Rail: What does the new timetable bring? – Trip

Every year shortly before Christmas there is a new timetable at Deutsche Bahn. It comes into force on December 12th. The most important changes at a glance.

Which connections are new on offer?

More ICE sprinters

Fast trains, few stops – that is the principle of the ICE sprinters. The offer will be expanded with the timetable change in the hope of establishing the train as a competitive alternative to domestic flights. The company emphasizes that the sprinters will then be on eight of the ten strongest domestic German routes. There will also be three fast connections between Cologne and Berlin in the future: the journey takes just under four hours. Half an hour faster than in the normal ICE you are in the Sprinter from Düsseldorf to Munich, there are two connections a day. Also new are early and late trains from Hamburg and Munich to Berlin, especially interesting for business travelers.

New ICE 4

Deutsche Bahn has been buying new trains for years, and a new ICE 4 is currently being delivered every three weeks. The XXL version of the ICE has space for more than 900 passengers in 13 cars. On the route from Munich via Stuttgart and Frankfurt / Main to Hamburg, only the long trains will in future be on the move. In addition, the intercity trains will be replaced by ICEs on some routes, for example between Frankfurt / Karlsruhe and Munich. This offers more convenience, but also costs more.

Without changing

Direct connections also save time. You can now travel from Cologne to Bremerhaven or from Münster to Frankfurt / Main without changing trains. On the other hand, the direct train from Dresden via Berlin to Westerland will be canceled. A wrong signal can be found at the Pro Bahn passenger association. “We need significantly more direct connections in tourist traffic,” says honorary chairman Karl-Peter Naumann. Holidays in Germany are trendy, they shouldn’t just be by car.

Abroad

Thanks to a new safety system, trains between Munich and Zurich can now travel faster. After three and a half hours you are there, initially three times a day, from April six times. There is also a new direct connection from Frankfurt via Lindau to Innsbruck and on to Vienna and soon more trains from Hamburg to Denmark – but not until summer.

More night trains

Traveling in a sleeping car is making a comeback. Deutsche Bahn phased out its night trains years ago, but travelers still benefit from new connections from Austrian ÖBB with stops in Germany. It goes overnight in eleven hours from Zurich to Amsterdam, you can board in Freiburg, Mannheim or Cologne, for example. The journey from Vienna via Munich and Karlsruhe to Paris takes 14 hours.

How are ticket prices developing?

Surcharge for flex price and rail cards

At 1.9 percent, the price increase is well below the inflation rate, according to Deutsche Bahn. However, this is an average value, with some tickets the price jump is greater, with others nothing changes.

The super saver price tickets are still available from 17.90 euros, the saver price tickets from 21.50 euros. Rail travelers will have to pay 2.9 percent more for flex price tickets, which can be flexibly canceled and rebooked in Corona times, as well as for all three versions of the Bahncard: the Bahncard 25, for example, will cost 56.90 for second class in the future Instead of the previous EUR 55.70, the price of the Bahncard 50 rises from EUR 229 to EUR 234. You can still reserve a seat for four euros in second and 5.30 euros in first class.

The “Supersparpreis Young” is new for travelers between 15 and 26 years of age. In combination with a Bahncard, you can book tickets for ICE and IC trains for less than 10 euros.

If you buy your ticket for the Christmas or winter vacation until December 11th, you can travel at the old prices. Tickets can be booked up to six months in advance; the earlier you decide, the greater the chances of getting a cheap super saver ticket. Of the “Saver price finder” the train helps with the search.

Free travel for children

Children up to and including 14 years of age travel free of charge on long-distance transport from December 12th, provided they are traveling with a passenger who is at least 15 years old. So far, this has only been the case when accompanied by parents or grandparents, but in future the family relationships will no longer play a role: the little brother can drive with the older sister or the godmother with the godchild. Up to four children can be taken along free of charge for each older accompanying person; they must be entered in the ticket.

No more ticket with the conductor

Hop on spontaneously and buy a ticket from the conductor – this will no longer be possible in long-distance transport from January 1st. The railway stops selling paper tickets on the train and points out that only a very small proportion of travelers have still used this service. The spontaneity wasn’t exactly cheap anyway: only the expensive flex-price tickets could be bought on the train, with an additional surcharge of 17 euros. For last-minute travelers, there is still the option to use the train app or online in the first ten minutes after departure the website bahn.de to book the ticket – provided that the internet is stable.

Which corona rules apply?

Even after the timetable change, “3 G” will remain on all trains: Only those who have been fully vaccinated, have recovered or have been tested a maximum of 24 hours ago are allowed to ride. This rule has been in effect in long-distance and regional transport since November 24th, and anyone who cannot show the required evidence has to leave the train at the next station and face a fine of up to 2500 euros.

The Deutsche Bahn was satisfied with the first balance sheet: 150,000 travelers were checked in the first week after the introduction of the stricter Corona regulations, only 200 of them were unable to provide evidence and had to leave the train. However, up to now one has limited oneself to random samples – for comparison: In long-distance traffic alone, the railroad transports around 300,000 people per day.

But the number of controls could increase: In regional transport, the conductors are now responsible for this in addition to the security staff. However, it will only be asked for the 3-G proof if the inspectors are accompanied by security personnel in order to ensure the greatest possible security, according to the railway.

The trains can still be used to full capacity. In contrast to last winter, when only one seat per double seat could be booked in advance, there are also no restrictions on reservations. The expected occupancy is shown online in the rail travel information displayed in the form of pictograms.

What about the punctuality?

In the past few weeks there was definitely room for improvement in the Deutsche Bahn’s punctuality statistics: In October, just 67.6 percent of long-distance trains made it to the station almost according to the schedule, one of the worst values ​​in a long time. The railway justifies the delays with construction work after the flood in North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate. A storm low brought the trains out of sync. In November, 69.4 percent of the trains were on time – although Deutsche Bahn maintains its very own definition: You are punctual if you are not more than five minutes and 59 seconds late.

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