European timetables 2027

[Tester]

The Rastatt tunnel should be ready in december, adding another section of high speed line on the Karlsruhe–Basel line. It's only a small section though, reducing the overall travel time by a few minutes at most.

On that stretch, definitely a case of every little helps!

 

[NCT]

I wonder whether Rastatt tunnel will enable a proper timetable recast. As far as I can make out, the Rastatt - Offenburg section is timed for 160km/h only. It'll be nice to have everything timed at 250km/h where possible.

Also hopefully Frankfurt - Paris services can now hit Strasbourg takt times (xx15 and xx45) while occupying standard paths in Germany.

 

[U-Bahnfreund]

The Rastatt tunnel should be ready in december, adding another section of high speed line on the Karlsruhe–Basel line. It's only a small section though, reducing the overall travel time by a few minutes at most.

It's mainly important for capacity: it will finally resolve the 2 track bottleneck between Rastatt and Baden-Baden, so there'll be at least 4 tracks all the way from Karlsruhe to Offenburg. RE Karlsruhe-Offenburg will be increased from 1tph to 2tph all-day, RE Karlsruhe-Freudenstadt 1tp2h to 1tph (although it'll strictly be 1tph instead of the current 1.5tph overall beyond Forbach) and between Rastatt and Baden-Baden there'll be 2 tph stopping trains (S/RB) instead of 1

 

[Watershed]

It's mainly important for capacity: it will finally resolve the 2 track bottleneck between Rastatt and Baden-Baden, so there'll be at least 4 tracks all the way from Karlsruhe to Offenburg. RE Karlsruhe-Offenburg will be increased from 1tph to 2tph all-day, RE Karlsruhe-Freudenstadt 1tp2h to 1tph (although it'll strictly be 1tph instead of the current 1.5tph overall beyond Forbach) and between Rastatt and Baden-Baden there'll be 2 tph stopping trains (S/RB) instead of 1

Presumably it is 4 track north of Karlsruhe and south of Offenburg as well?

 

[Bemined]

Not yet, certain sections are still in planning phase. Not all plans are about adding high speed tracks, some plans instead aim at moving freight trains away from the main line.

 

[U-Bahnfreund]

Presumably it is 4 track north of Karlsruhe and south of Offenburg as well?

North of Karlsruhe there are two lines towards Mannheim and then Frankfurt (but still not enough, relief lines Frankfurt-Mannheim and Mannheim-Karlsruhe are being planned)

South of Offenburg the line is still 2 tracks only mostly. Supposed to be 4 tracks in the 2040s...

 

[quantinghome]

South of Offenburg the line is still 2 tracks only mostly. Supposed to be 4 tracks in the 2040s...

Glad to see this has been given top priority as befits one of the most important railway lines in Europe!

Having travelled by train from the UK to Freiburg this summer, the connection from Strasbourg to the Upper Rhine valley was a real weak point.

 

[The exile]

Glad to see this has been given top priority as befits one of the most important railway lines in Europe!

Having travelled by train from the UK to Freiburg this summer, the connection from Strasbourg to the Upper Rhine valley was a real weak point.

Have sympathy for those who have been holding their breath awaiting a capacity uplift between Hamburg and Hannover!

 

[quantinghome]

Have sympathy for those who have been holding their breath awaiting a capacity uplift between Hamburg and Hannover!

I just don't get Germany and rail investment. There are a decent amount of large ongoing projects, but they built 60% of a full high speed network and decided not finish it.

 

[The exile]

I just don't get Germany and rail investment. There are a decent amount of large ongoing projects, but they built 60% of a full high speed network and decided not finish it.

There can be few examples in Western Europe where a country has suddenly had to turn its long-term infrastructure on its head almost overnight as Germany had to in 1990. Western projects that weren’t already committed or critical to avoid immediate collapse had to be put on the back-burner for years / decades. Had reunification come a few years earlier it’s possible the first NBS (Hannover - Wuerzburg) would never have been built at all, or would at least have been further East.
On top of that, Britain didn’t invent the NIMBy - and they hold particular power when the experts are pretty evenly divided as to the solution to a problem (as has been the case with Hamburg - Hannover)

 

[Austriantrain]

There can be few examples in Western Europe where a country has suddenly had to turn its long-term infrastructure on its head almost overnight as Germany had to in 1990. Western projects that weren’t already committed or critical to avoid immediate collapse had to be put on the back-burner for years / decades. Had reunification come a few years earlier it’s possible the first NBS (Hannover - Wuerzburg) would never have been built at all, or would at least have been further East.

We have had this discussion before. Of course it was a factor in the 1990s and 2000s, but in the last 15 years the main factor was the fundamental principle of German governments "no debt" (or as little as possible). That was when money would have been cheap; they recently changed policy, but of course, debt isn't cheap anymore.

 

[The exile]

We have had this discussion before. Of course it was a factor in the 1990s and 2000s, but in the last 15 years the main factor was the fundamental principle of German governments "no debt" (or as little as possible). That was when money would have been cheap; they recently changed policy, but of course, debt isn't cheap anymore.

Funding has not been the main reason for the sclerotic progress of the Bremen / Hamburg / Hannover “Ausbau” over the last 60 (yes, really!) years. No doubt that that lack of progress has pleased those who didn’t want to spend money, even though more will be spent in the long run.

 

[Class15]

Do any high-speed lines open this December? Last December, we had Koralmbahn.

Not really high-speed but being advertised as such: Budapest - Subotica?

 

[Austriantrain]

Funding has not been the main reason for the sclerotic progress of the Bremen / Hamburg / Hannover “Ausbau” over the last 60 (yes, really!) years. No doubt that that lack of progress has pleased those who didn’t want to spend money, even though more will be spent in the long run.

Indeed, this specific one is NIMBY. There are quite a lot more of them in Germany, of course.

 

[Jamesrob637]

Not really high-speed but being advertised as such: Budapest - Subotica?

Definitely much faster than what went before, even if not 300kmh.

I'm sure a Chinese high speed line or 3 will open this autumn/winter though

 

[Austriantrain]

Provided the ETR410 get approved in time, there will be a daily Frecciarossa train pair between Rome and Munich as well as Milan and Munich, run by TI in cooperation with ÖBB and DB

These trains are now reported to start by summer 2027:

Ab Sommer 2027: neue Direktverbindungen von München über Innsbruck nach Mailand und Rom starten

www.deutschebahn.com

 

[LUYMun]

Ouigo Train Classique is set to introduce a fourth service between Paris and Bruxelles that runs on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, leaving Bruxelles at the end of the morning and Paris in the afternoon, filling in a long gap.

 

[SephenWorceste]

Please could I ask does anybody know the situation for the first half of 2027 between Amsterdam and Berlin. I am trying to plan other aspects of my trip that depend on that journey. I have done it a couple of times in the past.

At the moment it seems for 2026 that a reduced number of trains are running and are rerouted through Hamburg increasing journey times. I have read a suggestion that there will be no direct trains in early 2027. I will need to change trains in Hamburg which will further increase journey times. If that is the case I possibly stop off in Hamburg and visit Miniature Wonderland.

Not running direct trains on that busy route even if rerouted surprises me. They have just introduced ICE 3 Neos on the route to improve the service.

Any information would be gratefully received.

Thank you, Stephen.

 

[Sir Felix Pole]

Please could I ask does anybody know the situation for the first half of 2027 between Amsterdam and Berlin. I am trying to plan other aspects of my trip that depend on that journey. I have done it a couple of times in the past.

At the moment it seems for 2026 that a reduced number of trains are running and are rerouted through Hamburg increasing journey times. I have read a suggestion that there will be no direct trains in early 2027. I will need to change trains in Hamburg which will further increase journey times. If that is the case I possibly stop off in Hamburg and visit Miniature Wonderland.

Not running direct trains on that busy route even if rerouted surprises me. They have just introduced ICE 3 Neos on the route to improve the service.

Any information would be gratefully received.

Thank you, Stephen.

The high-speed line between Hannover and Berlin is closed for reconstruction until Dec. '27 starting today. Some Amsterdam - Berlin services are running as far Hannover where you can connect with ICE services running to Berlin via the classic main line. Going via Cologne from Amsterdam is also an option.

There is talk of permanently running Amsterdam to Berlin services via Bremen and Hamburg as it is more commercially attractive serving these cities.

 

[SephenWorceste]

The high-speed line between Hannover and Berlin is closed for reconstruction until Dec. '27 starting today. Some Amsterdam - Berlin services are running as far Hannover where you can connect with ICE services running to Berlin via the classic main line. Going via Cologne from Amsterdam is also an option.

There is talk of permanently running Amsterdam to Berlin services via Bremen and Hamburg as it is more commercially attractive serving these cities.

Thank you for the information. That is an interesting range of options.

I had wondered that Bremen and Hamburg might make sense for that route. They are such big cities with industry and population.

 

[Bemined]

There will be 4 instead of 6 trains Amsterdam - Berlin per day, and journey time is about an hour longer.

 

[LUYMun]

Falls well short of the December timetable change but Leo Express’s bizarre Frankfurt-Prague-Przemysl route will be discontinued after this Sunday 4 October.

Might be superseded by their proposed Oostend-Bratislava service?

 

[SephenWorceste]

There will be 4 instead of 6 trains Amsterdam - Berlin per day, and journey time is about an hour longer.

That should work for me. I will book early if the capacity is reduced. I do not mind a longer journey. I am perfectly happy on an ICE. Still direct is great. No risk of missed connections.

Thank you, Stephen.

 

[43096]

That should work for me. I will book early if the capacity is reduced. I do not mind a longer journey. I am perfectly happy on an ICE. Still direct is great. No risk of missed connections.

Thank you, Stephen.

The ICE3neo sets used on the Amsterdam service are really nice trains to travel on.

 

[SephenWorceste]

The ICE3neo sets used on the Amsterdam service are really nice trains to travel on.

They are a pleasure to travel on.

I would like to try ICE 1 and 2. I will have to plan more German trips.

 

[Mirjamsterdam]

Falls well short of the December timetable change but Leo Express’s bizarre Frankfurt-Prague-Przemysl route will be discontinued after this Sunday 4 October.

Might be superseded by their proposed Oostend-Bratislava service?

It has? That didn't last long...

 

[Frothy]

Falls well short of the December timetable change but Leo Express’s bizarre Frankfurt-Prague-Przemysl route will be discontinued after this Sunday 4 October.

Might be superseded by their proposed Oostend-Bratislava service?

Frankfurt-Przemysl timetable

They have posted the following message on the website. They might come back to it next year, but it does sound pretty ominous. I'd imagine they will redeploy the fleet if they don't restart it next year. Although in general they have a shortage of stock so in the short term it might be covering for that on shorter routes.

Suspension of the Frankfurt – Przemyśl service

From Monday, 5 October 2026, we will suspend operations on the Frankfurt – Dresden – Prague – Ostrava – Przemyśl route.

The reason is ongoing construction work and further planned track closures on the German railway corridor, which significantly affect timetable stability and the operation of our services. Operating practically every day with a different timetable, track closures and diversions is unsustainable in the long term.

Given the current situation, we have therefore decided not to continue operating this route for the remainder of this year. At the same time, we are in discussions with Deutsche Bahn regarding future timetable slots for our services.

Passengers who have already purchased tickets for services after 5 October will be contacted by our Customer Service Centre and compensated in accordance with applicable legislation.

We regret the situation and apologise to all passengers for any inconvenience this change may cause.

Thank you for your understanding.

 

[duesselmartin]

They ran ridicilous short trains. Two or three carriages on that distance with access charges ect can not be profitable. So maybe they found an excuse to pull the plug without blaming themselfs?