Hanover-Hamburg: New route for more space on a congested route!

Hanover-Hamburg: New route for more space on a congested route!

The railway line between Hanover and Hamburg is facing major upheaval. On June 27, 2025, the preferred option for expanding this congested route was presented, which will begin with a quality offensive in 2024. Not only the existing route is considered; At the same time, planning for a new line could begin. The decision on this lies with the German Bundestag. At the beginning of this year, the federal government and Deutsche Bahn also launched the largest infrastructure program for the rail network since the rail reform in 1994, with the aim of improving the quality and punctuality of train services.

The existing problems are glaring: the route has a capacity utilization of 147 percent and is one of the least punctual in Germany. The federal government even predicts an increase in the number of passenger and freight trains on this axis. To counteract these challenges, a total of 29 variants were examined, with four variants being planned in more detail. The planning was based on around 200 criteria in order to meet the requirements of the Germany cycle and to create more space on the tracks for local, long-distance and freight traffic. Passenger traffic should benefit from additional local transport stops, for example in the Heidekreis.

Renovation work and new construction line

Deutsche Bahn is planning an extensive renovation of the route, which will be carried out in two large sections. The first phase is estimated at around 300 million euros and the second at one billion euros. In 2026, the route will be temporarily closed for ten weeks, during which a new signal box will be built in Uelzen. The general renovation will then begin in February 2029 for five months, during which, among other things, switches will be replaced and a new platform will be built in Uelzen. However, a three-track expansion, as requested by Lower Saxony's Transport Minister Olaf Lies, will not be implemented.

Although the renovation measures are being planned, the existing route will not be able to cope with the growing number of trains in the future. Therefore, a new construction of the route remains necessary. The decision will be made next year after the necessary traffic forecasts have been prepared. A plan for rail replacement services is also being developed to compensate for the planned closures. Nevertheless, Deutsche Bahn confirms that the new measures should lead to a noticeable improvement in punctuality.

A look into the future

In order to make the planning transparent, the project team is launching an information campaign in the fall and will provide detailed maps and content. A parliamentary discussion in the German Bundestag is planned for this year in order to initiate the next steps. The planned measures will not only be important for the affected route, but could have a significant impact on the quality of the entire rail network in Germany.

In view of these complex developments, it becomes clear that the Hanover-Hamburg railway line is not only a regional but also a supra-regional issue that plays a central role in the planned rail infrastructure program. With an active approach, Deutsche Bahn will try to meet the challenges of the future and modernize and improve rail transport in Germany.

For more information on this topic, see the articles from Uelzen press, NDR and German railway.