Germany's €2.2 billion rail upgrade backfires with slower trains

The €2.2 billion upgrade of the Hamburg-Berlin high-speed rail line has led to longer journey times. Despite major renovations, the fastest ICE train now takes 107 minutes—two minutes more than before the work began. Deutsche Bahn has blamed the delay on a complex timetabling system.

The line was first modernised in the early 2000s, raising top speeds from 160 to 230 km/h. At the time, officials promised a 90-minute journey between the two cities. This target was rarely achieved, with travel times creeping up to 93 and then 95 minutes over the years.

In 2021, the federal government assessed the line's potential, concluding that the shortest realistic travel time was one hour and 35 minutes. However, aging tracks and heavy use made this impossible. Now, after the latest refurbishment, the average journey has stretched to 107 minutes.

A professor at Berlin's University of Applied Sciences and Technology questioned Deutsche Bahn's reasoning. The increase comes despite the €2.2 billion investment, which was meant to improve efficiency and capacity.

The latest upgrade has not delivered faster trips. Instead, passengers now face a 107-minute journey, longer than before the work started. Deutsche Bahn maintains that scheduling challenges, not infrastructure, are responsible for the slower service.