The renovation of the Riedbahn marks the beginning of the large-scale modernization of Deutsche Bahn's rail network. For this purpose, numerous routes throughout Germany will be closed in the coming months.
Starting today, the Riedbahn between Frankfurt am Main and Mannheim will be completely closed for several months. This marks the start of large-scale renovation work by Deutsche Bahn, which will significantly affect rail traffic throughout Germany in the coming weeks, months and years. By 2030, over 40 routes are to be modernized. This year alone, 14 railway lines are still on the railway's renovation plan.
The Riedbahn between Frankfurt and Mannheim
From late Monday evening, 11 p.m., there will be no traffic on the busy Frankfurt-Mannheim route. Tracks, overhead lines, signals, switches, bridges and stations will be modernized by mid-December.
High-speed route Cologne – Frankfurt
The important ICE high-speed line between Cologne and Frankfurt will be closed for almost four weeks from Tuesday, July 16th, due to construction work. During this time, 70 kilometers of tracks and 13 switches along the route will be renewed. At the same time, construction work will be carried out at the long-distance train station at Frankfurt Airport.
Until August 12th, the trains will be diverted and the Siegburg/Bonn, Montabaur and Limburg Süd stops will be cancelled and can only be reached by replacement bus services. According to Deutsche Bahn, travelers must expect train cancellations and delays of between 40 and 90 minutes.
Full closure in the Ruhr area
From July 22nd, tracks will be renewed on the route between Duisburg and Essen and on the route between Duisburg and Oberhausen. For this purpose, the routes will be completely closed until August 2nd.
This will result in significant restrictions in train traffic and changes in travel times: Deutsche Bahn has announced that trains will be diverted between Cologne and Dortmund and on the route between Düsseldorf and Dortmund. In addition, long-distance trains will not stop at Düsseldorf Airport, Duisburg Central Station (apart from a few individual trains), Oberhausen Central Station and Mülheim (Ruhr) Central Station.
Bridge work between Berlin and Frankfurt (Oder)
The railway line between Berlin and Frankfurt an der Oder will be closed twice this year: between July 23 and August 5, 2024 and between September 7 and October 4 of this year, Deutsche Bahn will carry out bridge work on the line. For this, the line must be closed completely.
On the Berlin – Warsaw route, the stops at Berlin Hbf, Berlin-Ostbahnhof and Berlin-Ostkreuz will be cancelled due to the construction work. Rail traffic between Berlin Hauptbahnhof and Frankfurt (Oder) will be replaced by buses (IC bus).
Construction site between Berlin and Halle
The ICE route between Berlin and Halle will be closed from July 26th. Construction work is planned until August 16th. However, the railway has not yet released any further information.
Construction work at the Stuttgart junction
Between July 27 and September 6, Deutsche Bahn will close the tunnel in Stuttgart city center to train traffic. The railway is thus continuing the modernization of the S-Bahn main line in Stuttgart. For the Digital Node Stuttgart pilot project, the main line will be equipped with digital technology and extensive cable work will be carried out. Deutsche Bahn is also continuing the work to connect the S-Bahn to the new tunnel in the direction of Mittnachtstrasse.
As in previous years, the S-Bahn trains will run on tracks 1 to 5 in the main station – this will also affect long-distance traffic: the trains between Stuttgart and Zurich will only run on the section between Stuttgart-Vaihingen and Zurich.
Construction work between Dortmund and Siegen
Construction work is planned on the Dortmund – Siegen route from August 2nd to September 20th. No further information is available at this time.
Only single-track traffic between Erfurt and Eisenach
From August 2nd, tracks and switches will be modernized on the section of the line between Erfurt and Eisenach. Until December 14th, the line will therefore only be accessible on one track on some sections and in some cases will even have to be closed completely.
According to Deutsche Bahn, long-distance trains between Erfurt and Eisenach will continue to run. However, ICE Sprinter trains between Berlin and Frankfurt that travel via Erfurt will be cancelled, according to Deutsche Bahn. Trains will also be cancelled temporarily between Gera and Eisenach.
Construction work between Ulm and Augsburg
Construction work is planned on the route between Ulm and Augsburg between August 8 and September 6. No further information is available at this time.
Expansion and new construction between Karlsruhe and Freiburg
In August, the route between Karlsruhe and Basel will be further expanded. From August 10 to 30, construction work will be carried out on the tracks, switches, overhead lines and railway overpasses between Rastatt and Baden-Baden and between Karlsruhe and Baden-Baden. Some trains will be diverted, some stops will be cancelled and a rail replacement service will be provided by buses.
The “Expansion and new construction of the Karlsruhe – Basel line” project will provide two additional tracks so that long-distance, local and freight traffic will have more space on the rails in the future.
Bridge work between Hamm and Hanover
From August 16 to September 6, bridge work and noise protection work will be carried out on the Hamm – Hanover route. The railway line will have to be completely closed and trains between North Rhine-Westphalia and Berlin will be diverted. As a result, long-distance stops in Gütersloh, Bielefeld, Herford, Bad Oeynhausen and Minden will be cancelled.
The IC connection that runs between Frankfurt (Main) and Dresden via Hanover is also affected by the construction work. It will only run between Hanover and Dresden. As a result, all stops between Frankfurt (Main) and Hanover will be cancelled.
First closure between Hamburg and Berlin
It is the first of two long closures within just two years: From August 16th to December 14th, the route between Hamburg and Berlin will be renovated. Switches, tracks and bridges will be renewed. Long-distance trains will then run every hour between the main stations in Hamburg and Berlin and the journey time will be extended by 45 minutes. On the IC line Warnemünde – Leipzig, trains will only run from Magdeburg.
Just six months later, major construction work will take place on the route again: a general renovation is planned, which the DB Group had already announced. From June 6 to December 13, 2025, the 280-kilometer-long high-speed line will be closed and expanded into a so-called “high-performance corridor.”
Renovation of the Hamburg – Schwerin route
Another construction site in northern Germany will begin on August 17 and is scheduled to last until November 22. As part of the renovation of the route between Hamburg and Schwerin, the railway is replacing switches, tracks and bridges.
Until September 29, individual long-distance trains will initially only run on the section between Schwerin and Stralsund. A replacement bus service (IC bus) will be set up between Hamburg and Schwerin. There will only be one direct connection per day between Hamburg Central Station and the Baltic Sea resort of Binz.
From September 30th to November 22nd, the trains will no longer stop at Hamburg Central Station. Instead, they will be diverted between Hamburg-Harburg and Schwerin Central Station.
Noise protection between Hamm and Hagen
From October 19 to December 14, work will be carried out on the tracks and noise protection systems on the Hamm – Hagen section of the line. The construction work will also be used to carry out necessary work on the railway overpasses.
As a result, trains will be cancelled on the route from Cologne to Hamm via Wuppertal. There will also be a reduced long-distance service in Wuppertal and Hagen. All long-distance stops in Schwerte (Ruhr) and Unna will be cancelled.
