Railroad - Difficult summer: construction work in and around Hamburg
Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein will be poorly accessible for many train travelers this summer due to short-term bridge construction works. Starting from July 15th, there will be delays and cancellations between Hamburg-Hauptbahnhof and Harburg. Preferred person trains can pass over the Norderelbbridge during daytime from 5.00 am to 9.00 pm, night trains will be goods trains, as DB Infrastructure Services (DB Infrago) announced.
Restriction of connection Hamburg-Lower Saxony from July 15th
According to Deutsche Bahn, several ICE trains between Cologne and Hamburg-Altona, as well as between Frankfurt and Hamburg-Altona, will be cancelled. The journeys on lines RB31 and RE3 Lüneburg-Hamburg and RB41/RE4 Bremen-Hamburg end in Harburg. From July 22nd, most long-distance and local trains between Harburg and Hauptbahnhof will not run. Car journeys and night trains should still be able to pass through. The Hamburg S-Bahn is not affected by the construction works.
Repair work on Norderelbbridges delayed
"The Norderelbbridges are the gateway to Hamburg for nearly all trains from the south," says a statement from Deutsche Bahn. "All trains on the European railway line Malmö-Maschen-Milan from and to the south have to pass through these bridges." Around 660 trains pass through them daily. The repair work on the Elbquay should have been completed by the end of April. According to DB Infrago, the construction time is expected to be extended by another year until June 2025.
Fewer trains Hamburg-Berlin and longer travel time
From August 16th to December 14th, the Norderelbbridge will be even more important for long-distance traffic. Then construction works on the line Hamburg-Berlin begin. Long-distance and goods trains will be rerouted via Lüneburg, Uelzen, Salzwedel and Stendal (Saxony-Anhalt) and will therefore also have to pass the Elbbridges in Hamburg. The travel time increases by three quarters of an hour, and there will only be one instead of two trains per hour between Hamburg and Berlin.
Buses instead of IC trains between Schwerin and Hamburg
The regional traffic between Hamburg and Schwerin is also affected. The section Hamburg-Büchen will be closed from mid-August for about two weeks. Between Hamburg and Schwerin, as well as Wittenberge (Brandenburg), buses will run instead. Schwerin can only be reached by train via Lübeck and the non-electrified, single-track line between Lübeck and Bad Kleinen.
No IC trains between Magdeburg and Rostock
Another way to the Baltic Sea is blocked. Construction is taking place on the IC line Rostock-Wittenberge-Magdeburg from August to December. The train stations Warnemünde, Rostock, Bützow, Bad Kleinen, Schwerin, Ludwigslust, Wittenberge and Stendal will not be served during this time according to the railway.
From the evening of July 18, shortly after the summer holidays began in Hamburg and other federal states, until the morning of July 22, no trains will run between Hamburg and Kiel or Flensburg. The railway announced a closure of the Elmshorn-Neumünster section due to construction work. Trains on the diversion route via Lübeck and Kiel are expected to be very crowded, as a railway spokesperson explained, since during this period the Travemünde Week will also be taking place.
Fehmarn without railway connection
The Ostseeinsel Fehmarn has not been reachable by train for almost two years. The tracks on the island have been dismantled. A new two-track railway track is expected to be completed by 2029. Those using the replacement buses from Lübeck can expect long queues before the Fehmarnbelt Bridge. The so-called "clothes hanger" has been under repair for years. A railway spokesperson announced good news for Sylt holidaymakers. No construction work is planned on the line between Hamburg-Altona and Westerland this summer.
DB-Infra announcement on bridge construction works DB on the significance of the Norderelbbrücken DB on railway renovations Hamburg-Berlin and Rostock-Magdeburg DB on railway renovations Hamburg-Schwerin DB on railway connection to the Fixed Fehmarnbelt Crossing
- Despite the bridge construction works in Hamburg-Hauptbahnhof and Harburg, the S-Bahn in Hamburg remains unaffected.
- Travelers planning to visit Lower Saxony from Hamburg this summer may face cancellations on ICE trains between Cologne and Hamburg-Altona.
- The removal of preferred person trains during daytime on the Norderelbbridge will cause delays for trains between Hamburg-Hauptbahnhof and Harburg.
- Rostock's connection with Magdeburg will be disrupted for several months due to construction on the IC line.
- Traffic between Schwerin and Hamburg will depend on bus services for about two weeks, as the section between Hamburg-Büchen will be closed.
- Cologne and Frankfurt's ICE trains towards Hamburg-Altona will be affected by the bridge construction works in Hamburg.
- The DB Railway in Rostock is anticipating delays and cancellations on the IC line Rostock-Wittenberge-Magdeburg this summer.
- Frankfurt and Berlin commuters using long-distance trains should expect longer travel times due to the construction works on the Norderelbbridge.
- German Railways has announced that night trains and car journeys will be the only viable options for traveling through Hamburg during the bridge construction works.
- Lübeck and Bremen are unaffected by the bridge construction works in Hamburg, offering alternate routes for travelers avoiding the disruptions in the city.
