Deutsche Bahn adds faster trains and more European connections in 2027

Germany’s Deutsche Bahn (DB) is adding faster ICE Sprinter services between major cities, increasing international rail connections and introducing new direct routes to Italy as part of its 2027 timetable, which takes effect December 13, 2026.

The German rail operator will offer more than 320 international train services daily, approximately 20% more than five years ago. Travellers will be able to reach more than 200 cities in 14 countries directly from Germany, with additional services to France, Italy, Austria and Denmark.

DB announced the timetable on October 13, confirming that long-distance ticket prices will remain stable. Tickets for the new timetable go on sale October 14 through the Deutsche Bahn website, the DB Navigator app and ticket offices.

The changes are designed to strengthen rail as an alternative to driving and flying, while making cross-border journeys easier to plan and book.

Faster connections between German cities
In details, domestically Hamburg and Munich will gain a new ICE Sprinter service operating three times daily in each direction. With stops only in Hannover and Nuremberg, the journey will take five hours and 20 minutes, 20 minutes faster than the existing service.

The Berlin–Stuttgart Sprinter will also increase from one to three departures daily in each direction. The journey will take four hours and 45 minutes, approximately one hour faster than the regular connection via Frankfurt.

DB will operate around 70 Sprinter services daily across its network.

Other domestic improvements include the restoration of half-hourly train services between Berlin and Hamburg following the lifting of infrastructure-related restrictions. A direct ICE service between Cologne and Munich via Hamm, Paderborn, Kassel and Würzburg will also return. A new rail connection will also link for the first time Saarbrücken, near the French border, to Hamburg.

These changes will improve access to major cities and regional destinations for both leisure and business travellers.

However, the timetable will still be affected by extensive infrastructure work in 2027. Major projects include the Hannover–Berlin, Hanau–Fulda and Rosenheim–Freilassing/Salzburg corridors.

During construction between North Rhine-Westphalia and Berlin, direct ICE trains will continue to operate at least hourly, although journeys will take around 80 minutes longer.

More direct trains across Europe
International travel is a major focus of the new timetable. From March 2027, DB will introduce a regular two-hourly service between Hamburg and Copenhagen, starting at 7 a.m. Seven trains will operate daily in each direction throughout the year. During the peak summer season, the number will remain as high as 10 daily services in each direction.

The Stuttgart–Paris route will gain an additional evening connection in each direction, bringing the total to six daily services per direction using ICE and TGV trains.

Munich will also gain direct high-speed connections to Milan and Rome through a partnership with Italian operator Trenitalia. The Frecciarossa trains are scheduled to begin operating progressively from summer 2027, subject to vehicle approval. The initial plan provides one daily round trip to each Italian city.

A new early-morning train from Munich will reach Paris 30 minutes faster. On Saturdays and Sundays, two direct services will also be available for journeys between Paris and Munich, Augsburg and Ulm.

Between Hamburg and Amsterdam, travellers will have up to four direct trains daily in each direction. Services will also call at intermediate stations including Osnabrück, offering additional options for regional travel.

DB is also planning 14 daily long-distance train services between Frankfurt, Nuremberg and Vienna after infrastructure work on the Nuremberg–Passau corridor is completed, two more than before the construction-related restrictions.

The company is expanding international ticket sales as well. Tickets from ÖBB, SBB, Trenitalia, SNCF, Eurostar, SJ and Britain’s National Rail are available through bahn.de and the DB Navigator app. DB says the booking integration has already made more than 10,000 additional European destinations available.

New flexibility for group bookings
Groups of six or more are also benefiting from changes introduced on October 1, 2026, to DB’s Sparpreis Gruppe discounted group fare.

Customers can reserve tickets online free of charge up to 60 days before departure. The reservation remains nonbinding for 14 days, allowing organizers to coordinate participants before committing to the trip.

For bookings made up to 30 days before departure, travellers can instead pay a deposit of €6 per person, per direction, rather than paying the full fare immediately. Customers can also reduce the number of travellers in a booking themselves online.