After the collision of two freight trains in the district of Gifhorn, Deutsche Bahn wants to reopen the closed route between Hanover and Berlin for train traffic earlier than planned.
Accordingly, the trains should be rolling again from December 11th, the railways told the German Press Agency on Thursday.
So far, the company had planned to reopen the affected route on December 16th.
"The great commitment of all employees and the support of the technical relief organization and the fire brigade ensured that the complicated rescue work could be completed faster than planned," it said.
Trains will be diverted until they are released.
For long-distance passengers who want to postpone a planned trip by December 16 due to the train collision, according to Deutsche Bahn, a special goodwill applies up to and including December 23.
Repair work on the track should begin on Thursday evening.
In the next few days, the railway wants to replace rails, sleepers and ballast on the two tracks at the scene of the accident and reposition several catenary masts.
In addition, more than one and a half kilometers of overhead lines and almost two kilometers of cable for the control and safety technology are to be relaid.
The floor also has to be replaced as one locomotive lost oil.
The salvage work after the collision of the freight trains on November 17 was difficult because overturned tank wagons were filled with explosive propane gas.
After the accident, the dangerous gas was pumped out by special forces from the fire brigade for days and some of it was also burned off.