Deutsche Bahn is renovating the route between Hamm and Hanover. Travelers from the Ruhr area towards Hanover and Berlin will have to prepare for restrictions and longer travel times in the coming weeks.
At the end of next week, Deutsche Bahn will start extensive work on the ICE route between Hamm and Hanover. Long-distance trains will be rerouted for seven weeks. Especially in the first week from October 11th (9 p.m.) to October 18th, travelers have to allow significantly more time on the route from the Ruhr area to Hanover and Berlin.
The long-distance trains will not stop in Bielefeld and several other cities during this time. The railway said there will still be minor restrictions until November 29th. In local transport, commuters have to use replacement buses.
Up to 75 minutes longer from the Ruhr area to Hanover
The costs of the modernization project amount to around 90 million euros, as the DB Group also announced. Rails would be renewed over 35 kilometers between Hamm and Ahlen. A 650-tonne track reconstruction train is used, which can replace rails, sleepers and ballast in one operation. The railway also wants to renew two bridges.
The construction work has noticeable consequences on the busy route. From the evening of October 11th, ICEs will be redirected via other routes between Hamm and Hanover without stopping until October 18th. The journey will take around 60 to 75 minutes longer than usual, the railway said. Bielefeld, Gütersloh, Herford and Minden will not be served by long-distance trains during this construction phase.
There will then be a smaller diversion until November 29th. Long-distance trains then do not stop in Herford and take five to 30 minutes longer due to the detour. ICs from Leipzig end in Hanover throughout the construction project and do not continue to Cologne and Frankfurt as usual.
Redevelopment program is intended to make rail more reliable
It is best for travelers to find out about the effects online, the railway advised. The timetable changes have been entered into the online information systems. The years-long renovation backlog in the rail network is considered to be a main reason for the lack of reliability on the railway. Large renovation projects are therefore planned in numerous regions in the coming years. According to its own information, the group wants to close and fundamentally renew 40 important sections of the rail network by 2030.
In mid-September, following demands from politicians, the railway board presented the supervisory board with an overall program for the structural restructuring of the group within the next three years. The focus of “S3” is on the renovation of the infrastructure, railway operations and economic efficiency. The aim is to restore rail performance by 2027, achieve more punctuality and fewer disruptions, and also secure financial viability.
In the first half of the year, Deutsche Bahn generated a loss of 1.2 billion euros after interest and income taxes. In addition, in August only 60.6 percent of long-distance trains reached their destination on time. Railway boss Richard Lutz cites the broken infrastructure as the main cause.
