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Trains to travel between major German cities every 30 minutes

Starting in December, Germany's railway company Deutsche Bahn (DB) plans to connect some major German cities every 30 minutes.

Published: 29 June 2020 11:19 CEST
Trains to travel between major German cities every 30 minutes
A Deutsche Bahn regional train in Hamburg in

It will be possible, for example, to travel between Berlin and Hamburg twice an hour, said Federal Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer, of the centre right CSU, to German newspaper Bild am Sonntag.

Additional routes are still being planned, and will appear in DB's next train timetable, set to go into effect on December 14th.

The new routes are part of the Deutschlandtakt, or a plan to make train connections in Germany more reliable and punctual, and shorten travel times.

READ ALSO: How the coronavirus pandemic is changing train travel in Germany

“The Bahn will deliver. The customer will feel this through the Deutschlandtakt, which has been talked about for years and which we are now launching,” said Scheuer.

As part of the plan, it will be possible to find twice hourly connections between large cities such as Hamburg, Berlin, Munich or Frankfurt. 

Those changing trains can then board a regional train within 15 minutes, which will then transport them to smaller city destinations.

Getting back on track

Scheuer is gearing up to sign a Schienenpakt (Railway Pact) with the train industry and its associations on Tuesday in order to strengthen the industry as a whole. 

One of its major goals will be improving punctuality in long-distance train traffic, which Deutsche Bahn has struggled with for years.

Only since the coronavirus crisis, when fewer trains and, above all, notably fewer passengers travelled by train, have trains run significantly more punctually. 

READ ALSO: Deutsche Bahn sees 85 percent drop in passenger numbers due to coronavirus

In April, 88.6 percent of all long-distance trains reached their destination on time.

In May, the figure was 86.3 percent – or 6.5 percentage points more than in the same month last year. A train is considered punctual if its scheduled arrival is exceeded by less than six minutes.

The Deutschlandtakt is a central component of a joint plan for the future of the railways, which the federal government has been hammering out over the past two years together with Deutsche Bahn, rail competitors and transport associations.

Vocabulary

Component – (das) Bestandteil 

Long-distance trains – (die) Fernzüge 

More reliable – zuverlässiger

exceeded – überschritten

We're aiming to help our readers improve their German by translating vocabulary from some of our news stories. Did you find this article useful? Let us know.

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TRAVEL

Explore Austria: Mauer, a charming wine-hiking spot on Vienna’s outskirts

Catch the very tail-end of the wine season and autumn foliage in one of the lesser-explored corners of the Austrian capital: Mauer.

Published: 12 November 2021 17:03 CET
Updated: 24 September 2023 08:20 CEST
Explore Austria: Mauer, a charming wine-hiking spot on Vienna’s outskirts
Beautiful views and cosy taverns await you on the edge of Vienna. Photo: Catherine Edwards

Wine-hiking is an autumn must-do in Austria. There’s the official Wine Hiking Day (Weinwandertag) that usually draws in big crowds, but it’s also possible to follow the routes through beautiful scenery and wine taverns on your own.

Mauer in the southwest of Vienna is one of the routes that is mostly frequented by locals.


The footpath takes you through scenic vineyards. Photo: Catherine Edwards

You can reach this part of the 23rd district using Vienna’s public transport, and you have a few options. From the Hietzing station on the U4 line, you can take the tramline 60 or bus 56A. The former will take you either to Mauer’s central square or you can get off earlier at Franz-Asenbauer-Gasse to start the hike. If it’s too early in the day for wine just yet, you could start your day at the small and charming Designo cafe (Geßlgasse 6).

Otherwise, the residential area itself doesn’t have much to see, but keep an eye out as you wander between the taverns later — there are some beautiful buildings.

To start the hike, head west along Franz-Asenbauer Gasse, which will take you up into the vineyards, growing some red wine and Vienna’s specialty Gemischter Satz or ‘field blend’, which as the name suggests is a mixture of different types of grapes.

Photo: Catherine Edwards

The paved road takes a left turn, but the hiking route follows a smaller path further upwards. Here you’ll have magnificent views over the whole of Vienna.

If you stick to the official hiking route (see a map from Weinwandern here) you can keep the whole route under 5 kilometres. But more adventurous types don’t need to feel limited.

You can also follow the Stadtwanderweg 6 route (see a map here) either in full, which will add on a hefty 13 kilometres, or just in part, and venture further into the Mauerwald. If you do this, one spot to aim for is the Schießstätte, a former hunting lodge offering hearty Austrian meals.

EXPLORE AUSTRIA

In any case, you should definitely take a small detour to see the Wotrubakirche, an example of brutalist architecture from the mid-1970s built on a site that was used as a barracks during the Second World War.

Not far from the church is the Pappelteich, a small pond that is not only an important habitat for local flora and fauna, but a popular picnic spot for hikers. Its only water supply is from the rain, and due to climate change the pond has almost dried out in recent years, prompting the city to take action to boost its water supply by adding a permanent pipe.


The church is made up of over 150 concrete blocks. Photo: Catherine Edwards

What you really come to Mauer for, though, are the Heuriger or Viennese wine taverns. 

The most well-known is Edlmoser (Maurer Lange Gasse 123) which has previously been named as the best in Vienna. Note that it’s not open all year so check the website, but in 2021 it should be open between November 5th and 21st, and is also serving the goose that is a popular feature on Viennese menus this time of year.

Tip for translating Heuriger opening times: look for the word ausg’steckt, which is used by those taverns which aren’t open year round. They will also often show that they’re open by attaching a bunch of green twigs to the sign or front door.


Buschenschank Grausenburger. Photo: Catherine Edwards

Also worth visiting are cosy Buschenschank Grausenburger (Maurer Lange Gasse 101a), Heuriger Wiltschko (Wittgensteinstrasse 143 — located near the start of the hiking route, this is a good place to begin your tour) and Heuriger Fuchs-Steinklammer (Jesuitensteig 28).

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