Overview

• The new national timetable takes effect on 14 December 2025, with tickets available to book from 15 October.
• High‑speed half‑hourly service expands from about 900 to 2,300 kilometers, including a new Berlin–Stuttgart Sprinter and an hourly Berlin–Munich Sprinter running in under four hours.
• Low‑demand links are pared back, with Leipzig–Nürnberg via Jena reduced to two daily IC pairs per direction and long‑distance stops removed in Lübeck and Berchtesgaden, while some direct routings such as Hamburg–Vienna are discontinued.
• DB will standardize line patterns, stop sequences and train types on key routes to cut complexity, and the new ICE L begins debut service between Berlin and Cologne with level boarding and a 230 km/h top speed.
• Major corridor overhauls in 2026 will trigger months‑long closures, including Hamburg–Berlin until 30 April and the Hagen–Wuppertal–Köln and Nürnberg–Regensburg axes from early February to mid‑July.