The new Deutsche Bahn (DB) timetable, set to take effect this Sunday, will introduce significant changes for rail passengers in northern Germany. While major cities, especially Hamburg, will see an increase in faster and more frequent train services, some less-trafficked routes will experience service reductions. The passenger association Pro Bahn has expressed concerns, stating that the changes bring “more shadow than light” for Lower Saxony.
Expanded ICE Sprinter Network and Increased Capacity
Deutsche Bahn announced a significant expansion of its ICE Sprinter network. More high-speed trains with shorter travel times will operate between Hamburg and Frankfurt am Main, making only a single stop in Hanover. This aims to connect Hamburg with Southern Germany at half-hourly intervals.
The Hamburg-Hanover corridor will also benefit from the deployment of longer ICE 4 trains, providing more seating capacity for passengers. Flensburg, Braunschweig, and Hildesheim are set to receive new daily direct connections to Frankfurt Airport. Furthermore, the train splitting in Bremen for ICE services between Hamburg and Munich, which frequently caused delays, will be eliminated. Bremen will now also have three daily direct connections to Berlin and to Frankfurt/Karlsruhe via Hanover.
Passengers from Wolfsburg will gain additional direct connections to the Rhine/Neckar region. Kiel will see its daily ICE services to Stuttgart increase from three to six. However, due to rising costs, DB will discontinue some low-demand connections. Consequently, long-distance trains will no longer stop in Lübeck, Bad Bevensen, Hanover-Langenhagen, and Peine.
New Connections to North Frisia and the Baltic Sea
DB will also add up to five daily trains between Hamburg and Cologne, often with half-hourly intervals, with some extending to and from Westerland on Sylt. Starting in July 2026, two daily ICE trains will run from Osnabrück and Bremen to Stralsund and Binz on Rügen, as well as Greifswald.
The new 2026 timetable marks the introduction of the ICE L, DB’s first barrier-free high-speed train. From May, this new train will operate between Berlin, Hamburg, and Westerland on Sylt, and from mid-July, it will also connect North Rhine-Westphalia and Frankfurt am Main directly to Germany’s northernmost island. Brand new ICE connections will also be established between Stralsund and Frankfurt am Main, and between Binz and Saarbrücken.
Temporary Closures and Construction Works
A crucial date for travelers and commuters in northern Germany is May 1st next year, when the Berlin-Hamburg line is expected to reopen after a complete general overhaul. Until then, the route remains fully closed, with replacement buses operating between the Hamburg metropolitan region and Schwerin, the capital of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, until April 30th.
Once the Berlin line reopens, extensive construction work will begin on the Hamburg-Hanover line, lasting from May 1st to July 10th, as part of DB’s “Quality Offensive.” This will impact regional traffic, particularly in Lower Saxony, where passengers should anticipate longer travel times and more transfers. Pro Bahn warns of a “tough time” ahead for commuters.
Pro Bahn’s Critique and Praises
Malte Diehl, state chairman of Pro Bahn, stated that the biggest deteriorations are found on the Hamburg-Hanover axis, even beyond the “Quality Offensive,” seeing “more shadow than light” for rail customers in Lower Saxony. He noted that four key commuter trains on the RB31 line (Hamburg-Winsen-Lüneburg) will no longer be able to depart south from Hamburg Central Station but will instead start from Hamburg-Harburg. Diehl attributes this to “long-distance trains being in the way and blocking the too few tracks.”
However, Pro Bahn also acknowledges improvements, particularly the enhanced connectivity for East Frisia. The RE1 line (Norddeich Mole-Bremen-Hanover) will offer an additional early morning service from Emden to Norddeich Mole from Monday to Saturday, allowing passengers to catch the first ferry to Norderney. Evening services will also be extended. Diehl praised this as a “positive development,” but cautioned that “significantly more service expansions would be needed to achieve transport policy goals. The federal and state governments are not living up to their responsibilities.”
Changes in Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg
In Schleswig-Holstein, regional express trains between Kiel and Hamburg, and Lübeck and Hamburg, will now run at half-hourly intervals. Between Elmshorn and Hamburg Central Station, four trains per hour will operate, which the local transport association nah.sh describes as an S-Bahn-like frequency. From Tornesch and Pinneberg, there will now be two trains per hour to Hamburg Central Station.
The Hamburg public transport network (HVV) will also enhance its services with a new night bus network, aiming to better connect many city districts. Metrobus lines 3, 4, 5, 7, 10, 11, and 17 will now operate around the clock. However, the general overhaul of the Hamburg-Berlin connection will result in the elimination of long-distance stops in Bergedorf.
International Connections and Booking Simplification
International travelers will also experience changes. The direct ICE connection between Hamburg and Vienna will be discontinued. Instead, from May 1st, a daily ICE will run from Hamburg via Berlin to Innsbruck, Austria. A new connection from Prague via Hamburg to Copenhagen with the Czech ComfortJet is also planned. Furthermore, direct services from Flensburg to Dresden and Prague will be introduced.
However, direct connections from the Förde region to North Rhine-Westphalia and further to Zurich have been canceled. The night train service from Berlin via Hamburg to Stockholm, operated by Swedish Railways (SJ), is also facing uncertainty, with media reports suggesting its discontinuation next year due to a lack of government funding. The restart of the train connection between Bremen and Groningen in the Netherlands is expected to be delayed until mid-next year.
For all international travelers, booking is set to become easier. In addition to long-distance trains from Austrian and Swiss Railways, many inner-French TGV connections and Eurostar tickets can now be booked directly through Deutsche Bahn.
Beyond the extra-long ICE, other new, modern train models will be deployed on German tracks. The Swiss Giruno will connect the Alpine country, and Danish Talgo trains will link southern Scandinavia with Hamburg, complementing existing ICE services.
No General Price Increase
In positive news for passengers, Deutsche Bahn will not implement a general price increase with this timetable change, a departure from previous years. While the Deutschlandticket will see an increase from 58 to 63 euros per month starting January 1st, DB has opted to forgo broader price hikes this year.
Further details on the new timetable are available on the Deutsche Bahn website.
Source: https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/info/fahrplanwechsel-bei-der-bahn-was-sich-fuer-reisende-im-norden-aendert,bahnfahrplan-104.html
