Long-distance rail services run again in north Germany after storm

Long-distance rail services in northern Germany, which were partially suspended due to severe winter weather conditions, have resumed on all main routes, the rail operator Deutsche Bahn announced on Sunday morning.

However, Deutsche Bahn said that only a reduced service is still possible and there may still be cancellations.

The rail operator had temporarily completely halted long-distance services in northern Germany on Friday due to the effects of winter storm Elli.

On Saturday, Deutsche Bahn said that it intended to gradually resume long-distance services in northern Germany. Rail services on the Hamburg–Bremen-Osnabrück–Frankfurt route have in fact been running again since Saturday afternoon, according to the rail operator.

Since early Sunday, trains have also been running again on the route from Hamburg to southern Germany via the cities of Hanover and Kassel, also from Berlin to major cities in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia via Hanover and the main Hamburg–Berlin route, although not yet with the full scheduled service.

According to Deutsche Bahn, services to Denmark and the Netherlands, as well as to the coasts, are also expected to resume during the course of Sunday.

There were still significant disruptions in local transport in the northern states of Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony on Sunday.

"Several routes cannot yet be operated," Deutsche Bahn explained. "Here, we expect gradual increases in the timetable offerings during the day following clearance work."

Hamburg's S-Bahn commuter train network is already operating "largely as normal."

Deutsche Bahn asked travellers to check the current traffic situation in the DB Navigator app or online before starting their journey. There is also a toll-free telephone hotline.