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Commuters in turmoil: nine months of traffic jams and stress on the railway line!
Schwerin meets with Rostock to demand improvements for commuters during the ICE closure to Hamburg.
Commuters in turmoil: nine months of traffic jams and stress on the railway line!
From August 2025, commuters between Berlin and Hamburg will have to change and be patient! Deutsche Bahn has announced that it will close the ICE route between the two cities for nine months. This not only affects travelers from the capital, but also many commuters in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Brandenburg. The majority of commuters will have to prepare for longer journeys to work, which will significantly restrict leisure and family time. Commuters from Schwerin are particularly affected as this connection is one of the main transport routes for them.
As nordkurier.de reports, the railway's replacement transport concept is described as the largest of its kind in Germany. But the challenges are enormous: Commuters have to expect increased stress due to longer working hours and, last but not least, unplanned delays at the start of the construction phase. Mayor Wolfgang Blank has already criticized the years of inadequate investment in infrastructure and is calling on Deutsche Bahn to minimize the negative impact on travelers.
The largest rail replacement service in history
During this nine-month closure, which is scheduled to last until the end of April 2026, the largest rail replacement service (SEV) ever will be put in place. According to tagesspiegel.de, around 173 modern, purple-painted buses will be used, covering up to 86,000 kilometers every day. However, these buses will not go into Berlin to avoid traffic jams, but will stop at the Wustermark and Dallgow train stations. For commuters, this means that they have to plan for an increase in travel time of up to four hours for their daily return journey.
Commuters from Wittenberge to Berlin, for example, will suddenly have to travel from 1.5 hours to 3.5 hours. A circumstance that not only massively affects punctuality, but also the quality of life of many affected travelers. The hitherto smooth connection between these two important cities is being put to a tough test.
The reactions are clear
The city of Schwerin and the mayor Rico Badenschier are vehemently committed to improving the connection to Hamburg and have even asked for an “IC bus to replace the ICE”. In addition, the city is planning to write a letter to Deutsche Bahn together with Rostock and the Chambers of Industry and Commerce in order to find out about future plans in good time and not to completely lose touch.
The Ministry of Transport in Schwerin is aware of the problem, because the connection to Hamburg is considered one of the most important direct connections in Germany, with a large number of trains and up to 30,000 passengers every day, as statista.com states. This central role underlines the enormous need for renovation that can no longer be ignored. Climate change also requires the railway to position itself more strongly as an environmentally friendly means of transport.
The requirement to provide modern, effective rail transport is constantly increasing, and the current situation shows how important investment in infrastructure is to not only keep commuters busy, but also to enable them to travel comfortably. In a country where rail plays a central role in the transport system, there is no room for standstill.