In a bid to make train travel a viable alternative to flying, German rail company Deutsche Bahn has announced that it is increasing the number of connections between major cities in Germany. The new timetable will come into effect in December.

Deutsche Bahn expands its network connections

Deutsche Bahn has announced that its new timetable commences on December 12, and will feature new, faster connections between major German cities. The state-owned rail company is ramping up its efforts to make rail travel more attractive for travellers than flying and announced that it will offer an “environmentally friendly alternative to airplanes” on eight out of the 10 busiest domestic flight routes.

Deutsche Bahn is targeting commuters by running more sprinter connections in the mornings and evenings, making it possible “to keep earlier appointments in the morning and be home again in the evening." For example, new connections between Berlin and Munich will be offered in the evening, whilst new a service between Hamburg and Frankfurt Airport will run in the morning. There will also be entirely new connections, like the connection between Dortmund and Frankfurt via Münster and Siegen.

The new timetable will also offer faster connections. The sprinter between Berlin and Cologne, which runs three times a day, will complete its journey in under four hours. Similarly, the Hamburg to Frankfurt Airport via Hanover connection will also culminate in under four hours, as will the connection between Berlin and Munich. A service will run on the Bonn-Cologne-Berlin route, as well as the Düsseldorf-Cologne-Munich route, three times a day, both of which should take under four hours.

Rivalling the airline industry

Deutsche Bahn also wants to increase its passenger capacity and recently announced that an ICE with 13 cars can "transport five times as many people as a medium-haul aircraft". These extra-long trains will run only on the Munich-Stuttgart-Frankfurt and Cologne-Dortmund-Hamburg lines. The company wants to replace Intercity trains and use more ICE 4 trains, which can seat 918 passengers, over the next year.

While the new timetable comes into effect on December 12, tickets are available from October 13. Deutsche Bahn has announced that the price of tickets for long-distance travel will increase by 1,9 percent at the start of the new timetable. According to the company, this is still significantly below the current rate of inflation.