Following the success of Deutsche Bahn’s ‘Riedbahn’ renovation project, more major railway infrastructure upgrades are planned for this year, including a number of projects in Berlin and Brandenburg.
The largest of which is a complete overhaul of the Berlin-Hamburg line, scheduled to start in the latter half of this year, but other projects to replace tracks, renew stations and build signal boxes are scattered throughout the region.
These upgrades will hopefully make transportation in the region faster and more efficient, but they will cause localised disruptions throughout the year.
Here are the main projects to be aware of around Berlin and Brandenburg in 2025.
General renovation between Berlin and Hamburg
The high-speed connection between Berlin and Hamburg saw four months of closure for renovations in 2024, but a bigger overhaul is planned to begin in August 2025 which will see the route converted to a high-performance corridor.
In total nine months of work is planned (until April 2026), including the addition of new control and safety technology, additional tracks for overtaking sections and the expansion of the Wittenberg station.
Deutsche Bahn (DB) reportedly plans to extend 5G mobile coverage along the railway as well.
Dresdner Bahn extension continues
Another large rail renovation continues on the south side of Berlin as the expansion of the Dresdner Bahn nears completion.
As the name suggests, the Dresdner Bahn connects Berlin to Dresden and will eventually increase travel speeds for passengers headed there, or beyond to Prague or Vienna.
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The section between Berlin Hauptbahnhof and Blankenfelde, near the Berlin airport, is expected to be completed before the December timetable change this year. In the meantime reconstruction is carried out on the Blankenfelde and Zossen (Teltow-Fläming) stations.
Berlin Hauptbahnhof construction canceled
At the end of November large conversion plans at Berlin’s central station were announced, which would have seen a partial closure of the station from mid-February through to April.
But DB has since said that those reconstruction plans were overturned.
"Currently, no construction work is planned at the main station," a railway spokesman told Tagesspiegel.
Reports of overcrowding on the station’s upper level platforms have caused some security concerns, especially on platforms 13 and 14. But plans to expand the platforms are logistically tricky. For now, it seems DB has ruled out major reconstruction at the main station.
S-Bahn disruptions and renovations in Berlin
Work will continue on Berlin’s S-Bahn this year, with major disruptions expected between June and September.
Berlin’s municipal transport operator, VBB, has said the following routes will be affected by closures:
- S1, S25 and S85 in the Wollankstraße area
- S2 and S8 in the Blankenburg area
- S2 in the south
- S3 in the Köpenick / Hirschgarten area
- S45, S46, S47, S8, S85 and S9 in the Baumschulenweg – Schöneweide – Adlershof area
At the Südkreuz station a new signal box will be installed, and the north-south long-distance railway tunnel will be closed from October to December. Construction here is focused on the line from Berlin to Halle.
Additionally work will continue on the Köpenick station throughout the year, which is being converted to a connection point for the regional bahn (RE). By 2027 the station is intended to serve trains on the RE1 line.
Projects in surrounding regions
Work on the Rathenow – Stendal main line will be carried out from the end of May to mid-December. But the high-speed line is expected to remain in operation during this time.
Work will continue on the Ostbahn, between Strausberg and Müncheberg, from the end of April to the beginning of July.
From the end of June to the beginning of September, the connection between Wiesenburg (Mark) and Roßlau (Elbe) will see repair work done.
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Then in August a dam renovation that affects the Prignitz Express will begin. The section between Neuruppin and Kremmen will be directly affected, but works may stretch as far as Velten.
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