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Rail Disruptions Deepen in Northern Germany as Winter Storm Elli Halts Most Long-Distance Service

Freezing rain expected Monday threatens fresh black ice and delays.

Overview

  • Most long-distance routes to and from northern Germany remain suspended until Sunday, with only HamburgNorth Rhine-Westphalia trains operating.
  • Key corridors are down, including HamburgHannoverFrankfurt and BerlinHannoverRuhr, and services between Hannover and Amsterdam as well as Hamburg and Copenhagen are still suspended.
  • Deutsche Bahn says snowdrifts are re-blocking cleared tracks and switches are frozen, and it is conducting clearance and test runs before any reopenings.
  • Regional operations are resuming unevenly, and Hamburg’s S‑Bahn is back to at least 20‑minute intervals as reduced capacity leads to crowding.
  • The weather service warns of heavy snowfall in high terrain, level‑4 avalanche danger in parts of the Alps, and a widespread black‑ice risk from freezing rain on Monday, while police report numerous road crashes with serious injuries in the north and east.