is a Friday

According to the Deutsche Bahn press release, the start date is Friday, May 1, 2026, i.e. on a “long” weekend when the train is sure to be in high demand. That should dispel the suspicion. In fact, the “new” connections will be created by linking existing Prague-Hamburg and Hamburg-Copenhagen connections; this has been known for some time.

We are still waiting for the Frankfurt - Nuremberg - Prague connection to be reintroduced.

Prague to Copenhagen in just 11 hours, amazing! Berlin to Copenhagen in 7 hours, equally amazing.

The Danish press release just says May, not which date.

The German press release says " Ab 1. Mai 2026, nach Abschluss der Generalsanierung " which could be read as following the completion of work. What I do know is that the press release will not have been written by a train planner. If it is just stitching together of two existing schedules (one of which is supended for the work) it would be easy, but not quite the time saving breakthrough that has been implied.

Berlin to Copenhagen in 7 hours isn't that amazing, it's about the same as driving and using the Rostock Gedser ferry. But in 2029 they should be able to divert via the Ferhmarn Tunnel and shorten the time considerably -whilst missing out almost all of the Danish intermediate stops in the DSB press release!

It would be interesting to know just what the market is for travel from Denmark to east of Berlin and vice versa.

I know the rule "Never deploy on Fridays!" from the European digital industry but I never heard something similar from transport businesses.

The Danish press release just says May, not which date.

Presumably DSB has had some experience with dates given by DB. And indeed, DB also says "Aufnahme der Verbindungen am 1. Mai 2026 geplant" (start of connections planned for May 1, 2026). Long-time DB customers understand this to mean “perhaps in summer 2026” anyway.

In addition, the existing night connection between Hamburg and Copenhagen in the summer season will be extended to Prague via Berlin and Dresden from 2026.

An important thing to note is that the current summertime overnight train Copenhagen-Hamburg is just regular daytime train that run during the night (no couchette or sleeper accommodation offered, only seats). I assume this specific service will also be operated by the same daytime trains from CD. Maybe(?) better than nothing, but I'll personally avoid this type of overnight travel in a daytime seat if I can.

DSB have similar ambitions to extend service from Copenhagen to Amsterdam (cooperation with DB and NS) and Copenhagen to Oslo (cooperation with Vy). No concrete plans yet, but we can hope. I believe they would run these services with the new DSB EuroCity coaches. They won't have a bistro/restaurant, which seems to be an odd choice for journeys that long - will be interesting to see if/how they solve that.

Prague to Copenhagen in just 11 hours, amazing! Berlin to Copenhagen
in 7 hours, equally amazing.

Glad to hear that you're that impressed by the new service. It will become even faster in a few years when the new tunnel opens.

It would be interesting to know just what the market is for travel
from Denmark to east of Berlin and vice versa.

It's not travelling that far east from Berlin, mostly south. But there probably is a bit of a market. For e.g. Copenhagen-Dresden, flying will probably be a bit faster, but for many a direct train will be a better option. And the train is probably the faster option Odense-Dresden. But time will tell.

Maybe(?) better than nothing, but I'll personally avoid this type of
overnight travel in a daytime seat if I can.

So do I, but I've used that kind of night trains a couple of times when they have been the least bad option, so I'm happy they exist.

DSB have similar ambitions to extend service from Copenhagen to
Amsterdam (cooperation with DB and NS) and Copenhagen to Oslo
(cooperation with Vy). No concrete plans yet, but we can hope. I
believe they would run these services with the new DSB EuroCity
coaches. They won't have a bistro/restaurant, which seems to be an odd
choice for journeys that long - will be interesting to see if/how they
solve that.

Probably by ignoring it. DSB hasn't believed in food on trains in decades. But we will see if it becomes a reality and when, the new coaches has been a bit delayed so far. But SJ have plans to run trains from Copenhagen to Oslo from 2027 using their new high speed trains, that have a bistro onboard.

Since a few days the Fehmarn Belt tunnel construction site is a new part of Legoland Billund with over 800,000 bricks.

DSB hasn't believed in food on trains in decades.

btw: Why? What is the problem to put a mobile hotdog and pølser stand into a train wagon?

This is actually not really a new train. What they are doing is joining an existing Prague - Berlin to an existing Berlin - Copenhagen service. So you are not going to be faster then before. The only thing that changes is that you are not longer changing trains in Berlin...

However since they plan on using CD ComfortJet consists it is going to be the best train on Hamburg - Copenhagen for a while...

Amsterdam to Copenhagen would be restoring a sorely missed long lost link for those of us who want to go to Norway or Sweden directly and efficiently without flying. Currently you have to overnight in Hamburg for most of the year. Then next day the day train misses the sleeper connections for Trondheim and Bergen in Oslo.
So it takes too long to get there. Granted I love Hamburg, just not as an enforced layover.
There used to be a DB City Nightline Amsterdam to Copenhagen night train, also the Harwich to Esbjerg and Newcastle to Bergen ferries.

Why? What is the problem to put a mobile hotdog and pølser stand into
a train wagon?

That is a very good question and I would like to know the answer myself. It sort of made sense 30 years ago when any longer train trip involved a ferry crossing or two, but nowadays it's harder to explain.

Then next day the day train misses the sleeper connections for
Trondheim and Bergen in Oslo.

Hopefully there will be sleepers from Stockholm to Trondheim in a few years, that might improve the options a bit further and save a bit of time compared to via Oslo.