Bahnverkehr: Bald Bundestagsentscheid über Neubaustrecke Hannover-Hamburg

Berlin is on the brink of a decision regarding a new railway line connecting Hannover and Hamburg. The Bundestag's Transport Committee will discuss the project on Wednesday, followed by a vote by the entire Bundestag on Thursday evening. The decision was initially postponed two weeks ago by the coalition led by the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the Free Democratic Party (FDP).

Isabel Cademartori, the SPD's spokesman on transport policy, stated that lawmakers identified areas for improvement in the draft plan submitted by Deutsche Bahn. She emphasized that the new planning concept was the most viable solution to address a bottleneck in the north German railway network, both in terms of logistics and economics.

The aim is to reach a "clear and future-proof decision" during the session week at the beginning of October. However, it remains unclear whether there is a majority in the coalition for the new line. The Greens are expected to support it. The referral to the Bundestag is a significant step for a new line that is contentious in Lower Saxony.

If the Bundestag clears the way, subsequent phases such as the design and approval planning will follow. However, it could still take decades before the first trains run on the new track. The responsible transport policy makers of the coalition coalition already expressed their agreement with the draft of a decision for a new line in mid-September, which also included improvements to the existing line. Work on the draft is still ongoing.