Timetable change adds new connections in the capital region

From December, Deutsche Bahn is introducing a new timetable - including the Berlin-Paris connection. (archive photo)

The new rail timetable offers travelers in the capital region additional and better connections on long-distance and regional services.

This includes six additional Sprinter ICE trains to and from Frankfurt. They run between the capital and the Main metropolis in around four hours without stopping at Hanover and Fulda. This means that the Sprinters, if on time, are around 20 minutes faster on the route than the regular long-distance trains.

Direct connection between Berlin and Paris

However, the focus of the new Deutsche Bahn timetable is on international connections. Back in September, Deutsche Bahn announced a direct connection between Berlin and Paris, which will be part of the timetable change. The first train will depart from Berlin on Monday. A long-distance train will then run between the two capitals once a day.

More trains to and from Poland

"This means that there are a total of three transfer-free EC journeys per day and direction between Berlin, Wroclaw and Krakow," the railroad announced. The new timetable also includes a new ICE overnight connection between Berlin and Switzerland.

Changes also in regional transport in the capital region

An additional direct train between Berlin and Saarbrücken will be added to the domestic connections. A second daily direct train will also run between Bremen and the capital. Deutsche Bahn is also expanding the service between Rostock and Berlin. A new morning ICE train will run from Warnemünde/Rostock to Stuttgart via Leipzig, Erfurt and Frankfurt. Hydrogen-powered trains will be used for the first time when the timetable changes in Brandenburg. They will run on the so-called Heidekrautbahn between Berlin and Groß Schönebeck and Schmachtenhagen from December 15, as announced by the Berlin-Brandenburg Transport Association.

Frequencies are being increased on many routes

In addition to the new drives, the VBB is also increasing its services. The RB27 on the Heidekrautbahn, for example, will run five times a day to and from Berlin-Gesundbrunnen, instead of only occasionally as before. On many lines in the East Brandenburg network, trains will run longer at off-peak times, for example on the RB35, the RB36 or the RB54.On other lines, frequencies are being increased. From mid-December, trains on the RB25 line between Berlin and Werneuchen will run twice an hour instead of once. The frequency will also be doubled on the RB26 between Berlin and Müncheberg. ODEG, on the other hand, is putting a new regional train line into operation in Brandenburg: the new RB17 will run as an additional connection between Ludwigslust and Wismar.

New timetable applies from this Sunday

With the change, Deutsche Bahn is also increasing ticket prices for flexi-tickets by around 5.9 percent. However, Spar and Superspar prices as well as the Bahncard 25 and 50 discount season tickets will remain stable. In turn, the VBB is increasing prices for local transport in Berlin and Brandenburg from January. On average, tickets in the network will cost around 7.5 percent more.