Hamburg is facing a monumental project: the construction of new railway bridges over the Norderelbe. The preliminary planning is complete, with the transport authority and Deutsche Bahn presenting the plans in the Rathaus on Tuesday. This initiative will see the replacement of the existing 100-year-old steel bridges, which have been under monument protection since 2021, and the addition of a new, third bridge.
A Century-Old Bottleneck to be Alleviated
The Norderelbe bridges currently serve as a critical bottleneck for all long-distance and freight rail traffic, with 660 trains crossing daily on two bridges with a total of four tracks. Transport Senator Anjes Tjarks (Greens) highlighted that the bridge abutments date back to 1870. Adjacent to these, there is a further S-Bahn bridge and the Freihafenelbbrücke, currently closed to car traffic. Tjarks confirmed that the old bridges will be replaced, and a new, additional bridge will be built.
Bypass Bridge to be Constructed
“This will be the first time in these 100 years that Hamburg will get more long-distance railway tracks across the Elbe,” Tjarks stated. The three new bridges are designed to resemble the existing ones. Construction is planned to take place while rail operations continue. A further challenge is the parallel construction of another bridge for the U4 subway line to Kleiner Grasbrook.
Deutsche Bahn estimates the construction costs to exceed one billion Euros. Construction is set to begin in the early 2030s, with a projected construction period of around seven years.
Complex Construction Project Amidst Ongoing Operations
Ute Plambeck, Deutsche Bahn’s authorized representative for Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein, described it as a highly complex bridge construction project during ongoing rail operations: “Our plan is: six tracks, three new bridges.” Currently, each bridge is approximately 300 meters long and 24 meters wide. The plan is to first build two new railway bridges in the area of the Freihafenelbbrücke, then dismantle the existing railway bridges. Once these works are completed, the new bridges will be moved into the place of the old ones, and a third railway bridge will be added.
Hamburg’s Chief Building Director Franz-Josef Höing noted that the new bridges blend seamlessly into the existing ensemble. “They take inspiration from the arch structure of the existing bridges and yet, on closer inspection, are recognizable as new, independent, and finely proportioned structures,” he explained, referring to the designs by Ney & Partners from Brussels and Panta Ingenieure from Hamburg.
Political Reactions: Criticism of Timeline and Lack of Second Elbe Crossing
CDU Criticizes Timeline
CDU transport expert Philipp Heißner criticized the timeline. “The fact that construction is only scheduled to begin in the 2030s is far too late for this lifeline of Hamburg’s rail traffic and shows how urgently construction and planning processes need to be accelerated.” Given the importance of this central rail connection, the Senate must push for faster completion.
Left Party Criticizes Absence of Second Elbe Crossing
The Left Party criticized the lack of a second Elbe crossing. “Two years ago, a truck fire under a railway underpass was enough to bring all long-distance and regional traffic to a standstill for days,” said Left Party transport expert Heike Sudmann. Furthermore, the presented plans left the biggest weakness of the rail network – Hamburg’s main station – untouched.
Other News from Hamburg
- High-speed train strike from Friday to Sunday morning: Last week, there were already cancellations of U-Bahn and Hochbahn buses. Similar disruptions are expected for passengers from Friday.
- 16.5 million overnight stays: More guests than ever before in Hamburg. Last year, more people stayed overnight in Hamburg than ever before, the Senate announced on Tuesday in its tourism balance sheet.
- Four years of war in Ukraine: Commemorative events in Hamburg. The Bürgerschaft commemorated the victims of the war with a wreath-laying ceremony on Tuesday. There was also a demonstration in the city center.
