Bahn-Generalsanierung: Bald 14 Monate Bahn-Sperrung zwischen Hannover und Berlin

Starting this Friday, passengers on Deutsche Bahn will face significant restrictions between Berlin and Hannover. Due to extensive renovation work, the route will be suspended for 14 months. Trains will be rerouted through Braunschweig and Magdeburg, causing these journeys to be 80 minutes longer than usual. This includes passengers traveling on the ICE between Berlin and North Rhine-Westphalia, who will spend at least 5 hours and 15 minutes on their journey.

Regional travelers are also affected. While the railway company intends to maintain a basic service during the construction phase, regional trains such as those between Nauen and Stendal via Wittenberge will still operate. However, those traveling from Stendal to Wolfsburg will need to use replacement buses. Detailed information about the individual lines and timetables can be found on the railway's website.

The delays stem from the actual rerouted route for freight and passenger traffic, primarily through Braunschweig and Magdeburg. A second reroute for freight transport is planned to begin in late January of the following year, which is currently being renovated. The restrictions on passengers' travel will last considerably longer than initially planned.

Initially, it was intended for long-distance trains to run over the main line between Lehrte and Berlin, bypassing the fast-track route. However, the ongoing electrification of this corridor has been delayed and is now expected to last a year, extending the rerouted journey into the following year. The primary reason for all these measures is the comprehensive renovation of the Berlin-Hannover route.

The program director of DB InfraGo, Wolfgang Weinhold, explained that "rails, switches, concrete track, overhead lines, signal boxes, and stations are being collectively renewed or modernized." This is a massive undertaking, but an investment that pays off due to improved quality, reliability, and stability on one of Germany's most heavily traveled east-west rail connections.

By December 2027, hundreds of kilometers of rails, switches, overhead lines, and noise barriers are set to be renewed along this route, which forms part of the broader General Renovation program aimed at renewing dozens of heavily used corridors throughout the country into the 2030s. The extensive renovation of the Berlin-Hannover route, however, takes longer because more than 50 kilometers of concrete track need to be replaced around Stendal. Thousands of tons of concrete slabs must be removed and relocated.