- Railways need another year for new bridges in Hamburg
Due to upcoming construction works on the Berlin-Hamburg railway line, Deutsche Bahn has temporarily halted an important project in the Hanseatic city. The renovation of bridges over the so-called Müggenburger Durchfahrt, an Elbarm in Hamburg-Veddel, will require another construction phase of twelve months, the Senate announced in response to a minor inquiry by CDU member of the parliament Goetz Wiese. The four single-track bridges have been under renovation since March 2021 and were supposed to be completed by now. However, a construction vehicle slipping into the water and a storm surge damaged the construction site last year, disrupting the schedule.
Fortunately, four tracks for regional and long-distance traffic were opened a few days ago. "The achieved four-track operation is necessary for the planned closure of the Hamburg-Berlin route on August 16, 2024," the Senate explained. From Friday evening, long-distance traffic to Berlin will be rerouted via Lueneburg, adding to the regular 660 trains per day that will cross the bridges. Construction on the route to Berlin will continue until December 14.
A general renovation of the route between the Hanseatic city and the capital is planned from August 2025 to April 2026. This means that Deutsche Bahn can only complete the renovation of the Hamburg bridges by the earliest autumn of 2026, provided they use the first eight months of next year for this purpose. The planning is still in the early stages, the Senate announced. It is foreseeable that the construction costs, initially estimated at 86.2 million euros, will increase. Due to a contract from 1904, the city of Hamburg is responsible for covering these costs.
The construction delays on the Berlin-Hamburg railway line, specifically at the Muggenburger Durchfahrt bridges, have led to a prolonged renovation phase of twelve months. Despite efforts to complete the renovation of the four single-track bridges since March 2021, they are yet to be finished due to unforeseen incidents like a construction vehicle accident and a storm surge.
