Overview
- Tickets for travel from 14 December 2025 are now on sale with national long‑distance journeys bookable up to 12 months ahead, and DB is holding fares, BahnCard prices, seat reservations and cancellation fees steady.
- An early‑booking promotion grants 12% off national Super Spar- and Sparpreis tickets purchased via bahn.de or the DB Navigator between 17 and 21 October.
- The published timetable adds capacity on core routes with half‑hourly ICE links connecting 21 cities, more Sprinter services, and faster journeys such as Berlin–Stuttgart in about 4:45 hours and more frequent fast Munich–Berlin runs.
- Several towns lose Fernverkehr stops or see fewer trains, including Lübeck, Lippstadt, Göppingen and Hamburg‑Bergedorf, while Leipzig–Jena–Nürnberg drops from five to two daily trips per direction and Friedberg gets fewer ICE calls.
- DB cites low demand, operational stability and construction and technical constraints—including ICE L platform compatibility and a push to avoid coupling maneuvers—drawing local criticism such as protests from Lübeck’s mayor; major works like the Berlin–Hamburg detour continue into spring.