New Deutsche Bahn timetable: what changes for Frankfurt rail travellers

Deutsche Bahn, Germany’s national rail operator, has published its new timetable, which takes effect on 13 December and brings new direct trains from Frankfurt to Austria and the Baltic coast. According to hessenschau, passengers in Frankfurt will also face fewer trains towards Berlin and long disruptions on the high-speed line to Cologne.

What happened

Deutsche Bahn presented the new Fahrplan (timetable) on Tuesday, one day before tickets for it went on sale, hessenschau reports. In a statement, DB board member Michael Peterson said that with current petrol prices, rail remains the best alternative to the car and the plane. The company also admitted that construction work on the rail network is at a record level. In practice, that means many building sites, along with the restrictions and delays that come with them.

The broadcaster summarised the main changes for Hesse. Some are new connections. Others are cuts and closures that will lengthen journeys from Frankfurt at different points in the coming timetable year.

What it means for you

New direct connections from Frankfurt

• A daily direct train will run from Frankfurt or Fulda to the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte (the Mecklenburg Lake District) and the Baltic coast.
• From 19 December, Deutsche Bahn will run what it calls a “fast direct connection” from Frankfurt to Linz and Vienna.
• At weekends, a direct train will run from Frankfurt and Darmstadt to the Bodensee (Lake Constance) and to Landeck-Zams in Tyrol.
• A new overnight ICE from Hamburg will give very early connections towards Frankfurt. According to hessenschau, it serves Kassel at 5.30, Fulda at 6 o’clock and Hanau at 6.51. The ICE is Deutsche Bahn’s high-speed intercity train.
• Every evening, a Sprinter (a fast service with few stops) will run from the Bergstraße area via Darmstadt and Frankfurt to Hannover and Hamburg.
• Friedberg, in the Wetterau district north of Frankfurt, becomes a permanent ICE stop again. The ICE line Bremen–Hannover–Kassel–Frankfurt–Darmstadt–Stuttgart will stop there every day.

Elsewhere in Hesse, a daily direct train will run from Kassel via Augsburg and Regensburg to Innsbruck, leaving at 15.38 and due to arrive at 21.18.

Cuts and closures to plan around

• Frankfurt to Berlin via Kassel and Braunschweig: The number of trains on this route will be cut significantly. Instead of an hourly service, trains will run only every two hours.
• Frankfurt to Cologne: The high-speed line between Cologne and the Rhine-Main region will be fully closed from 15 May to 19 July. During this period, the journey between Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof (central station) and Köln Messe/Deutz will take 75 minutes longer. Limburg Süd will be served by replacement buses.
• Sprinter trains to Erfurt, Halle and Berlin: The Sprinter services between Frankfurt, Erfurt, Halle and Berlin will not run from 6 February to 14 May, or from 14 August onwards.
• Darmstadt and Bensheim: From 13 March to 2 April, no ICE trains will run via Darmstadt and Bensheim.

What to do

If you commute or travel regularly from Frankfurt to Cologne, Berlin or the Bergstraße, check your usual connections against the new timetable before you book trips after 13 December. Anyone planning travel to Cologne between mid-May and mid-July should allow for the longer journey time. If you use Limburg Süd, look up the replacement bus arrangements for that period. hessenschau does not report ticket prices or fare changes for these routes.

What to watch next

The timetable starts on 13 December, and the Vienna and Linz service follows on 19 December. Key dates for disruption are 6 February, when the Sprinter cuts to Berlin begin, the Darmstadt and Bensheim ICE closure from 13 March to 2 April, and the Cologne line closure from 15 May to 19 July. The Berlin Sprinters are suspended again from 14 August. Deutsche Bahn’s own description of the record level of construction suggests travellers should expect further restrictions and delays during the year.

Source: hessenschau