After a 24-hour freeze, Deutsche Bahn (DB) began a cautious restart of its long-distance timetable on Saturday morning, 10 January. The first ICE sets rolled out of Berlin Hauptbahnhof towards Hanover and the Ruhrgebiet shortly after 10:00, yet DB stressed that only a fraction of normal capacity would run while engineers cleared sidings and checked overhead lines for damage.
Regional trains in Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony remain patchy; some branches will rely on rail-replacement buses until at least Monday. Freight operators are lobbying for priority paths to Frankfurt and Munich distribution centres, arguing that supply chains are already stretched by holiday backlogs.
International travelers who suddenly need to extend their stay or reroute because of these rail disruptions can turn to VisaHQ for fast, reliable assistance with any Schengen or onward-journey paperwork. The service’s Germany portal (https://www.visahq.com/germany/) streamlines emergency visa extensions, multi-entry applications, and time-sensitive documentation so that unexpected travel hiccups don’t escalate into immigration headaches.
![Deutsche Bahn restarts limited services but warns of lingering delays after storm]()
Passenger rights apply: travellers whose trains are cancelled can claim full refunds, while delays over 60 minutes trigger partial compensation. DB extended its goodwill accommodation programme for another night, covering hotel costs and taxi fares where no reasonable alternative route exists.
Corporate mobility teams should expect residual knock-on effects through the middle of next week as rolling stock and crews are repositioned. Travel managers are advising employees to build in generous buffers or switch to virtual meetings.
Meteorologists warn that a second cold front could sweep across central Germany mid-week, so contingency plans may soon be tested again.
Regional trains in Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony remain patchy; some branches will rely on rail-replacement buses until at least Monday. Freight operators are lobbying for priority paths to Frankfurt and Munich distribution centres, arguing that supply chains are already stretched by holiday backlogs.
International travelers who suddenly need to extend their stay or reroute because of these rail disruptions can turn to VisaHQ for fast, reliable assistance with any Schengen or onward-journey paperwork. The service’s Germany portal (https://www.visahq.com/germany/) streamlines emergency visa extensions, multi-entry applications, and time-sensitive documentation so that unexpected travel hiccups don’t escalate into immigration headaches.
Passenger rights apply: travellers whose trains are cancelled can claim full refunds, while delays over 60 minutes trigger partial compensation. DB extended its goodwill accommodation programme for another night, covering hotel costs and taxi fares where no reasonable alternative route exists.
Corporate mobility teams should expect residual knock-on effects through the middle of next week as rolling stock and crews are repositioned. Travel managers are advising employees to build in generous buffers or switch to virtual meetings.
Meteorologists warn that a second cold front could sweep across central Germany mid-week, so contingency plans may soon be tested again.
