A Urlaubs-Express train arriving at the station in St. Anton am Arlberg

The Urlaubs-Express is a brand of the Train4you group of companies based in Cologne, with which the MSM Group is also closely associated.
The MSM Group has been organising group travel and events since 2002, operating a ticket distribution system and offering complete solutions for special train charters since 2006.

In 2015, MSM took over ownership of over 70 passenger coaches and handed them over to Train4you for management and operational handling. With this fleet of vehicles, consisting of couchette and sleeper cars, on-board restaurants, club cars, car transport and baggage cars, Train4you is Germany’s largest private charter train provider.

Our employees – our locations

Our approximately 70 employees at the ServiceCenter in Cologne and at our operational locations in Hamburg and Düsseldorf ensure that everything runs smoothly on our trains, both in the seasonal motorail business and on charter services.

In 2023, Train4you and MSM together provided around 14 million passenger kilometers of service.

Independence and quality

In doing so, both Train4you and the MSM Group always place a high value on remaining independent throughout the entire value chain and on remaining at least partially involved with their own personnel and capacities, e.g. also in:

  • maintenance
  • Laundry and goods logistics
  • vehicle loading
  • traction
  • train crew

In this way, the companies not only ensure continuity but also quality.

A train from the Urlaubs-Express arriving at the station
Vacation Express car train at Cologne Central Station
The Urlaubs-Express logo
Loading motorcycles onto the Holiday Express
Vacation Express car train at Düsseldorf Central Station

Strong partnerships

Nevertheless, we also need strong partners.

  • We offer our sales partners attractive commission rates.
  • We are always looking for long-term collaboration with our technical service providers.
  • We are always open to new and unconventional projects and strategies.

Please feel free to contact us at any time!

Our commitment to the privatised rail market

  • Train4you and MSM are clearly committed to the privatised railway market.
  • We are fighting tirelessly against market discrimination by state-funded railways and the railway infrastructure companies controlled by these market participants.

We believe in the future of the railway as the most climate-friendly mode of transport and demand:

  • Ending the structural and financial discrimination against the railways.
  • Reducing bureaucracy in the railway.

Why Cologne?

And finally:
It’s no coincidence that Train4you and MSM are both based in Cologne. They are kölsch.

What exactly does that mean?
The best way to find out the answer is to simply get to know us.

THE COMPANY – PROJECTS

The beginnings

  • 2006: Organisation of special trains for fans from Mexico and Brazil travelling to the Football World Cup in Germany.
  • Winter 2006/2007: operational implementation of the ‘Schnee-Express’ tourist train from Hamburg via Cologne to the Austrian ski resorts.
  • 2015: Operational implementation of the car-carrying train between Düsseldorf and Verona.
  • Winter 2015 – summer 2016: Daily special trains for the Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure.
  • 12 May 2017: Maiden voyage of the Train4you Holiday Express (Hamburg – Verona).
    • First summer season: services to Verona, Villach, Munich and Lörrach.

Expansion and innovation

  • 2018: Expansion of the car travel and night train programme:
    • Inclusion of the Düsseldorf site with connections to Munich, Innsbruck and Villach.
  • 2018: Catering services for Urlaubs-Express, FlixTrain and BahnTouristik-Express at the Hamburg-Altona location.
  • Since 2018: Implementation of sketch trains:
    • Hamburg – St. Anton am Arlberg (incl. car transport Hamburg – Munich).
    • Münster – St. Anton am Arlberg.

New offers and RU status

  • 2020: Introduction of the Urlaubs-Express day train Cologne – Westerland/Sylt.
  • 2021: Acquisition of railway undertaking (RU) status
    • Independent operation of national transport services.
  • Summer 2021: Night train service between Basel and the Baltic resort of Binz, with car transport between Lörrach and Hamburg.
  • Summer 2022: Extension of the Binz train with a Munich – Ostseebad Binz wing train with vehicle transport Munich – Hamburg.
  • From 2023: the only German provider of international car transport trains.

Outlook

  • 2025: Planned operation of 150 national and international car transport trains.

Regular special trains

  • Party trains: Women’s Carnival (Cologne), Amsterdam, Norderney, Oktoberfest (Munich).
  • Advent trains: Christmas markets in Lübeck and Hamburg.
  • DFB Cup final in Berlin: special trains for fans and VIPs.
Our references