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New long-distance train timetable for railways: improvements in the north


Photo: Deutsche Bahn AG, Martin Busbach

Osnabrück / Berlin. The new timetable will apply from Sunday, December 15th. Many travelers in the north benefit from the change of timetable. Advance sales for the new timetable offer start on October 15th.

The most important timetable improvements at a glance:

More ICE between Hamburg and Cologne

DB is expanding its range by two to three to up to five ICE / IC trains per day and direction in addition to the hourly ICE / IC trains. These enable further connection-free connections for Hamburg from / to Essen, Duisburg, Düsseldorf and Cologne. In Hamburg, the new almost daily departures to NRW at 11:53 a.m. and 6:12 p.m. and arrivals from NRW at 2:05 p.m., 4:05 p.m. and 9:46 p.m.

The evening ICE from Hamburg (6.12 p.m.) to Essen, Duisburg, Dusseldorf and Cologne (9.45 p.m.) runs as a sprinter without further stops with a particularly fast travel time, for example from three hours to Düsseldorf. The midday journey from Hamburg to Cologne also stops in Bremen at 12.52 p.m.

In total, there are up to 22 trips per day and direction between Hamburg and Cologne via Düsseldorf or Wuppertal. More and more of these journeys are being switched from IC to more comfortable ICE in the course of the timetable. The share of ICE Hamburg – Cologne increases from around 20 to 50 percent. In total, ICE trains will run on this axis almost every two hours.

Every night with the IC from Hamburg / Berlin to Zurich

The DB is also expanding its offering in night traffic from the change of timetable. In cooperation with the ÖBB, there is a new intercity night connection on the Zurich – Berlin and Zurich – Hamburg routes. The night ICs run on these routes in conjunction with the classic ÖBB night trains. In this context, the usual DB tariffs apply e.g. DB saver prices, Bahncard discounts, Bahncard 100 and IC / ICE route time cards.

In the north-south direction these connections are now offered via Bremen, in the south-north direction via Lüneburg. These connections also enable IC connections on the edge of the day that do not require a change, for example in the evening from Berlin, Potsdam and Magdeburg to Braunschweig and Göttingen, and in the morning from Hanover and Lüneburg to Hamburg.

Additional direct connection between Osnabrück and Berlin

Monday to Friday and Sunday, an IC from Berlin and Hanover is new at 7:08 p.m. in Osnabrück to Gelsenkirchen, Düsseldorf and Cologne. In the opposite direction, an IC from Cologne, Neuss and Gelsenkirchen will continue to Hanover and Berlin from November 2, 2020 with additional trains available from Monday to Friday at 10:54 a.m. from Osnabrück.

As of June 15, 2020, an IC from Berlin (7.59 a.m.) and Hanover (9.56 a.m.) to Osnabrück (arrival at 11.06 a.m.) and further Cologne will only be operating on Mondays to Fridays to a comfortable ICE. It also runs on Saturdays.

At the weekend a total of eleven additional IC journeys on the Cologne – Hanover – Leipzig axis

For example, travelers have From Braunschweig in the late afternoon in the future, there will also be free IC trains to Bremen and Emden (3.49 p.m. and 5.49 p.m.) and from Braunschweig and Hanover to Cologne on Sunday mornings (8.49 a.m. and 10.49 a.m.) and to Magdeburg / Leipzig (9.10 a.m. and 10.10 a.m.) .

New ICE connections at noon on the Berlin – Braunschweig – Frankfurt Airport line

The DB closes previous gaps in the offer at noon in the week. An ICE from Berlin via Braunschweig (12.59 p.m.), Hildesheim (13.21 p.m.) and Göttingen (13.53 p.m.) to Frankfurt Airport or in the opposite direction from Frankfurt Airport via Göttingen (14.08 p.m.) Hildesheim (2:37 p.m.) and Braunschweig (3:02 p.m.) to Berlin. As a result, there are more ICE-free trains to and from Berlin or Frankfurt every hour for these cities than ever before.

Three pairs of IC trains from Hamburg to Copenhagen all year round

Due to increasing construction work with replacement rail traffic in Denmark, the IC trains on the Hamburg – Copenhagen line (previously via Lübeck – Puttgarden – Rødby) will be diverted via the mainland route via Padborg for the next few years. This means that connections can be offered all year round with a consistently fast travel time of around 4 hours 40 minutes. There are three journeys per day and direction with Danish IC3 trains all year round, but the use of longer trains means that the overall capacity is as high as before with up to six journeys per day and direction in the high season. The stopover in Schleswig-Holstein is still being examined.

Overall, there is a two-hour connection between Hamburg and Copenhagen, either directly or with a change in Fredericia from / to the trains on the Hamburg-Arhus line.

Around Christmas and in high summer (June 19/20, to August 16/17), there is an IC direct connection between Hamburg and Copenhagen overnight. New is the stop in Kiel (departure 1.29 a.m. to Copenhagen / arrival 4.55 a.m. from Copenhagen) and Flensburg (departure 2.50 a.m.) to Copenhagen / arrival 3.40 a.m. from Copenhagen).

For Ostholstein there are still individual ICE trains Lübeck – Munich and IC connections Fehmarn – Lübeck – Cologne. With the completion of the fixed link across the Fehmarnbelt, it will be direct, more frequent and faster between Hamburg and Copenhagen.

After the extensive renovation of the high-speed line between Hanover and Göttingen, the trains will operate as usual from the change of timetable.

The new connections will be incorporated into the electronic media in good time and can be booked from October 15th. Information is available on the Internet at bahn.de, in the DB Navigator, at DB travel centers, DB agencies and the telephone travel service on 01806 99 66 33 (20 cents per call, mobile phone max. 60 cents).


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