Starting August 1, Deutsche Bahn’s 280-kilometer (174-mile) route linking Berlin to Hamburg will be completely closed for at least nine months. With up to 30,000 passengers daily, it is the most heavily used direct connection in Germany’s long-distance rail transport. Around 230 regional, long-distance, and freight trains travel daily on the tracks between Germany’s two largest cities.
Starting Friday, the intercity passenger trains will have to take a 100-kilometer detour, while freight trains will be rerouted even further. Also, 170 buses will be deployed daily to continue connecting the towns between Berlin and Hamburg that will be cut off from rail service. Both the construction work and the replacement transport will be complex and potentially prone to disruption.
Dilapidated infrastructure, decades of neglect
This Thursday, Deutsche Bahn reported a loss of €760 million for the first half of the year. The company billed this as progress, as losses had been reduced by almost €1 billion compared to the previous year.
“Deutsche Bahn is facing its biggest crisis in 30 years,” CEO Richard Lutz admitted in May 2025. “We cannot ensure stable operations on a fault-prone and outdated infrastructure.”
World’s first hydrogen train runs in Germany
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Germany’s national rail network covers around 33,500 kilometers of tracks. As a state-owned company, the operator Deutsche Bahn is dependent on subsidies from the federal government, which critics say has invested far too little in infrastructure over the last few decades.
In fact, some tracks, junctures, and even signal boxes date back to the 19th century. Many systems are completely worn out, almost beyond repair, and now so outdated that they are unusable for digitally controlled rail operations, which are to become standard.
There is no way around completely rebuilding them. The “general renovation” project began in 2024, with a focus on 41 main lines, which have a combined length of 4,200 kilometers and are essential for the operation.
Deutsche Bahn’s biggest overhaul
The 70-kilometer line between Frankfurt am Main and Mannheim was the first to be revamped. It was completely closed for six months as tracks and overhead lines were torn out and reinstalled. The 20 stations along the route, the signaling technology, and the sound insulation were also renewed. The installation of digital technology turned out to be more complicated than expected. Construction costs rose to more than €1.5 billion ($1.73 bn) — twice as much as anticipated.
The Federal Audit Office, which monitors the government’s budget management, subsequently accused the Federal Transport Ministry of negligence, arguing that Deutsche Bahn should have been required to prove the economic viability of its actions.
Further renovation funds should only be made available once the Transport Ministry has “proven beyond doubt that they were necessary and economical,” the office said.
This led Deutsche Bahn to announce that the general renovation would be extended by six years until 2036.
The company has now significantly scaled back its original construction plans. The number of new passing tracks and switches — which ensure that fast trains can overtake slow ones — has been reduced.
The installation of the European Train Control System (ETCS) has been postponed until the next decade.
The government has pledged additional funds to renovate the rail network. Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder promised rail infrastructure investments totaling €107 billion by 2029. Most of the money is to come from the debt-financed special fund for infrastructure and climate protection launched at the beginning of the year.
How to travel by train in Germany
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Delays cost millions
Currently, only 62% of German trains are on time – that is, those that arrive within six minutes of their scheduled time. Canceled trains are just as common as trains that don’t reach their final destination. When there’s a strike, or outside temperatures are very high or very low, there are even more problems.
Traveling by train in Germany requires a lot of time, a lot of patience, and strong nerves. Delays of two to three hours are not uncommon. In 2024, Deutsche Bahn had to pay its passengers almost €200 million in compensation, almost €70 million more than the previous year.
More competition on the railways?
The Federal Audit Office has also issued a warning that money alone will not be able to solve the “ongoing crisis” at Deutsche Bahn, and is calling for a complete overhaul of the entire company, including an “adjustment of the corporate structure.” That would mean unbundling the corporation with its many hundreds of holdings and subsidiaries.
For years, there has also been discussion about separating rail infrastructure from transport, to enable more private companies to enter competition on the railways.
Currently, the auditors have little hope that the railways will soon recover. In its report in May, it concluded that Deutsche Bahn will not be able to meet “transport and climate policy expectations in the foreseeable future.”
This article was originally written in German.
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