Overview

• Tickets are now on sale for journeys from 14 December, with bookings possible up to 12 months in advance.
• Core corridors gain more capacity as ICE trains link 21 cities in a half-hourly pattern and new faster sprinter runs shorten travel times.
• The new plan removes or reduces long-distance stops in several smaller hubs, including Lübeck, Göppingen, Lippstadt and Hamburg-Bergedorf, and trims service on Leipzig–Nürnberg via Jena.
• DB says low occupancy, punctuality targets and infrastructure constraints drove the changes; Lübeck’s mayor pledged protest as the city expects years without Fernverkehr before the Fehmarnbelt route is available.
• Entry prices for Spar-, Flex- and BahnCard products remain unchanged, and a 12% online discount applies to national Spar and Super Spar tickets from 17–21 October.