Deutsche Bahn’s new long-distance timetable, effective today, features 14 new Sprinter connections that reduce travel times by limiting stops. For example, the journey from Berlin to Stuttgart now takes just 4 hours and 45 minutes, saving approximately one hour. Faster connections are also introduced on the Berlin-Munich and Hamburg-Frankfurt routes. Meanwhile, some less frequented regional routes have been discontinued.

The number of cities served by ICE trains every 30 minutes has doubled to 21, including routes such as Hamburg-Hannover-Kassel, Berlin-Halle-Erfurt, and Erfurt-Nürnberg-Munich. Additionally, Deutsche Bahn has launched the new ICE-L train, a low-floor design allowing seamless boarding and alighting along its entire length. Given ongoing punctuality challenges in long-distance travel, Deutsche Bahn has decided not to increase ticket prices in the upcoming year.