The nationwide rail timetable change that took effect today (14 December 2025) delivers a mixed bag for travellers in Germany’s economic heartland. The Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund (RMV) has quietly withdrawn the RE5 express between Frankfurt and Fulda and trimmed stops on the RE70 and RE85. Yet the shake-up also introduces the first dedicated rail shuttle to Frankfurt Airport’s long-awaited Terminal 3, set to open commercially next spring.
The RMV says eliminating lightly used services frees rolling stock for the airport link, which will run every 30 minutes at launch and every 15 minutes in peak periods by mid-2026. For global-mobility managers coordinating assignee arrivals, the dedicated stop slashes transfer times from the city centre by up to 12 minutes compared with the existing Skyline shuttle-plus-walk.
![New timetable links Frankfurt Airport Terminal 3 but cuts regional trains]()
For international assignees and business travellers adjusting plans around the new FRA-T3 gateway, VisaHQ can streamline the paperwork side of the journey. Through its Germany portal (https://www.visahq.com/germany/), the service consolidates real-time visa requirements, offers rapid e-visa processing and even handles passport renewals—helping companies ensure that documentation keeps pace with freshly rerouted rail itineraries.
Elsewhere in Hesse, the RB53 now terminates in Flieden to improve north-south connections, while a two-hourly Bad Hersfeld–Frankfurt regional express debuts to support commuter flows from the state’s logistics corridor. Deutsche Bahn is adding Sprinter services on the Hamburg–Hannover–Kassel line and a direct Frankfurt-to-Baltic-coast ICE, but is trimming capacity on the Karlsruhe corridor due to engineering works.
Companies should update corporate travel policies immediately: employees accustomed to the RE5 will need to rebook via alternative services, and ticketing systems must be re-mapped to recognise the new three-letter station code (FRA-T3). Travel-data provider OAG estimates that 9 percent of international itineraries into Frankfurt will incorporate Terminal 3 within six months, making early change-management essential for travel-tech platforms.
The RMV says eliminating lightly used services frees rolling stock for the airport link, which will run every 30 minutes at launch and every 15 minutes in peak periods by mid-2026. For global-mobility managers coordinating assignee arrivals, the dedicated stop slashes transfer times from the city centre by up to 12 minutes compared with the existing Skyline shuttle-plus-walk.
For international assignees and business travellers adjusting plans around the new FRA-T3 gateway, VisaHQ can streamline the paperwork side of the journey. Through its Germany portal (https://www.visahq.com/germany/), the service consolidates real-time visa requirements, offers rapid e-visa processing and even handles passport renewals—helping companies ensure that documentation keeps pace with freshly rerouted rail itineraries.
Elsewhere in Hesse, the RB53 now terminates in Flieden to improve north-south connections, while a two-hourly Bad Hersfeld–Frankfurt regional express debuts to support commuter flows from the state’s logistics corridor. Deutsche Bahn is adding Sprinter services on the Hamburg–Hannover–Kassel line and a direct Frankfurt-to-Baltic-coast ICE, but is trimming capacity on the Karlsruhe corridor due to engineering works.
Companies should update corporate travel policies immediately: employees accustomed to the RE5 will need to rebook via alternative services, and ticketing systems must be re-mapped to recognise the new three-letter station code (FRA-T3). Travel-data provider OAG estimates that 9 percent of international itineraries into Frankfurt will incorporate Terminal 3 within six months, making early change-management essential for travel-tech platforms.
