Overview
- The Hamburg Senate confirmed the final western alignment on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, naming Lüttkamp/Eckhoffplatz for Lurup and Kroonhorst/Born Center for Osdorfer Born as the two new western stations.
- Officials approved an additional €51 million to complete preliminary planning this year and to prepare for design and approval planning starting in 2027.
- The Senate set a phased schedule that aims to begin western construction in the early 2030s and to open the western section around 2040, timing that planners say could align with a successful Olympic bid.
- Planners chose an underground U-Bahn under city-controlled Hochbahn rather than an S‑Bahn under Deutsche Bahn, rejected a route near the DESY research site, and left room for a future extension toward Schenefeld in Schleswig-Holstein.
- The U5 is expected to cut travel times dramatically, add roughly 345,000 daily riders to the network, improve access for about 60,000 residents in Lurup and Osdorf, and reduce car traffic while eastern construction continues toward initial eastern service planned from 2029.