Swimming, sunbathing, cycling and much more. The Baltic Sea island of Bornholm is considered a holiday paradise. It won’t be long before it will be closer to Berlin – thanks to a new train connection that will make traveling there and back easier. Those who want to go to southern Sweden will also benefit from the innovation. The start is on May 21, the Ministry of Economics, Infrastructure, Tourism and Labor of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania announced on request. Its spokesman Gunnar Bauer announced “good connections”.
Of course it is already possible to travel to Bornholm or southern Sweden in a climate-friendly way without a car. Trains go to Bergen auf Rügen, to the Baltic Sea resort of Binz or to Sassnitz. From there you can take buses from the Vorpommern-Rügen transport company to the bus stop at the Sassnitz/Mukran ferry port, where the ships to Rønne and Ystad dock. However, bus passengers sometimes have to walk longer distances, which is not for everyone. The new rail connection will close the gap between the Bergen ICE train station and the ferry terminal with regional trains.
Good connections also to Hamburg, Thuringia and Saxony
At the turn of the year, the Berliner Zeitung reported that there were corresponding considerations. “The state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, DB Fernverkehr, the Hanseatic Railway, the ferry lines and the port have jointly discussed options for bringing passengers by rail directly from Bergen on Rügen to the Sassnitz/Mukran ferry terminal and from there again,” confirmed Gunnar Bauer, spokesman for Economics Minister Reinhard Meyer (SPD). Together they have now succeeded in reviving the route to the port for local transport, which was last only used by freight trains. This creates train connections with national connections on the most important arrival and departure days of the holiday season, Saturdays – not only to and from Berlin. Travelers from Hamburg, Saxony, Thuringia, Hesse, Bavaria, Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia will also benefit, according to Schwerin.
The newly established line RE27 runs exclusively on Saturdays, from May 21st to September 24th and on October 15th and 22nd. “On these days there are two return trips with local trains of the Hanseatic Railway between Bergen and Rügen and the ferry terminal,” explained Bauer. The trains run in the morning and at noon.
Depart Berlin in the morning, arrive in Ystad in the afternoon
The first timetable information, which has not yet been officially confirmed, shows that travelers from Berlin will benefit above all from the second connection. If you get on the Intercity Express (ICE) at Berlin Central Station at 9.46 a.m., you can be in Ystad in southern Sweden by 5.15 p.m. and in Rønne on Bornholm by 6.15 p.m. according to the timetable. Anyone who starts in Rønne at 8 a.m. will arrive in Berlin at 4:13 p.m. For travelers from Ystad, there is a connection that starts at 11 a.m. or 11.15 a.m. in southern Sweden, depending on the day of travel, and ends at 6.17 p.m. in Berlin. According to Gunnar Bauer, however, the Ystad connection will not be available during the period from July 2nd to August 6th.
“The additional journeys of the RE27 are ordered and financed by the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania,” emphasized the ministry spokesman in Schwerin. “After the end of the season, everyone involved will jointly evaluate the demand for the offer and discuss the design of the offer for the 2023 season.” Those involved have already campaigned for the new connection not only to be used on Saturdays, but also on all weekdays during the season to use.
ICE runs more frequently from Berlin to Binz on the island of Rügen
At the passenger terminal of the Mukran Port, which was built in GDR times, as the port on the Baltic Sea island of Rügen is officially called, no passenger trains have stopped to board and disembark for a long time. Since 2019, when the Berlin-Night-Express Berlin-Malmö rolled onto the now defunct rail ferry to Trelleborg for the last time, there has been no regular passenger train service at all in the Sassnitz port.
As reported, long-distance traffic between Berlin and Rügen has also improved significantly. There are more direct train connections to the popular Baltic Sea island – some from mid-May, some from mid-June and mostly only on certain days of the week. This should relieve the regional trains on this route. To make the most of a sunny weekend, you could, for example, travel from Berlin to the Baltic Sea resort of Binz at 7.46 a.m. on Saturday. Arrival according to the timetable at 11.31 a.m. This ICE runs on several Saturdays until the end of October, for example on April 16th, May 7th, 14th and 21st. Another continuous ICE starts from mid-May to the beginning of October at 9.17 a.m. in Berlin, also on Saturday. The Binz beach and the promenade with many hotels are only a short walk from the train station.
For example, the ICE would return on Saturday at 6:24 p.m. (from May 14). Or you can take another train that is new to the timetable from June 12: Sunday at 4:18 p.m. from Binz. New possibilities for a trip to the sea.