The regional governments in Berlin and Brandenburg will each contribute €50m to the project, which when complete in 2026, will permit through electric trains to operate from Berlin to Szczecin in 1h 30 min, 20 minutes faster than now.
The financing arrangement was announced on July 9. Final detailed planning is underway with construction work scheduled to begin in 2021.
The entire line will be converted to double track with the 30km single track section between Passow and the border at Tantow being rebuilt and electrified from 2024. Trains will operate at up to 160km/h on the line and five stations in Germany between Angermünde and Tantow will be rebuilt as part of the project.
“It will be a powerful, attractive connection that brings metropolitan regions and the municipalities and people along the route closer together,” says DB infrastructure director, Mr Ronald Pofalla. “We create the conditions for more traffic on environmentally friendly rail, for faster and better connections to our Polish neighbours and close a gap in European rail transport.”
In Poland, infrastructure manager PKP PLP has already upgraded some of the route in Szczecin itself and will undertake further work by 2026 to create a 10km double-track electrified route from Szczecin Gumiencie to German border at Tantow.
Once completed this will be the electrified cross-border rail link between Germany and Poland that is usable by both passenger and freight traffic following Frankfurt/Oder - Slubice and Horka - Wegliniec.
