Overview
- From December 14, the Flughafenexpress switches to the new route from Hauptbahnhof via Potsdamer Platz and Südkreuz to BER every 15 minutes, cutting Hbf–BER to about 23 minutes and Südkreuz–BER to 14.
- After months of work, the Anhalter Bahn reopens with ICE times dropping to roughly 1:07 between Berlin and Halle and about 1:15 to Leipzig, with Wittenberg regaining long-distance stops and Erfurt trips shortened to just over 1:30.
- New regional services debut, including the hourly RE20 between Berlin Hauptbahnhof, BER and Lübbenau (with limited trips to Cottbus) and the RE30 that reinforces Berlin–Stralsund in a two-hourly pattern.
- S-Bahn changes include retiring the S45 to the airport, launching the S85 to BER, extending the S47 to Südkreuz and increasing frequency on the S46.
- From January 1, average fares in the VBB area rise about 6 percent and several ticket types are discontinued, including the annual pass, 7-day card and the 65plus ticket.