Overview
- Long-distance trains between Leipzig or Halle and Berlin are rerouted via Dessau with journey times extended by about 45 to 60 minutes, and stops at Lutherstadt Wittenberg and Berlin Südkreuz are dropped on some services.
- Regional routes see broad cancellations and replacement buses, affecting RE3, RE4, RE8, RB24, RB32, RB33 and S-Bahn lines S2 and S8 between Bitterfeld and Lutherstadt Wittenberg, with some bus journeys taking more than twice as long.
- Berlin S-Bahn lines S1 and S8 remain suspended on northern sections until early Monday due to repairs at the Hohen Neuendorf signal box, with bus shuttles bridging the gaps.
- The Berlin–Hamburg detour corridor was further strained this week after overhead-line damage near Uelzen halted ICE services, and private freight operators criticized Deutsche Bahn’s diversion strategy as a traffic nightmare.
- The works include renewing nearly 100 kilometers of track and repairing a further 38 kilometers, with 59 additional turnouts serviced, and the route is slated to be construction-free for three years after completion.