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Big impact: Elbe Valley rail traffic between Dresden and Prague paralyzed!
Train traffic in Dresden affected: renovation in the Elbe Valley will cause cancellations and diversions until December 2025. Find out more here.
Big impact: Elbe Valley rail traffic between Dresden and Prague paralyzed!
In the coming days, travelers in the Dresden region will have to expect noticeable restrictions on train traffic. The reason for this is the renovation of the international railway line in the Elbe valley between Schöna and the Bad Schandau Ost freight station, which is loud MDR will last until Friday. The effects are particularly noticeable for commuters and day trippers. During the day, Eurocity trains are canceled and travelers between Dresden and Ústí nad Labem have to travel by buses.
The European Sleeper, which runs between Brussels and Prague, is also affected. Here you have to change to buses between Dresden and Prague. The international long-distance trains, on the other hand, only stop at night, from 7 p.m. to around 8 a.m. The Railjet “Vindobona” between Berlin and Graz was also completely canceled by the end of the year, which had a significant impact on travel planning. Commuters on the National Park Railway U28, which runs between Sebnitz and Děčín, will also face closed doors during the day; this connection fails completely.
General renovations and their consequences
The renovation work in the Elbe Valley is part of a comprehensive strategy by Deutsche Bahn, which wants to begin general renovation on main routes next year. The Hamburg-Berlin route will begin in August 2025, with work expected to end by April 2026. This could cost traffic over 4,000 kilometers of tracks, as the daily news reported. In order to make the restrictions more lively for travelers, replacement buses are planned. These will be barrier-free and equipped with WiFi.
The general renovation includes not only the renewal of basic infrastructure such as tracks and switches, but also modernization of stations and the introduction of digital systems to improve capacity. From 2024 to 2035, passengers will have to expect longer journey times and possible changes to their usual travel routes as long-distance transport will be routed on diversionary routes.
Step by step for improvement
The federal government and Deutsche Bahn have joined forces to launch the largest wave of modernization since 1994. Annual investments worth billions are intended to help improve punctuality and quality in train transport, both regionally and long-distance. How DB announced that 40 sections of the route will be renovated by 2030, which should bring long-term benefits to travelers.
The current restrictions are not the end, but rather the beginning of a path towards a better rail network. It remains to be hoped that the diversions and delays caused by the renovation will soon be a thing of the past and that travelers can expect even more reliable and comfortable train services in the future.