For the timetable change on 13 December 2026, Deutsche Bahn is massively expanding its service from Stuttgart, Karlsruhe, Baden-Baden and Offenburg. New direct services will run to Berlin, Paris, Vienna and Tyrol, among others, and a night ICE service will also return.
Quick overview
This report is particularly relevant for rail passengers because it may have concrete effects on planning, connections or infrastructure. The focus is on Fahrplanwechsel2027, Deutschebahn, Ice, Badenwuerttemberg, Tgv, Gaubahn, Stuttgart, Berlin, Paris, Wien and Tirol. The key points are summarised compactly below.
Key points
- The new DB timetable takes effect on 13 December; tickets have been available since 14 October via bahn.de, the DB Navigator and at travel centres.
- Between Stuttgart and Berlin, two new ICE Sprinter services per direction will run, with a planned travel time of under five hours.
- Stuttgart–Paris is to be operated largely on a two-hour frequency in future, with an additional daily direct TGV service via Karlsruhe and Strasbourg.
- With the commissioning of the Rastatt Tunnel, Baden-Baden will in future be served by more than 40 ICE services per day, with direct services to Hamburg and Berlin every two hours; Offenburg will also benefit.
- A night ICE service from Stuttgart via Munich to Vienna will return, and at weekends there will be a new ICE service to Tyrol.
What this means for travelers
The report is of strategic importance: in the medium term, new vehicle technology can enable more comfort, lower energy consumption and better services on non-electrified or heavily used routes.
Context
With the 2027/2028 timetable change, which takes effect on 13 December, Deutsche Bahn is significantly expanding its long-distance service in and from Baden-Württemberg. Stuttgart–Berlin will be supplemented by two ICE Sprinter services per direction, and Stuttgart–Paris will largely be converted to a two-hour frequency. With the commissioning of the Rastatt Tunnel, ICE services in Baden-Baden will rise from 27 to over 40 trains per day, and Offenburg will be integrated. On the Gäubahn line, hourly IC services to Zurich are to become reliably possible again from summer 2027 under a new concept from DB, Nahverkehrsgesellschaft Baden-Württemberg and SBB, with a decision expected in spring 2027.
What to watch now
- Only check concrete timetable or construction notices once travel dates have been set.
- Plan international journeys with more generous connection times.
- Monitor the source and operator information in case dates are still provisional.