Berlin-Hamburg train route will be disrupted for longer than expected

Deutsche Bahn has announced that construction work on the direct rail route connecting Berlin and Hamburg will take longer than expected, meaning the route will be closed for longer.

Construction delayed on Berlin-Hamburg rail route

In June 2025, Deutsche Bahn announced that the direct train route connecting Berlin and Hamburg would be entirely closed for construction works between August 1, 2025 and April 30, 2026.

Trains between the German cities currently require diversions, which add 45 minutes to the journey, while regional trains have been replaced by bus services.

Now, the national rail company has said frost in January means construction is behind schedule. The construction work involves laying underground cables, which cannot be done when the ground is frozen.

More information to follow on March 13

As a result, the April 30, 2026, reopening date is now unlikely. Deutsche Bahn said it was currently considering options and would give passengers more information about the timeline on March 13, 2026.

“As soon as temperatures rise and all work can resume in full, the construction schedule will be replanned,” the company explained. “We will then be able to say how the delays will affect the rest of the schedule.” The company reassured passengers that construction works were delayed by “only a few weeks, not by months”. 

The Berlin-Hamburg line isn’t the only route facing disruption, as Deutsche Bahn carries out much-needed renovation work across the country’s rail network. The number of construction sites across the track network will increase from 26.000 to 28.000 in 2026. 

Deutsche Bahn CEO Evelyn Palla says the construction works should ultimately reduce delays, but passengers must be patient and may only start seeing overall service improvements from 2027.