Timetable change in Göttingen: direct connections in danger!

Timetable change in Göttingen: direct connections in danger!

The timetable change on December 14, 2025 will mean some significant cuts in long-distance transport for passengers from Göttingen. Loud HNA Numerous direct connections are being canceled, which is particularly annoying for travelers in the region. The Pro Bahn Southern Lower Saxony passenger association has sharply criticized the cancellation of these connections because it restricts the mobility of many commuters and travelers.

Where is the journey going? The popular ICE line 26 to Karlsruhe will only run every four hours in the future. The connection to Hamburg will be replaced by one to Bremen, and the direct connections to Rostock, Stralsund and Rügen will be completely eliminated. A daily connection to Sylt remains, but the popular through coach to Dagebüll has to be dispensed with. In addition, connections to Switzerland are being reduced, so that most ICE trains now end in Basel SBB.

New ticket, new times

The Lower Saxony ticket is also a problem for travelers. This ticket will be more expensive, at 29 euros for the first person, while an additional ride will cost 8 euros. Loud Bahn.de The Lower Saxony Ticket is valid for local transport in Lower Saxony, Bremen and Hamburg. At least there are some improvements for travelers, such as a new RE line 11, which is intended to establish an hourly service between Göttingen and Erfurt.

The changes also affect capacities: longer trains were used on the RB 80 and RB 82, while the RB 83 will now run with four-part railcars. A new offer will also be created on the RB 85 to Paderborn: a first early train that starts at 5:56 a.m. from Bodenfelde. The last train from Paderborn to Göttingen will be postponed by an hour - a small but significant adjustment for commuters.

Contradictions in local transport

But there are also dark sides. Despite the test results, connection options are limited in local transport. The Landesnahverkehrsgesellschaft Niedersachsen mbH (LNVG), which is ordering train journeys for around 600 million euros from 2026, is having difficulty bringing long-distance trains back into line with regional transport. In some places, local traffic is blocked by the additional long-distance trains, resulting in longer waiting times for travelers. Carmen Schwabl, spokeswoman for the LNVG, has already expressed clear criticism of this.

Another problem remains the single-track line between Leinefelde and Gotha. This will continue to limit the flexibility of rail transport in the future. The comfortable freedom of transfer to Vienna is no longer offered, and the Intercity service to Oberstdorf and Berchtesgaden was also discontinued in October.

On the other hand, the offer on the Einbeck route remains, although no further expansions are planned due to cost reasons. Where all this will lead remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: the timetable change has a major impact on mobility in northern Germany, and the challenges in local transport are far from being solved.

For all those who commute in the Göttingen region or use the transport services, we can only hope that the situation will soon stabilize and the travel experience will become more attractive again.