Hamburg-Berlin line to get 5G amid huge track overhaul
Time to surf at speed! One of Germany’s most important city connections, the Hamburg-Berlin railway line, is to become the country’s guinea pig route for mobile communications with 5G data rates on trains. Deutsche Bahn (DB), several mobile phone companies and the German government have all inked a deal to start testing the tech on the line, as well as a corresponding “5G on the track” supply concept.
According to DB, the Hamburg-Berlin railway line is to become Germany’s “innovative route for mobile communications”. The German state-backed operator, alongside phone companies 1&1, Deutsche Telekom, O2 Telefónica, Vodafone, and the German government, signed a declaration of intent on Monday for the technology’s testing, and the development and application of a corresponding “5G on the track” supply concept.
DB said that thanks to “seamless 5G coverage”, rail passengers on one of Germany’s most important city connections will soon be able to make calls and surf the internet “in the best possible quality in the future.”
5G ‘significant synergies’
“Our gigabit strategy aims to enable gigabit bandwidths wherever people live, work and travel,” said Volker Wissing, Germany’s Minister for Digital Affairs and Transport , on the announcement of the news. “With the MoU, we are providing an equally ambitious gigabit timetable alongside the ambitious schedule for the upcoming general renovation of the Hamburg-Berlin route.”
“By working hand in hand to expand rail and mobile communications, we are achieving significant synergies and cost savings,” he added. “All travellers will benefit, as they can look forward to high-performance and uninterrupted mobile communications in the future.”
As part of the general renovation of the Hamburg-Berlin route between August 2025 and April 2026, DB is using the closure to set up radio masts for the future rail radio system Future Rail Mobile Communication System (FRMCS). FRMCS is based on 5G. Therefore, the mobile network operators will examine the extent to which they can offer rail passengers gigabit bandwidths for mobile and data connections in the future by sharing the new radio masts close to the tracks.
Due to the technical and economic challenges in supplying rail passengers, DB said that this could only be achieved through a joint effort by all those involved. The deal was signed on Monday at the German government’s Digital Summit in Frankfurt/Main.
Rail travellers expect excellent connections!
“Rail travellers expect excellent data and mobile phone connections. Germany’s mobile phone companies and DB are therefore joining forces to provide passengers with gigabit data rates,” said Dr Daniela Gerd tom Markotten, Member of the Board of Management for Digitalisation and Technology, Deutsche Bahn AG. “This makes rail travel between the two largest cities in our country even more attractive and contributes to our ‘S3’ restructuring programme. Our cooperation shows how strong partners are working together to advance mobile broadband provision along the rails in our country.”
The 278-kilometre-long railway connection between Hamburg and Berlin is one of the busiest routes in Germany. Up to 230 trains and approximately 30,000 passengers travel there every day. During the upcoming general renovation of the route, DB is bundling together work on tracks, switches and overhead lines, creating more flexibility in operations through additional overtaking opportunities, upgrading several stations and renewing the control and safety technology.
5G FRMCS for 20thC GSM-R
The company says that after that, no major construction work will be required for several years. However, the planned closure of the line will last for several months as the FRMCS railway radio system replaces the current GSM-R system, a switch that much of Europe will be expected to make by 2035.
After the renovation, DB will also provide the masts and supply containers as well as the power and data lines that are being built for the FRMCS supply to the mobile phone companies for technology-neutral testing and illumination of the route with mobile communications for passengers. That will save construction time, resources and costs.
Window pains
Another prerequisite for an optimal customer experience is that the mobile phone signal reaches the customer on the train. How this is possible with masts close to the tracks is part of the upcoming tests. The windows of the trains play an important role in this. The metal coating of the train windows, which protects the carriages against sunlight, impairs mobile phone reception. Therefore, DB is relying on windows that allow the mobile phone signal to penetrate the interior of the carriages better.
On this basis, the mobile phone companies intend to work with the railway to develop a technically and economically viable mobile phone network and contract concept for equipping the route with active mobile phone technology.
Read more:
