Hitachi Rail to support overhaul of the Hamburg–Berlin rail line, a key route in the European rail network

The modernisation of the rail line between Hamburg and Berlin is picking up speed – and Hitachi Rail is on board. In the general overhaul of the Hamburg–Berlin rail line project, Hitachi Rail, on behalf of DB InfraGO AG, is responsible for the comprehensive renewal of the control-command and signalling (CCS) between Paulinenaue and Schwanheide. The project makes a major contribution to the renewal and modernisation of one of Germany’s most-frequented direct connections between cities.

For Hitachi Rail, the focus is on delivering the comprehensive renewal of the control-command and signalling (CCS) on a section of approximately 200 kilometres between Paulinenaue and Schwanheide as part of the heavily frequented high-speed corridor between Hamburg and Berlin.

This initiative is embedded into the nationwide general overhaul of selected high-performance corridors of Deutsche Bahn – a central project to implement the decarbonisation of transport and to increase the capacity on the rail network. At the same time, the project is part of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T), which continues to drive the European integration in the rail transport forward.

Modernisation at the highest level

In the general overhaul of the Hamburg–Berlin rail line project, Hitachi Rail’s responsibilities include:

• The renewal of all electronic interlocking subcentres and trackside equipment incl. control and train protection system, power supply, indoor equipment and axle counting systems
• The establishment of two new crossovers in Zernitz and Vietznitz
• The renewal of the continuous automatic train control system (LZB) to continue to ensure maximum speeds of up to 230 km/h
• Minor track layout adjustments to increase efficiency in overall operation

The journey time of the direct connection between Hamburg and Berlin will be sustained at around 90 minutes as well – a decisive factor for the attractiveness of the long distance rail passenger transport.

A strategic signal for the decarbonisation of transport

The project underlines Hitachi Rail's contribution to the decarbonisation of transport and to strengthen sustainable mobility in Europe. With state-of-the-art control technology based on the ESTW L90 system on the latest hardware platform, Hitachi Rail supplies a future-proof solution for one of Germany’s most important rail corridors.

“Our technological expertise allows DB to achieve its ambitious goals for the modernisation of infrastructure. This is not only a strategic step for railway in Germany but a contribution to strengthening the European high-speed network”, André Fritzsche, Project Manager at Hitachi Rail in Germany, adds.