Deutsche Bahn timetable: Hamburg–Munich sprinter in 5:20 hours, more trains abroad
From Dec. 13, Germany's rail operator will run more than 320 international trips a day. Ticket prices will not rise, but construction such as Berlin–Hanover adds travel time.
Archive image · Photo: Reinhold Möller Ermell / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Deutsche Bahn on Tuesday unveiled its 2027 timetable, which takes effect on Dec. 13. A new sprinter service between Hamburg and Munich will run three times a day in each direction, stopping only in Hanover and Nuremberg and taking 5 hours 20 minutes, about 20 minutes faster than now. Berlin–Stuttgart sprinters increase from one to three a day in each direction.
The railway will offer more than 320 international trips daily, about 20 more than today. A direct Munich–Milan–Rome service with Trenitalia and ÖBB is planned from the summer, and Hamburg–Copenhagen rises to seven trains a day from March. "In times of expensive fuel, the railway remains a good and affordable alternative to cars and planes," long-distance board member Michael Peterson said.
Tickets go on sale Wednesday, Oct. 14, and long-distance fares are to stay unchanged until May 2027, the company said. Construction remains a burden: the Lehrte–Berlin line is closed until December 2027, adding about 80 minutes to Berlin–Hanover trips. In September, only 52.4% of long-distance trains ran on time.