Dilapidated rail network
Railway manager: Hamburg-Berlin renovation is only an interim step
With the Riedbahn, the railway has completed the first of 41 general renovations. This year it’s the turn of the long-distance route between Berlin and Hamburg. What is the biggest challenge?
According to the responsible manager, the upcoming general renovation of the long-distance route between Hamburg and Berlin is only an interim step for Deutsche Bahn. “The real challenge will come in 2026, when we will completely renovate several routes a year,” said the CEO of the rail infrastructure company InfraGo, Philipp Nagl, to the German Press Agency.
Deutsche Bahn wants to fundamentally modernize more than 40 busy corridors by 2030 and thus ensure more punctual trains. The so-called Riedbahn between Frankfurt and Mannheim began in 2024. This year the route between Hamburg and Berlin will follow from August.
The Hamburg-Berlin route is many times longer than the Riedbahn
From the point of view of many observers, this is considered a real test of fire because, at almost 280 kilometers, it is many times longer and more complex than the Riedbahn.
“With Hamburg-Berlin, the length is the particular challenge, and with it the logistics. So how does all the material get to the construction site?” said Nagl. But you can prepare well for the logistics. The railway wants to replace 181 kilometers of tracks, more than 200 switches and around 70 kilometers of overhead lines on the corridor by April next year.
Detour via Uelzen and Salzwedel
During the work, the long-distance trains will be rerouted via Uelzen (Lower Saxony) and Salzwedel (Saxony-Anhalt). The travel time is extended by at least 45 minutes. In regional transport, a replacement bus service should take passengers to their destination. The railway had already built on the route last year.
It is important to complete the planning early, emphasized Nagl, and pointed out that the electronic train control system ETCS is not yet in operation on the Riedbahn. “This is mainly because we improved a few things in the planning at relatively short notice. That ended up costing us time.”
At Hamburg-Berlin they want to say early on: “These are the things we want to incorporate and we won’t change this plan anymore. This will prevent delays.” The Riedbahn was equipped throughout with the more modern ETCS and point train control (PZB) for train protection.
Riedbahn renovation will “not change the world” in long-distance transport
Nagl rejected criticism of the decision not to equip the corridor between Hamburg and Berlin with ETCS. Although it sounds good to equip a route with two train protection systems, as with the Riedbahn, it has major disadvantages. “Firstly, it costs twice as much money and secondly, it is extremely time-consuming because you are actually installing two systems in parallel. We could better use this valuable resource that we use elsewhere – for example in modernizing old signal boxes.” There are only a few companies that can build signal boxes. Foregoing the double equipment saves a double-digit million amount.
Looking at the completely renovated Riedbahn, Nagl said that the “effect on local transport on the Riedbahn” would be noticeable. However, he tempered his expectations when it came to long-distance trains and the 10,000 kilometers of rail they run on. “Of course the 70 kilometers won’t change the world. But they provide a good amount of stability in the system.” At the end of the construction work in mid-December, Transport Minister Volker Wissing (non-party) said: “The reliability of the Riedbahn will also provide greater safety for the entire railway system.”
Railway information on the general renovation of Hamburg-Berlin
dpa
Source: Stern
