The renovation of the Hamburg–Berlin rail line has not improved punctuality: currently, only 25.8 percent of long-distance trains between the two metropolises reach their destination without delay. The line had been completely closed for ten months, with extensive construction work intended to modernize the infrastructure.
Deutsche Bahn confirmed that from mid-June to mid-July, only 25.8 percent of long-distance trains were on time. Bild newspaper had previously reported this. The delays are caused by ongoing finishing work on the line, which was renovated at a cost of billions and repeatedly slows down trains.
Punctuality thus dropped drastically from an already poor baseline of 49.6 percent. The route had been fully closed for ten months for repairs, with 2.7 billion euros invested.
A Deutsche Bahn spokesperson said that software updates at the Nauen and Büchen signal boxes would bring noticeable improvements in the coming weeks. Technical inspections and software changes for high-speed operations are currently still underway on individual sections. In addition, remaining defects are being fixed and optimizations carried out across the entire line, which could only be identified during live operations. This will require closures on individual nights in the coming weeks, affecting rail traffic.
Source: www.tagesspiegel.de
