Major construction work between Stralsund and Rostock: Travelers are threatened with delays!

Major construction work between Stralsund and Rostock: Travelers are threatened with delays!

In these months, commuters and travelers on the route between Stralsund and Rostock are facing major challenges. As the Baltic Sea newspaper reports, the railway is planning extensive modernization of the tracks and overhead lines between Ribnitz-Ost and Rostock. From January 30th to April 30th, 2026, travelers must expect closures, delays and replacement rail services.

The first construction site has now been dismantled, but the next project is already in the starting blocks. Official details have not yet been fully communicated, but according to Deutsche Bahn (DB) timetables, the construction work has already been taken into account. An operating concept for rail replacement transport is currently being developed - experience from a previous construction site between Rostock and Gelbensande could be an advantage.

Replacement transport and longer journey times

Space problems could arise with the replacement buses, particularly for families who rely on strollers, bicycles or wheelchairs. Travelers must also expect significantly longer journey times, as alternative connections via Neustrelitz can take more than three hours. This is particularly annoying because many of the regional railway lines in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania are single-track, which makes expansion and modernization difficult.

The connection between Stralsund and Rostock has been repeatedly modernized in recent years to enable speeds of up to 160 km/h. This means that complete modernization during ongoing operations is a real challenge at this time, as there is no parallel alternative route available.

General renovation of the railway in the north

But there are construction sites not only in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Those too North German Radio reports on extensive construction work on over 160 kilometers of tracks as well as hundreds of switches and dozens of kilometers of overhead lines on various routes. The goal is to create a high-performance corridor. This also entails a short-term increase in the travel time between Hamburg and Berlin by at least 45 minutes.

In the coming months, 28 train stations will be modernized and the DB is planning “Germany’s largest replacement bus service”. Up to 173 buses will be used during peak times to cushion the closures. These are barrier-free, equipped with information monitors, sockets and WiFi, but bicycles are only allowed in folding and folding bikes. Most local transport connections on the Hamburg-Berlin long-distance route are affected by these changes.

Next year, extensive potential for improving digital control and security technology will also be tackled, although this has been postponed to a later date. After the general renovation, telephone and internet connections on trains should be significantly improved. But until then, travelers will need a lot of patience.

The modernizations and construction work are therefore not only important for commuters in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, but are also linked to larger initiatives by the railways aimed at better connections and faster connections. It remains to be seen whether these measures will ensure that travelers spend less time on buses.