Rail passengers between Hamburg and Berlin will have to prepare for extensive restrictions for around four months starting Friday evening. Due to construction work, the route will be closed from 10 p.m. until December 14.
The long-distance trains will be diverted westwards via Stendal, Salzwedel, Uelzen and Lüneburg. This will extend the journey time by 45 minutes. In addition, there will only be one long-distance train per hour between the two largest German cities instead of the previous two.
For commuters between Hamburg and Wittenberge, a replacement bus service will be set up that will also run via Ludwigslust. The connections have already been incorporated into the online timetables and can be accessed.
There are further restrictions for passengers between Hamburg and Schwerin. Construction work is also taking place here, and will continue until September 29. During this time, no ICE trains will run there. There is a direct connection with replacement buses. In addition, one Intercity train runs via Lübeck every day.
It is the first of two long closures between Hamburg and Berlin. The so-called general renovation will begin there in August next year. Everything will then be modernized and renovated. Passengers will then once again face restrictions lasting several months.