ICE 25 (Hamburg – Munich)

ICE line 25 runs hourly from Hamburg via Hanover, Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe, Fulda, Würzburg and Nuremberg to Munich and since 2026 has been operated largely with ICE 4 trains.

Updated 2026-10-28 · rev 5

Profile

Concept kind: Rail line
Last extension: Fahrplanwechsel 2025/26 (Fahrplanjahr 2026): Entfall der Flügelzug-Verknüpfungszüge ab Bremen, Oldenburg und Lübeck; Einsatz nur noch mit ICE 4; Lüneburg wird stündlich bedient
Termini: Hamburg-Altona – München Hbf
Structure: Ausbaustrecke Hamburg–Hannover; Schnellfahrstrecke Hannover–Würzburg bis Fulda; seit 2019 ausschließlich Schnellfahrstrecke Nürnberg–Ingolstadt nach München; einzelne Züge nach Rostock durchgebunden
Maximum speed: bis zu 250 km/h (ICE 4)
Status: In Betrieb
Operator: DB Fernverkehr AG
Owner: Deutsche Bahn AG (Betreiber: DB Fernverkehr AG)
Rolling stock: ICE 4
Headway: Stundentakt

Overview

ICE line 25 is the classic north–south axis via the Hanover–Würzburg and Nuremberg–Ingolstadt high-speed lines. It runs hourly from Hamburg-Altona via Hamburg Hbf, Hanover, Göttingen, Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe, Fulda, Würzburg, Nuremberg and Ingolstadt to Munich. Individual trains are through-run to Rostock; coupling trains to Bremen, Oldenburg and Lübeck were discontinued with the 2026 timetable change. Trains of the ICE 4 series are used.

Operator

The operator is DB Fernverkehr (DB Long-Distance Transport).

History

ICE services on the Hamburg/Bremen–Munich axis via the Hanover–Würzburg high-speed line have existed since 1 June 1992, initially under line number 4. Since 2019, line 25 has run exclusively via the Nuremberg–Ingolstadt high-speed line. Until the 2026 timetable year, wing trains started every two hours in Bremen or Oldenburg and were combined in Hanover with the trains from Hamburg, Kiel or Lübeck; for better punctuality these coupling trains were discontinued.