This is the biggest project in the history of Deutsche Bahn, which has taken 25 years to complete. The inauguration of the Berlin-Munich high-speed line, scheduled for December, will put the finishing touches to the country's reunification, reconnecting East and West Germany after four decades of separation. The rail route, which passes through major cities such as Halle, Erfurt and Nuremberg, will involve more than 500 km of new track or upgraded rails. The project represented a investment of around ten billion euros.
The infrastructure required the construction of 214 bridges, including the longest railway bridge in Europethe 8.5 km long Saale and Elster Valley Bridge. Its high cost is also justified by the renovation of historic bridges, new tunnels - including 57 km of mountain breakthroughs between Nuremberg and Halle - the diversion of the bed of certain rivers and the reforestation or creation of landscapes on 3,000 hectares of land.
According to Deutsche Bahn, 17 million inhabitants will benefit directly from this high-speed line, which will make it possible to reduce the journey time between Berlin and Munich to less than four hours on the fastest route. The two cities are 680 km apart.
Part of the line has already been open to the public since late summer, halving journey times between Berlin and Halle and saving an hour between Dresden and Munich.
According to Richard Lutz, CEO of Deutsche Bahn, " the opening of this route is a spectacular step forward for our customers, both in terms of the quality and attractiveness of our network ". Another piece of good news for passengers is that the new line will not be accompanied by any particular increase in German rail fares.
