Railway closure Berlin-Hamburg: 2.2 billion euros for modernization!

Railway closure Berlin-Hamburg: 2.2 billion euros for modernization!

From the beginning of August 2025, the railway line between Berlin and Hamburg will be completely renovated. The work begins on August 1st and should be completed by April 30, 2026. This extensive renovation will have a significant impact on rail traffic in the Northwestbrandenburg region, since six cities and municipalities, including Neustadt, Bad Wilsnack and Wittenberge, will be suspended during this time. A large switch to bus traffic is expected because the rail replacement (SEV) is organized over 26 bus lines that cover up to 86,000 kilometers a day, reports Maz-Online .

The demand for driving spaces will be large during the construction period, and each passenger should be offered a seat, which means that the operating capacities have to be increased. The bus lines are operated by the Eco-Vista company from Augsburg, whereby the travel times are expected to be longer than by train. The traffic volume in the region is expected to increase what a challenge for the SEV is to ensure that all passengers reach their goal, according to the assessments of vbb.de .

investments in the infrastructure

The general renovation is part of an extensive investment program of the federal government, which provides for a total of 166 billion euros in the infrastructure by 2029. Around 107 billion euros flow into the rails to renovate dilapidated railway lines and motorway bridges. These measures are not only short-term solutions, but should also improve punctuality and reliability in rail traffic, such as Tagesschau.de

The renovation work includes the modernization of 180 kilometers of tracks and around 200 course as well as the renewal of leading and safety technology. In addition, investments are intensively invested in the soundproofing measures with the aim of building noise protection walls and renovating 28 train stations. In Falkensee station, for example, two new toilets and new elevators are installed in several train stations, while weather protection for the platform is added in Brieselang. The total costs of this renovation are estimated at around 2.2 billion euros.

A total of around 230 trains per day run on the route, which transport up to 30,000 passengers. With the SEV, the releasing connections should be compensated as best as possible in order not to burden travelers with long waiting times and to ensure convenient mobility.