Berlin, September 15th, 2026 (The Berlin Spectator) – Technical improvements make us travel faster. Bullet trains like the German Intercity Express (ICE) take us from Berlin to Hanover quickly. At up to 250 km/h (155 mph), they cover the distance in 1:37 hours. But not for long.
Starting in October, the trip will take almost twice as long. That is because Deutsche Bahn will be renovating the tracks between the capital and the town of Lehrte in Lower Saxony. The endeavor is supposed to take fourteen months, which means there won’t be fast connections between Berlin and Hanover until the end of 2027. Yes, now that they are finally done refurbishing the tracks between Berlin and Hamburg, it’s Hanover’s turn.
This is bad news for anyone who intends to travel to the western part of Germany. Hanover is the most important interchange station in the Federal Republic, meaning whoever travels to North Rhine-Westphalia, Hesse or Rhineland-Palatinate will have to go through Hanover.
Patience Needed
Starting on October 2nd, all trains from Berlin to Hanover will be rerouted via Brunswick and Magdeburg. The only good news is the fact that some ICE trains on this route will be stopping at Potsdam Central Station as well. Therefore, Potsdam residents don’t have to go to Berlin first when they want to visit their aunt in Düsseldorf or their Tinder friend in Hanover. But they will still need patience.
Apart from the tracks, Deutsche Bahn says it needs to replace switches and contact wires. After the renovation, starting in 2028, trains on this route are supposed to be more reliable and punctual.
The renovation has implications for freight trains as well, which is fine, because frozen chickens will not feel the delay. But commuters who travel back and forth between Berlin and locations in Western Brandenburg will. That is because the construction work does affect the regional train traffic too.
Yet Another Chaos
To those who are waiting for the good news: There is none. Even Berliners who say “Well, let’s just not travel to Hanover anymore until they’re done fixing those tracks” will be affected by construction work on train tracks. Until December 12th, no regional or long distance trains will be able to move between Charlottenburg and Ostbahnhof station due to some construction project.
In the summer of 2027, Deutsche Bahn intends to replace the S-Bahn train tracks on the same stretch, according to the “Tagesspiegel” daily. As a result, there will not be any S-Bahn service between Friedrichstrasse and Tiergarten for almost three months. Yet another chaos will be the consequence.
Will things be running smoothly before they start this project? No. It’s not like the S-Bahn is reliable when Deutsche Bahn does not refurbish any tracks. Let’s hope there won’t be construction sites on the streets they will be using for their replacement transport. Dozens of buses with Diesel clouds around them will be ready to go.
