Hamburg–Berlin railway fully reopens after renovation

The 278 km Hamburg–Berlin line, used by around 470 trains daily, was fully closed from 1 August 2025 for comprehensive renovation, including modernization of 28 stations, signal boxes and platform extensions. The western Hamburg–Schwerin section reopened on 15 May 2026, and the entire line has been fully operational again since 14 June 2026. The source does not state a specific investment figure. Update (2 Jul 2026): On 30 June 2026 DB InfraGO completed the acceptance runs for the continuous train control system (LZB); between Büchen and Nauen, about 170 km, long-distance trains may therefore again run at 230 km/h, and the fastest connection between the two main stations takes 1 hour 47 minutes according to the timetable. In the edge sections at the Büchen and Nauen LZB centres the speed stays at 160 km/h for now, until a further software changeover is made in the newly built electronic interlockings there; final acceptance runs on secondary tracks are still under way, which do not affect the scheduled journey time and will later allow an extra time buffer. (LOK Report, 2 Jul 2026) Update (9 Jul 2026): DB InfraGO has modernised and made step-free the three Schleswig-Holstein stations Schwarzenbek, Müssen and Büchen; Schwarzenbek was symbolically opened on 8 July 2026. Platforms have been lengthened, with eight-car trains due from the end of 2027 (about 270 more seats per RE 1 train); the lifts at Müssen are expected in October 2026, and the state is contributing around EUR 4 million. (LOK Report, 9 Jul 2026)