German rail operator Deutsche Bahn will close the Berlin–Hamburg railway line again on several nights in August and September. The closures are scheduled for the nights of 15/16 August and 29/30 August, with further individual nights in September.
According to Deutsche Bahn, the closures are needed to eliminate remaining defects and carry out final optimisations to the infrastructure. Reports differ on when those defects were found: one source says they were discovered in the first week of regular operation, while another says they appeared after several weeks of full operation.
A spokesman said remaining defects would be eliminated and optimisations made.
Acceptance of the new signalling and track technology for high-speed traffic is taking place at the rail hubs in Berlin and Hamburg, Germany. On a large part of the line, trains have been running again at up to 230 km/h since June.
Long-distance and freight trains will be diverted, and replacement transport will be provided for regional traffic during the closures. A company spokesman said the closures were planned to fall outside the main travel periods.
The comprehensive renovation of the Berlin–Hamburg line lasted from August 2025 to June 2026. The line was originally due to be fully reopened by the end of April 2026, but Deutsche Bahn attributed the delay to frost periods at the beginning of the year. Deutsche Bahn said the renovation was completed about one and a half months behind schedule. Deutsche Bahn also reported that it reopened the first section of the line in mid-May.
