Berlin, October 14th, 2026 (The Berlin Spectator) – Deutsche Bahn (DB) has presented its schedule for 2027, which takes effect on December 13th. Tickets can be booked starting today through bahn.de, the DB Navigator app, travel centers and agencies. Prices are supposed to remain stable.
DB says rail stays an affordable alternative to cars and planes while fuel is expensive. Michael Peterson, the board member responsible for long-distance passenger transport, described the plan as “a strong offer for everyone”, adding that it includes fast Sprinter trains between major cities and more connections to other European countries.
Following several major construction projects this year, the Berlin–Hamburg route returns to a half-hourly service, with travel times of about one hour and 45 minutes to two hours. The Sprinter between Berlin and Stuttgart will run three times daily in each direction instead of once. The trains need 4 hours and 45 minutes and stop only in Nuremberg. They leave Berlin at 8:12 a.m., 12:12 p.m. and 4:12 p.m..
Vienna and Warsaw
Travelers heading east gain options as well. The Eurocity to Warsaw will run daily, including Saturdays, departing Berlin at 5:50 p.m. A Railjet from Vienna via Prague will continue beyond Dresden to Berlin, arriving at 9:33 p.m. From December 19th, two ICE pairs per day will again link Berlin directly with Regensburg, Passau, Linz and Vienna. Direct ICE service returns between Berlin and Jena, and the Baltic Sea coast gets more through trains, including a daily ICE to Rostock and Waren (Müritz) and two-hourly Intercity trains all the way to Warnemünde.
Rail work will continue at record levels. On the Berlin–Hanover axis, only three ICE trains per direction can run within two hours throughout 2027. Detours via Potsdam, Magdeburg and Braunschweig add roughly 80 minutes, which brings Berlin to Cologne to about five and a half hours. The Sprinter trains to Cologne and Bonn cannot return yet.
Between February 6th and May 14th and again from August 14th, work between Frankfurt and Erfurt will eliminate the Berlin–Frankfurt Sprinters. Hourly ICE trains will then need 4 hours and 30 to 40 minutes. From May 15th to at least July 30th, no long-distance trains will run between Rostock and Schwerin. Even sooner, from October 16th to December 11th, work at Berlin-Spandau station will add 35 to 45 minutes to Hamburg trips and interrupt direct service to Copenhagen.
Families and Commuters
In the meantime, DB is making its family ticket permanent. It becomes bookable again on October 26th for travel from November 1st. For 99.99 Euro, up to five people can make a round trip in second class anywhere in Germany, seat reservations included. From October 21st, monthly and student monthly passes for long-distance trains without a subscription will cost 25 percent less. Groups can now reserve the Sparpreis Gruppe fare online without obligation for up to 14 days.