Deutsche Bahn renovates rail corridor between Lehrte and Berlin

The 221 km rail line between Lehrte and Berlin (via Wolfsburg, Stendal, Rathenow and Berlin-Spandau) is undergoing a general renovation in several construction phases starting 2 October 2026: over 260 km of track, more than 175 switches and 13 km of noise barriers will be renewed, and 25 stations modernized. Signalling and interlocking technology is being made "ETCS-ready" for a future ETCS rollout, so full ETCS equipment is not yet part of this project. Work is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2027; during closure phases, Berlin-Hannover travel times will increase by 60 to 80 minutes. Update (29 Sep 2026): DB InfraGO starts the bundled works on the 227 km Hannover–Berlin axis on 2 October 2026, with the first construction phase running until 12 December 2026. By December 2027 it intends to renew more than 214 switches, about 357 km of track, 100 km of overhead line and 13 km of noise barriers and to modernise 25 stations, and on 52 km of the high-speed line near Stendal it is replacing the ballastless track with 16,000 new slabs. Because, according to the freight rail association Die Güterbahnen, the Lehrter Stammbahn will only enter service electrified at the end of 2027, it is missing as a diversion route: long-distance services take about 80 minutes longer between Hannover and Berlin, the diversion via Braunschweig and Magdeburg was prepared at a cost of about EUR 50 million, and freight trains can additionally use Halle–Eichenberg by the end of January 2027 at the latest. The freight rail association rejects the adjusted concept and demands a full or partial postponement of the full closure (9 Sep 2026), while the passenger association PRO BAHN wants work to start only after electrification, together with ETCS Level 2 without additional signals (17 Sep 2026). According to the federal government (9 Sep 2026) the economic-viability study is still under way, the construction sections are in detailed planning and site preparation, and no ETCS will be installed as part of the renovation. (LOK Report, 29 Sep, 9 Sep and 17 Sep 2026)