From December 2025, rail passengers will benefit from a major expansion of services between Germany and Poland. Deutsche Bahn (DB) and PKP Intercity (PKP IC) are increasing their joint long-distance offering by more than 50%, raising the number of daily direct connections from 11 to 17.
The move responds to growing demand for cross-border travel and will see a new two-hourly service between Berlin and Warsaw as well as brand-new connections to southern Poland and the Polish–Ukrainian border.
Germany–Poland services: Strengthening cross-border links
The additional services will provide passengers with greater flexibility and faster journeys across both countries. With a seventh daily train pair, Berlin and Warsaw will be connected in a two-hourly frequency, covering the 570 km journey in just over five hours by Eurocity trains.
Michael Peterson, DB Board Member for Long-Distance Passenger Services, said:
“International long-distance travel is booming. We want to significantly expand rail connections between Germany and Poland. The new routes to the economically strong regions of southern Poland and to the Ukrainian border are of great economic and political importance.”
Janusz Malinowski, CEO of PKP Intercity, added:
“Rail travel is creating ever-stronger connections between European cities. As Poland’s largest long-distance operator, PKP Intercity is proud to contribute. We are seeing strong demand for Berlin services, and we expect the new destinations to be just as popular with our passengers.”
New Connections to Southern Poland and beyond
A completely new link will connect Leipzig, Wrocław (Breslau) and Kraków with two trains daily in each direction. One train will be extended to Przemyśl, located near the Polish–Ukrainian border. This provides, for the first time, a fast connection from central Germany to key cultural and economic centres in southern Poland as well as to Przemyśl.
For passengers from Munich, Nuremberg or Frankfurt (Main) travelling to Wrocław, journey times will be cut by around two hours thanks to optimised transfers in Leipzig. Intermediate stops in northern Saxony will also offer improved access for Chemnitz and Dresden.
Overnight services expanded
In addition to daytime trains, new overnight connections are also being planned:
- A new daily Eurocity night service between Berlin and Przemyśl via Wrocław and Kraków.
- A new night service between Berlin and Chełm via Łódź and Warsaw.
- Extra coaches for the existing “Chopin” night train between Munich and Warsaw, with new through cars running between Munich, Kraków and Przemyśl, creating a direct link from southern Germany to southern Poland.
Launch in December 2025
The expanded timetable will take effect with the European timetable change on 14 December 2025. The Leipzig–Wrocław journey will take just three and a half hours, while Berlin–Warsaw passengers will continue to enjoy a direct, climate-friendly service without transfers in around five hours.
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