Overview
- Five aged switches at Mainz Hauptbahnhof’s northern throat have been replaced, with affected tracks due to reopen on December 22 before a Christmas work pause from December 23 to January 2.
- From January 16 to 30, buses will replace trains between Kelsterbach and Wiesbaden, S-Bahn lines S8 and S9 will not run in that section, and additional cuts affect services toward Ingelheim, Bad Kreuznach and the airport.
- DB cites several hundred million euros of investment at the Mainz node to boost capacity and resilience with more switches and alternative routings.
- The Mainz works prepare for corridor-wide renewals: the right-bank Rhine route is scheduled for a general overhaul in the second half of 2026, followed by the left-bank route in the first half of 2028.
- On the Hamburg–Berlin corridor, DB reports the project remains on schedule for completion by April 30, 2026, with 164 km of track and 241 switches renewed, partial signal and catenary upgrades, extensive bus replacement services, and planned ETCS and FRMCS rollout.