Overview
- A damaged overhead contact line between Hamburg and Hannover plus two vegetation fires near Bad Bevensen and Stelle have heavily disrupted Metronom regional lines on the Hamburg–Lüneburg–Uelzen corridor.
- Operators have truncated trains, run replacement buses between Uelzen and Bad Bevensen and from Stelle to Maschen, and omitted stops at Maschen and Meckelfeld to keep some services running.
- Longer-distance and other regional services have been rerouted via Rotenburg, producing reported knock-on delays of about 30 minutes and causing cancellations and high delays on the RE4 between Hamburg and Bremen.
- Metronom says on-site repair work is continuing and expects disruptions to persist into Friday afternoon while crews restore the overhead wire and clear fire-damaged trackside areas.
- Passengers should check electronic timetables before travel, allow extra journey time, and expect bus replacements or skipped stations because power must be shut off for safe repairs and fire response.