Massive rail problems: Train travel between Dresden and Prague stopped from Friday!

Massive rail problems: Train travel between Dresden and Prague stopped from Friday!

Train travelers between Dresden and Prague have to prepare for a double challenge. From October 29, 2025, international train traffic will be suspended for two weeks. The reason for this is extensive construction work between Bad Schandau and Schöna, as MDR reports. Passengers who wish to travel must get off the Eurocity and transfer to replacement buses by November 8th. However, these buses do not stop in Bad Schandau or Děčín, which poses additional logistical challenges for travelers.

In regional traffic, only the national park line U28 will be in operation between Bad Schandau and Schöna. Replacement buses are temporarily planned between Rathmannsdorf and Děčín for alternative routes. Schönau can be reached by ferry from Hřensko; The town of Krippen can be reached by regional bus. The construction work is aimed at renovating the route in the Elbe Valley and includes the use of construction switches, pivoting of the overhead lines and the reconstruction of the railway embankment.

Challenging times for travelers

The current situation is part of a broader trend in Germany, where Deutsche Bahn is working on a major modernization program. By 2036, over 40 major routes will be closed for several months and sometimes even years in order to fundamentally renovate the rail network, as ADAC reports. However, these massive disruptions are not just limited to construction sites in the Dresden area.

In the next few weeks alone, travelers will have to prepare for numerous restrictions: buses between Hohenstein-Ernstthal and Zwickau will replace trains, and there will also be timetable deviations between Chemnitz and Wüstenbrand and between Dresden and Tharandt until December 12th. The intercity trains on the Chemnitz – Rostock line are often canceled from November 7th to 17th.

Investments for the future

There is an enormous investment effort behind these renovation measures. In 2023, Deutsche Bahn invested around 17 billion euros in the infrastructure - a sum that was higher than it has been in many years, as Tagesspiegel reports. This financial investment is intended to increase the quality of train traffic and reduce the infrastructure's susceptibility to failure. Philipp Nagl, head of the rail infrastructure company InfraGo, emphasized the urgent need to resolve the investment backlog and fundamentally improve the quality of rail connections.

But despite these efforts, the situation remains tense. Numerous important corridors are affected by construction work, which means significant disruption for millions of travelers. This will have a lasting impact on the long-term planning of travel in the coming years. A good hand in travel planning is needed now more than ever.