ICE route Erfurt-Leipzig: closed for several weeks due to bridge work!

ICE route Erfurt-Leipzig: closed for several weeks due to bridge work!

Deutsche Bahn is in the starting blocks for extensive work on the ICE route between Erfurt and Halle/Leipzig. From theJune 26 to July 12, 2025The route will be closed due to the replacement of bearings on two railway bridges in the Sömmerda district, as MDR reports. These measures are necessary to replace the existing elastomer bearings with modern spherical bearings that require less maintenance. The affected bridges are those between Großmölsen and Ollendorf and between Hardisleben and Buttstädt.

The closure has far-reaching consequences for long-distance traffic. All ICE trains and Flixtrain connections that connect Erfurt with Halle and Leipzig must be rerouted. For travelers, this means that travel times are significantly longer. Fortunately, affected travelers have the option of conveniently accessing the revised arrival and departure times in the electronic timetable on bahn.de.

Detours and delays

The diversions will lead via Naumburg and Weimar, which will lead to significant delays: Flixtrain trains will now take around 1 hour and 20 minutes for the Halle-Erfurt route instead of the usual 35 minutes. The ICE connections between Leipzig and Erfurt are also significantly longer - they take 1 hour and 20 minutes instead of the regular 40 minutes. In some cases, certain ICE trains are rerouted via Naumburg during the closure, which additionally affects the journey to Erfurt or Leipzig.

As part of the construction work, Deutsche Bahn will also carry out test drives together with Siemens Mobility. These tests are intended to provide new insights for the renovation of high-speed routes and for the technical development of high-speed trains, according to Dubisthalle.

Impact on traffic

The construction work not only affects the connection between Halle and Erfurt, but also on numerous other important routes. This involves changes to ICE connections, including:

• Frankfurt – Berlin
• Berlin – Leipzig – Erfurt – Frankfurt – Stuttgart – München
• München – Erfurt – Berlin
• Hamburg – Berlin – Halle – Erfurt – München
• Hamburg – Berlin – Leipzig – Erfurt – München
• Frankfurt – Leipzig – Dresden

Some IC connections are also affected, such as Nuremberg – Leipzig and Karlsruhe – Stuttgart – Nuremberg.

These construction measures are part of Deutsche Bahn's largest renovation program, which is supported by Federal Minister Volker Wissing with an additional 31.5 billion euros. This underlines the efforts to further expand the high-speed rail network in Germany and Europe, with 11,990 km of high-speed line already and a further 3,062 km under construction, as Axotrack highlights. The aim is to make rail connections not only more comfortable, but also significantly faster, which ultimately benefits all travelers.