NS International is to launch new ICE services between the Netherlands and Hamburg, with Bremen to follow, as engineering works reshape the Hanover to Berlin route.
NS International is to launch new ICE services connecting the Netherlands directly with Hamburg from October 2, with services to Bremen following later this year. The move brings two of North Germany’s best-known cities within easier reach for Dutch travellers, with journey times from Amersfoort to Hamburg of around four hours.
Passengers will be able to join the new ICE trains at stations across the Netherlands, including Amsterdam, Hilversum, Amersfoort, Apeldoorn, Deventer and Hengelo. Tickets for the initial Hamburg services are already available through the NS International app, with luggage carried free of charge and seat reservations included as standard.
New route timed around engineering works
The new connections have been introduced to coincide with extensive engineering works on the railway line between Hanover and Berlin, which are due to run from October until the end of December 2027. During this period, ICE services will operate via a revised route through Bremen and Hamburg rather than the usual corridor.
From October 2 until December 12, trains will call at Hamburg Harburg and Hamburg Bergedorf. From December 13, services will shift to Bremen Hauptbahnhof and Hamburg Hauptbahnhof, with tickets for this later phase bookable from October 14. Throughout the works, NS International will run four daily trains between Amsterdam, Bremen, Hamburg and Berlin, alongside three direct daily services to Hanover.
Heike Luiten, director of NS International, said the expansion reflected growing demand for international rail travel. “Hamburg and Bremen have long been on NS International’s wish list,” she said, adding that the new cities would make more European destinations “comfortably and sustainably accessible” to travellers, with both offering a strong mix of culture, history and gastronomy.
The new ICE trains feature air conditioning, a bar bistro carriage and wheelchair accessibility. One-way fares start from 28 euros to Bremen and 33 euros to Hamburg, with tickets available via the NS International website and app.
No comments yet