Modernisation of the Railway Line between Berlin and Hamburg to Shorten EC Trains from Prague for 9 Months, Berlin to Be the Terminus Station of These Trains

22. 7. 2025 - 10:30

The international Prague–Berlin–Hamburg train line will be affected by construction work on the German railway infrastructure over the next nine months. Due to the process of modernisation of the railway infrastructure between Berlin and Hamburg, the trains running on this line will be provided between Prague and Berlin, and passengers will need to change to connecting Deutsche Bahn (DB) trains to continue their journeys to northern Germany. Services on this line are operated by České dráhy in cooperation with the German carrier “DB”.

The modernisation of the 278-km-long section between Berlin and Hamburg will be carried out by the German railway infrastructure manager “DB InfraGO”. Construction work along the entire length of the route and in the actual railway stations is scheduled to take nine months, i.e. until the end of April 2026. During this time, the railway line will be completely closed to rail traffic operation.

All direct EC Berliner and Hungaria long-distance trains from Prague to Hamburg, Kiel and Flensburg will be temporarily shortened due to the closure and will only run between Prague and Berlin and back. Further in the direction of Hamburg, you will need to change to DB long-distance trains, which will run on a diversion route via the Stendal and Uelzen stations. When traveling to northern Germany with a transfer in Berlin, you should expect the journey to take approximately 15–25 minutes longer in most cases.

The trains from Prague directly up to northern Germany (to Hamburg, Kiel, and Flensburg) will run for the last time a few days earlier than originally expected due to additional construction work on the German railway infrastructure: on Thursday, July 24 (EC 172, 174 a 378 in the direction to Germany), or on Friday, July 25 (EC 173, 175, 177 a 379 in the direction to the Czech Republic and EC 176 in the direction to Germany), respectively. After this date, they will end or begin in Berlin.

The trains between Prague and Berlin will run at the same unchanged times. The timetables, which take into account transfers in Berlin, are now available in the connection search engines and in the "Můj vlak" ("My Train") mobile application. Detailed information about the modernisation of the railway line and its impact on train operations can be found on the web site of Deutsche Bahn.

We would like to apologise to passengers for any complications which may arise when traveling to northern Germany.

Author: Tiskové oddělení Českých drah

Release date: 22. 7. 2025

File download conditions

PAGE PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING NOTICE CAREFULLY BEFORE DECIDING WHETHER TO CLICK ON THE "CONTINUE" BUTTON BELOW TO VIEW THE INFORMATION ON THIS WEB PAGE.

The information furnished on the following web pages contains information intended only for persons that are neither resident nor currently located in any jurisdiction where the distribution of such information is prohibited or restricted, including the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and Japan. Accordingly, please select the "Continue" button below to view the information on the following web pages only if you are neither resident nor currently located in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, Japan or any other jurisdiction where distribution of the information on this website is prohibited or restricted.

By selecting the "Continue" button below, you represent and warrant that: (i) you are neither resident nor currently located in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, Japan or any other jurisdiction where distribution of the information on this website is prohibited or restricted; (ii) you agree that you will not transmit or otherwise send any information contained in this web site to any person resident in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, Japan or any other jurisdiction where distribution of the information on this website is prohibited or restricted; (iii) it is lawful for you to receive a copy of the information contained on this website; and (iv) you have read, understand and agree to comply with all of the restrictions set forth below. The information on the following web pages is intended solely to provide background information on České dráhy, a.s. and does not constitute, or form a part of, and should not be construed as, an offer to sell or issue or the solicitation of an offer to buy or acquire, any securities of České dráhy, a.s. in any jurisdiction, including in the United States, and is not for publication, release or distribution in the United States or to US persons (within the meaning of Regulation S under the United States Securities Act of 1933 (the "Securities Act")). Securities of České dráhy, a.s. have not been and will not be registered under the Securities Act, or with any securities regulatory authority of any state or other jurisdiction in the United States, and may not be offered, sold, pledged or otherwise transferred except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act and in compliance with any applicable state securities laws.

Neither the information on the following web pages nor any copy of any of it may be taken or transmitted into the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia or Japan or distributed, directly or indirectly, in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia or Japan or to any resident thereof.

The information on the following web pages is current only as of its date and shall not, under any circumstances, create any implication that the information contained therein is correct as of any time subsequent to the date thereof or that there has been no change in the financial condition or affairs of České dráhy, a.s. since such date. This document may be updated from time to time and there is no undertaking by České dráhy, a.s. to post any such amendments or supplements on this website.

České dráhy, a.s. does not accept any responsibility for any contravention of applicable securities laws and regulations by individuals as a result of false information provided by such individuals.