Closure of the ICE route Erfurt-Halle: Travelers have to wait longer!

Closure of the ICE route Erfurt-Halle: Travelers have to wait longer!

If you want to travel from Erfurt to Halle or Leipzig in the next few weeks, you should be prepared for some changes. Deutsche Bahn has decided to close the ICE route between Erfurt and Halle/Leipzig for construction work. The closure will begin on Thursday, June 26th at 11:40 p.m. and will last until Saturday, July 12th at 4:30 a.m. The reason for the work is the replacement and modernization of the bearings on two important bridges in the Sömmerda district MDR reported.

A total of two bridges are affected: the first is between Großmölsen and Ollendorf and the second between Hardisleben and Buttstädt. As part of the construction work, the old elastomer bearings will be replaced by more modern spherical bearings, which require less maintenance. This means that the availability of the route can be sustainably improved, as well as on German railway can be read.

Detours and extended travel times

Affected travelers must prepare for significant changes to connections. For example, the Flixtrain will now take 1 hour 20 minutes to cover the route instead of 35 minutes. The ICE trains between Leipzig and Erfurt are also extending their travel time from 40 to 80 minutes. In addition, some ICE connections between Halle and Erfurt will be deleted from the timetable, and some ICEs will also stop in Naumburg. For connecting travelers to and from Dresden, longer travel times can also be expected. The affected connections are extensive, including connections between Frankfurt/Main and Halle (Saale) as well as numerous other inner-German routes, such as those from Munich to Leipzig and Berlin, which will now take longer.

Travelers are encouraged to inform themselves in advance about the changed arrival and departure times in the digital travel information media, such as on the website bahn.de, to inform. The DB Navigator app also provides current information on construction sites and diversions.

Construction projects at a glance

These construction measures are part of a broader plan to modernize the German rail network. Over 40 routes are to be expanded or renewed by 2030. Another example is the complete closure of the Riedbahn between Frankfurt am Main and Mannheim, which will last for several months from July 15, 2024, or the planned closure of the ICE route between Cologne and Frankfurt in July 2024, which is expected to last around four weeks. These renovations are necessary to ensure long-term quality and safety in rail transport daily news determines.

Deutsche Bahn politely asks all travelers to understand the inconvenience caused by the necessary construction work. It turns out that investing in rail infrastructure will also lead to better train connections and more comfort on the tracks in the long term.