Deutsche Bahn closes Berlin–Hannover line for months-long renovation

On 1 August 2025, Deutsche Bahn, Germany's state-owned rail operator, began a full closure of the Berlin–Hannover line, one of the country's busiest east–west rail corridors. The shutdown was part of its "Generalsanierung" programme, a comprehensive overhaul of heavily used routes in which track, switches, signalling and stations are renovated in one go instead of through years of piecemeal works.

The closure was planned to last for months, into spring 2026. Long-distance ICE trains between Berlin and western Germany were diverted via other routes or ended early, and journeys became considerably longer. Regional services were partly replaced by buses or rerouted, which affected people who commute daily along the line.

Commuters and local politicians, including in Wolfsburg, the Volkswagen company town on the route, protested against the longer travel times and the reduced connections. Deutsche Bahn argued that a full closure was faster and cheaper than keeping one track in service, and that it would bring more reliable trains afterwards.

The closure became an early test of the company's strategy of fixing its ageing network through complete line shutdowns, and it shaped the debate about passenger comfort and train service quality that followed.