- Berlin-Hamburg railway closed for several months
The railway line between Berlin and Hamburg is one of the most heavily traveled in the country. Around 30,000 passengers travel between the capital and the Hanseatic city every day by rail. However, the infrastructure is outdated and is to be comprehensively renovated. For this purpose, the connection will be closed twice for several months. The first closure begins this Friday. Here's what passengers need to know.
How long will the line be closed?
The construction work is scheduled to last from this Friday until the change of timetable on December 14. This means that there will be significant restrictions in long-distance and regional traffic for around four months. "Among other things, more than 74 kilometers of track and 100 switches between Wittenberge and Ludwigslust, as well as between Hamburg and Büchen and around Hagenow Land will be renewed," the railway announced.
What will run during the closure?
Long-distance trains will be rerouted westwards via Stendal, Salzwedel, Uelzen, and Lüneburg. This will increase travel time by 45 minutes. Since this route is partly single-track, only one long-distance train will run between the two largest German cities per hour, instead of the usual two. For commuters between Hamburg and Wittenberge, a replacement bus service will be set up, which will also run via Ludwigslust. The connections are already included in the online timetables and can be accessed.
Are there any further restrictions?
Yes. From Friday, construction will also begin between Hamburg and Schwerin - until September 29. During this time, no ICE trains will run there. There will be a direct connection with replacement buses. Additionally, one Intercity train will run via Lübeck per day.
On the other hand, another important high-speed line is now fully open again: There are no restrictions for travelers between Cologne and Frankfurt. They had to cope with diversions for almost four weeks due to construction work. The tracks and switches along the route have been renewed. "We have finished on time," said the head of the railway infrastructure company DB InfraGO, Philipp Nagl, according to a statement from the railway. Accordingly, all ICE trains are now running again without restrictions. The railway stations in Siegburg/Bonn, Montabaur, and Limburg Süd are now being served again.
Is this already the comprehensive renovation?
No. The railway refers to the comprehensive modernization of more than 40 heavily traveled rail corridors in Germany as the comprehensive renovation. The company and the federal government want to gradually make the outdated track network fit again between important junctions in this way and improve the reliability of rail traffic.
The renovation of the first corridor on the so-called Riedbahn between Frankfurt and Mannheim has been underway for about a month now. Next year, the route important for freight traffic between Emmerich and Oberhausen, as well as the Hamburg-Berlin route, will be in focus again.
From August 2025 to April 2026, there will be another closure between the Hanseatic and the capital cities. Tracks, switches, overhead lines, and signaling and safety technology - everything is to be renewed during these almost nine months. Afterwards, the route is to be free of disruptions for years and trains should run more reliably there than before.
Why doesn't the railway do the work simultaneously and close the line only once?
Due to the age of the route, some work can no longer wait. "The construction work in 2024 is necessary so that trains can continue to run at full speed and there are fewer infrastructure disruptions," it says in a presentation by Deutsche Bahn. The company has intensively examined whether the construction measures can be bundled with the general overhaul. However, legal deadlines for maintenance also had to be met, making a delay impossible.
Why is the Bahn relying on general overhauls?
The Deutsche Bahn is as unreliable as it has been for many years. In the first half of 2024, nearly every third long-distance train was late. The company blames this mainly on the dilapidated infrastructure, into which too little has been invested for decades. The federal government is now making up for this with billions. With each rehabilitated main corridor, the reliability of the entire rail network is expected to gradually improve.
For passengers, this initially means additional burdens due to construction-related closures. It may take several more years before any noticeable improvement is felt.
Other rail lines might also require renovation in the future, as the comprehensive modernization of over 40 heavily traveled rail corridors in Germany is planned. Passengers using other routes should be prepared for potential disruptions and closures.
