General renovation Hamburg-Berlin: Railway is on schedule

Deutsche Bahn (German Rail) apparently has a better handle on schedules for its general renovations than for its timetables during ongoing operations. Work on the major renovation of the Hamburg-Berlin railway line is on schedule, the state-owned company announced. The first construction phase is nearing completion. The renewal of tracks, switches, and noise barriers is largely finished.

With the heavily used railway line between the two major cities, the railway is building on the first general renovation of the Riedbahn. The concept: a complete line closure for a few months is preferable to work that drags on for years with all sorts of disruptions during ongoing traffic. The current construction site, whose renovation began on August 1, is, of course, a completely different caliber than the Riedbahn between Frankfurt am Main and Mannheim. At 278 kilometers long, it's four times the length, according to the railway.

New crossover points as a precaution against disruptions

However, progress has also been made on a large scale in the hoped-for manner. According to the railway, up to 1,000 employees of the DB subsidiary DB InfraGo were deployed daily. Work is carried out around the clock. Up to 140 construction machines are in use per day. In the first five months, 99 percent of the track work and 97 percent of the switches were replaced. In absolute numbers, this means 164 kilometers of tracks, 241 switches, and 4.6 kilometers of noise barriers. Of the 270 signals, 40 percent are completed, and for the overhead lines over a length of 25 kilometers, the progress is 52 percent.

In addition to repairs, the technology on the line is also being renewed as part of the general renovation. The railway is also installing new switch connections and crossover points to have alternative routes in the future in case of disruptions. In the next construction phase, the focus will be on signaling and interlocking technology, in addition to the stations. The general renovation is scheduled to be completed on April 30, 2026.

First sections near Hamburg and Berlin will be equipped with the new European train control system ETCS (European Train Control System). Along the entire renovation route, DB plans to erect radio masts for the railway radio FRMCS (Future Rail Mobile Communication System).

More than 170 replacement buses in operation

The general renovation has also triggered a massive replacement transport service. Long-distance trains are taking extensive detours via Uelzen and Stendal. Buses are being used as a replacement for regional and local transport. More than 25 lines are in operation, served by more than 170 buses.

(mki)