It wasn't so long ago that railway NGOs and top DB managers were criticising Germany's outdated rail infrastructure. And the associated problems in passenger and freight transport (read more). Now DB has announced a major investment in rail infrastructure.
In 2024, Deutsche Bahn will carry out long-planned infrastructure investments on the line between Hamburg and Berlin: 100 points, three culverts and a total of around 74 kilometres of track will be renewed between August and December next year. Most of the work will be carried out between Wittenberge and Ludwigslust.
There will be restrictions on regional and freight services, including further along the line towards Hamburg. The improvements will also extend to Rostock, where two additional points will remove a bottleneck at the Hagenow Land junction.
With 230 ICE, regional and freight trains and up to 30,000 passengers a day, the Hamburg-Berlin line is one of the most important direct city connections in Germany. In recent years, the high level of utilisation has put a heavy strain on the switches, tracks and overhead lines. Next year's work is necessary to ensure that trains can continue to run at full speed and that there are fewer disruptions to the infrastructure.
