German railways (DB) unveiled the main features of a 2026 timetable, which enters into force on December 14. This increase in long -distance services for half an hour, the expansion of high -speed running services, the introduction of new ICE L trains and a significant increase in cross -border services.
“We are expanding our timetable in a targeted manner, taking into account the demand and the ability of the rail network,” says Michael Peterson, a member of the DB Board of Directors to transport passengers at a long distance. “We are pleased that despite the planned engineering works, we will be able to maintain a large size in the services in 2026, on a record level in the previous year.”
DB will double more than twice the high -speed network from 900 km to 2300 km, serving 21 cities including Berlin, Irfurt, Haley, Hamburg, Hanover and Casail, all of which will benefit from services half an hour.
The roads between the North and the South linking Hamburg with Frankfurt (main) and Berlin with Munich with 14 new ice running service will be strengthened. The new SPRINTER service in Berlin – Nuremberg – reduces the time of the previous trip for one hour, and achieve a 45 -minute standard between the two cities.
The long-awaited trains of the trains that were placed in the locomotive, which are currently determined by Talgo, which recently received a license to work in German this summer, will appear at Berlin-Cologne Services. As of May 1, 2026, after the completion of the comprehensive renewal of the Hamburg -Berlin’s main line, ICE L trains will continue to Westerland (Sylt) from Berlin, and from mid -July onwards, the new fleet will also continue from Frankfurt/Cologne to Westerland, as well as between Dortmund and Obstrof.
More services across the border
The number of services across the border will increase significantly, with about 40 new trains or extending across the border per day. Starting in May, new services will begin between Prague and Copenhagen via Dresden, Berlin and Hamburg. This will also lead to up to four additional trains per day between Hamburg and Copenhagen, depending on the season. For the first time, starting in September, there will be four daily ice services between Colonia and Anwirb via Brussels Airport.
DB says that new services come because they simplify the purchase of trips tickets outside Germany. Austrian travel tickets, Switzerland, on high -speed TGV and Eurostar trains through the DB website and the DB Navigator app, and DB say that services tickets in other European countries say “will be available soon.”
Ice unification
The most crowded, DB says it unifies departure and destination stations, intermediate stops, and time periods whenever possible. It aims to ensure that each path is run by ICE trains of the same series, to improve reliability and service stability. For the same reason, DB will now avoid dividing or joining snow trains from two units on the road, because this was a frequent cause of delay.
