Despite ten months of complete closures and investments amounting to approximately 2.7 billion euros, punctuality on the busy Hamburg-Berlin rail line has severely deteriorated. According to a report by “Bild,” between mid-June and mid-July 2026, only 25.8 percent of all long-distance trains arrived at their destination on time. Prior to the start of the massive construction project, this figure stood at 49.6 percent.
The ongoing chaos on the freshly renovated tracks is attributed to continuing residual work, which forces trains to brake repeatedly during their journeys. One of the largest and most expensive infrastructure projects of recent years concluded in mid-June, encompassing a 278-kilometer stretch. Over this distance, the tracks, switches, overhead lines, signal boxes, and signaling technology were comprehensively renewed, and numerous train stations were modernized.
The project was already completed six weeks later than planned due to a frost period at the beginning of the year, and it is now affecting rail traffic long after the official construction period is over.
