Deutsche Bahn Reopens Berlin‑Hamburg Line, Cutting Prague‑Hamburg Travel Time

Deutsche Bahn has reopened the 280‑kilometre railway line between Berlin and Hamburg after a €2.2 billion general overhaul that was delayed by harsh winter conditions. The line, one of Germany’s busiest corridors with 470 daily train movements carrying around 30,000 passengers, is now fully operational.

The restoration allows Czech Railways (ČD) to run direct passenger services from Prague to Hamburg and onward to Copenhagen. The Prague‑Hamburg journey is shortened to six hours, roughly 40 minutes less than during the outage, and a greater number of direct trains are now scheduled. Service to Kiel from Prague has also been reinstated. DB’s broader plan aims to modernise more than 40 rail corridors by 2030, financed from a €500 billion infrastructure fund established by the German government.

The reopening improves punctuality on a key north‑south route and enhances cross‑border connectivity for travellers in the Czech Republic and Germany.