Faster Rail Links Cut Travel Time to Berlin Airport

From Sunday, 14 December 2025, travellers will benefit from significantly improved rail connections between Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) and the city centre, following the opening of the upgraded Dresdner Bahn line.

 

The Airport Express FEX will now offer much shorter journey times and higher frequencies. Trains will run up to four times per hour between BER and Berlin Hauptbahnhof, reaching the central station in just 23 minutes. Stops via Potsdamer Platz (19 minutes) and Berlin Südkreuz (14 minutes) further enhance connectivity. Together with the new RE20 regional service, the route will be served by up to five trains per hour.

New Regional and S-Bahn Services

A new RE20 service will run hourly between Berlin Hauptbahnhof and Lübbenau from early morning to late evening, with a 50-minute travel time from BER. During peak hours, trains will continue to Cottbus, Brandenburg’s second-largest city.

In addition, the new S-Bahn line S85 will connect BER with north-east Berlin every 20 minutes, while existing S9 services will continue to link the airport with Spandau via the city railway.

Passengers from eastern Berlin will also benefit from direct regional services. Lines RB24 and RB32 will connect areas such as Ostkreuz, Lichtenberg and Hohenschönhausen directly with the airport, with further extensions planned in early 2026.

Direct Long-Distance Links Restored

From the same date, Intercity services between Dresden/Chemnitz and Rostock will once again run directly via BER. Dresden passengers will reach the airport in around 1 hour and 30 minutes, while travellers from Rostock can expect a journey time of approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes.

Shorter Travel Times Across Germany

Thanks to improved connections at Berlin’s major rail hubs, journey times to BER from several German cities will fall sharply. Travel from Leipzig and Erfurt will be almost 30 minutes faster, while journeys from Hanover will be reduced by over 35 minutes. Once works on the Hamburg–Berlin line are completed, passengers from Hamburg will also save close to half an hour.

The upgrades mark a major step in improving rail access to Berlin Brandenburg Airport, making travel faster, more frequent and more convenient for passengers across Germany.