Difficult but necessary: Germany undertakes nationwide railway repairs

The country's two largest cities will have their route temporarily closed next year for repairs.

Transcript

00:00Germany is hoping to avoid scenes like this. Trains so packed that people are standing

00:08at the entrance. A countrywide effort to improve the railway system is underway. Right now,

00:14the route between Frankfurt to Mannheim is closed for repairs until December.

00:20Deutsche Bahn says heavily used corridors will be the focus. Repairs next year will

00:25force the closure of the route between Hamburg and Berlin, the two largest cities in the

00:30country. Some are still enjoying the freedom and accessibility that trains can bring. But

00:35Frank Cordes says repair works are causing him and his wife Karin headaches.

00:40We already have problems that we can't drive certain routes because there are no more trains

00:45on the routes. Especially many night trains between North and South Germany that we regularly

00:52use. When we go to Munich, for example, they don't exist anymore. They don't even drive

00:56anymore. That's a big problem for us to find alternatives now.

01:02Germany is not the only European country facing closures. The Amsterdam to London Eurostar

01:07route won't be running until next year due to construction. But Germany has an especially

01:13notorious reputation for late arrivals. The railway carrier is hoping the much-needed

01:18repairs to old tracks will change that. Railway advocates say the closures will be difficult

01:24for passengers.

01:25Past governments have neglected the railway. And not just for a few years, but for decades.

01:31So what we have now are problems you can't solve within two or three months. You really

01:36have to do it very thoroughly. And that's why we think that we now have to get through

01:43this. We have to really bear this very hard time.

01:47For now, passengers are being offered replacement buses for the closed routes. But that won't

01:52make things easier for some.

01:54It will probably be difficult if so much has to be repaired. I don't know how far we'll

01:58get. A lot is already being redirected. There are buses that are running, but it's difficult

02:04for us to take them. I really don't know what the railway could do better. But we're

02:13excited to see what they can do.

02:15The construction work will also include renovations of stations across Germany, which Deutsche

02:20Bahn says will offer passengers more comfort.