Berlin – From Berlin to Hamburg in just over a hundred minutes, from Berlin to Cologne in just under four hours: these are the highlights of the new rail timetable that comes into effect on Sunday (December 12th). After months of construction work on the Hamburg railway, the trains are back on the direct route via Wittenberge. And up to three ICE sprinters run daily between Berlin and Cologne, with which passengers will in future save almost half an hour of travel time compared to the other trains. There will be further changes for the timetable change on the third Advent – not always for the better.
The new ICE sprinters between Berlin and the Rhineland start their journey every six hours. According to the timetable there is one trip in both directions early in the morning, at noon and in the evening. The special thing is that these trains will not stop between Berlin-Spandau and Cologne Central Station to get on and off. They should cover most of the journey non-stop. Initially, some sprinters need a little longer than four hours. A real sprinter timetable will then apply from the end of December.
A sprinter from the Rhineland continues to the Ostkreuz
The new express line between East and West Germany comes at the right time for rail planners. They are closely following the conditions at BER Airport. Easyjet is flying back to Cologne, and Lufthansa soon withdrew the request to be in the terminal four hours before departure. But passengers still have to expect waiting times at the check-in and security controls – which is why many domestic German air travel can now take longer than train journeys.
Three years ago, the DB long-distance transport experts tried to supplement the existing Berlin-Munich sprinter line with an express route between Berlin and Cologne. But on the densely occupied routes, especially in the Ruhr area, this would have meant that regional train traffic would have been impaired. There were also disputes with cities in North Rhine-Westphalia. Many local politicians felt set back because the sprinters weren’t supposed to stop in their city – but they were supposed to stop elsewhere.
In the meantime, route planners have succeeded in significantly reducing the conflicts with regional traffic. So that there are no arguments with city officials, the sprinters no longer stop at all between Berlin and Cologne – apart from operational stops.
Anyone traveling in a Sprinter from Cologne to Berlin on this Sunday evening can expect a warm welcome. Some Berliners have agreed to greet the ICE 1159 at the Zoologischer Garten station. Members of the Pro Bahn passenger association and the SPD mobility committee, as well as other actors, want to be on the platform. For them, the ICE is a sign that more than 15 years after the station at Hardenbergplatz in City West was deleted from the list of long-distance train stations, more long-distance trains are making stops at the zoo again. In the morning at 5.40 a.m. the Sprinter to Cologne stops, in the evening at 10.13 p.m. the Sprinter from Cologne makes a stop at the Zoo station. It continues via the main and east stations to Ostkreuz – another novelty.
Early in the morning and late in the evening, the trains do not disrupt regional traffic
Peter Cornelius from Pro Bahn Berlin-Brandenburg recalls that the demolition of what was once the most important long-distance train station in western Berlin was 5679 days ago on Sunday. Even if there were repeated calls from this part of the city to make the station a “system stop” with regular stops, the railway repeatedly refused. The light rail that runs through the station is very busy. Long-distance train stops would disrupt regional traffic, it said.
The fact that up to two Cologne sprinters stop at the zoo every day is not a departure from the previous line of argument, it was said internally. Even after 2006, there have been long-distance train stops again and again – but at times when there are few or no regional trains. So be it now. “These are day-edge connections,” it said. The new Sprinters also drive through at the other times. Rail fans point out that the long-distance train offer at Charlottenburg station is still larger.
Flixtrain got important routes
Rail travelers are also making faster progress between Berlin and Hamburg. Because the direct route was renovated, the trains had to take a detour. Now they use the usual route again. From the timetable change on Sunday, the trains will again travel between the two metropolises at a speed of 230, according to the federal company. With travel times of a little more than a hundred minutes, the ICE were once again “unbeatably fast and at the same time environmentally friendly,” it said. According to reports, it would also be a few minutes faster – but the railroad people play it safe.
“For around 100 million euros, around 500 employees installed around 400 kilometers of new rails and 24 new points between Berlin-Spandau and Büchen over the past three months, replaced around 15,000 sleepers and around 30,000 tons of ballast – during the day, at night and at the weekend “, So the train. The control and safety technology was also renewed.
Between Berlin and Hamburg, the DB will again be offering 60 journeys per day after the timetable change. Passengers will then benefit from the improved half-hourly service between the two largest German cities, the train said. But as reported, the direct connection Berlin-Westerland (Sylt), which existed until the start of construction work in September 2021, can no longer be offered. Desired routes in the morning are occupied by a Deutsche Bahn ICE and a Flixtrain. There was also a restriction in the opposite direction. An ICE, which is important for commuters from Ludwigslust and Wittenberge and which was supposed to leave Hamburg shortly before 5 p.m., was not given a slot for the route. At this time there is a Flixtrain instead.
After the timetable change, there will no longer be a direct Eurocity between Berlin and Budapest during the day. The night connection to Kraków and Przemysl is also no longer available.
Bad Saarow Clinic gets a train connection
The route network in regional traffic between Berlin and Brandenburg is growing a little – by one kilometer. “As of the timetable change, the state of Brandenburg will reactivate the section between Bad Saarow Klinikum and Bad Saarow-Pieskow station together with the Berlin-Brandenburg transport association, the Scharmützelseebahn and the Niederbarnimer Eisenbahn”, announced the association. “The RB35 drives the new section every hour. This means that the districts of Pieskow and Theresienhof will be better connected to Berlin and will also receive an hourly change to the fast RE1. “
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