Lehrter Stammbahn: sections to be electrified by 2026

The 140 km "Lehrter Stammbahn" upgrade route between Vorsfelde (near Wolfsburg), Stendal (Saxony-Anhalt) and Wustermark (Brandenburg) has been under modernization in two construction phases since 2025, serving as a diversion route for long-distance trains while the parallel high-speed line's superstructure is renewed. Phase 1 (construction started September 2025) electrifies the Gardelegen–Nahrstedt and Bindfelde–Rathenow sections, renews the ballastless track between Gardelegen–Stendal-Möringen and Schönhausen (Elbe)–Rathenow, and builds a 740-metre freight overtaking track at Gardelegen; per Deutsche Bahn the electrification is due to enter service in 2026, while the full double-track expansion (phase 2) is not expected until the late 2030s. Total cost for the entire project: about EUR 402.7 million (Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan 2030). Update (9 Sep 2026): Electrification of the Lehrter Stammbahn will not be finished by the end of 2026 as planned but only in December 2027; DB InfraGO had already admitted delays in the construction sequence on 14 August 2026. The single-track line is therefore unavailable as a diversion route for long-distance trains until the end of 2027 while the parallel high-speed line is being renewed, and DB InfraGO is adapting its construction and traffic concept: from the December 2026 timetable change long-distance services take about 80 minutes longer between Hannover and Berlin, planned closures between Halle and Eichenberg and between Bebra and Fulda are to be shortened or postponed, and for freight trains the diversion via Halle–Eichenberg is due to be ready by the end of January 2027 at the latest, with its second construction stage (originally from summer 2027) being pushed back. The new date of 31 December 2027 is a placeholder because only the month of December 2027 is given. (LOK Report, 14 Aug and 9 Sep 2026)