Dear Customers,

We would like to remind you of the next phase of reconstruction work in the Elbe Valley, a partial closure of Kurort Rathen – Pirna from 21/02 to 26/02/2026, which will significantly restrict services between the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Austria, the Balkans, and the ports of northern Germany, Rotterdam, and Duisburg.

This closure will further congest the already heavily burdened German railway infrastructure. Restrictions on transit through Germany are already causing delays on all our services to Hamburg, Bremerhaven, Wilhelmshaven, Rotterdam, and Duisburg. It is not possible to plan and ensure the smooth circulation of trains and locomotives; we are dependent on instructions from the respective infrastructure managers. We have to suspend trains and cover longer distances on detours due to unplanned closures. Both inland and in ports, we are suffering in particular from a shortage of wagons. In general, import connections to northern German ports are fully booked weeks in advance, and the volume of imports accumulated in ports is enormous.

Hamburg: HPA controls (restricts) entry, some terminals operate with delays. Due to a technical malfunction, Kattwykbrücke has been impassable since 8:00 p.m. yesterday. It is not possible to carry out transfers between CTT and CTA/CTB/EKOM. Several trains from all services are constantly blocked on their way to the port. Some connections are being disrupted and there are changes to the schedule.

• CZ: The closure of the line between Česká Třebová and Ostrava from 01/02 to 09/07/2026 is significantly slowing down the operation of our feeders on this route. Only single-track service with priority given to passenger transport is possible on this section.

Bremerhaven: The port infrastructure manager controls access. There are delays in both directions and significant irregularities in the circulation of train sets.

Wilhelmshaven: Trains are delayed by several hours.

Gdańsk: Due to adverse weather conditions, there are delays in train transshipments at the port. In view of this situation, BalticHub has cancelled regular slots from 19/02 to 21/02/2026; we have been forced to cancel one pair of trains. Currently, our trains are delayed by 30 hours. The capacity of planned slots at the terminal has been reduced by 10% for this week. Imports are fully booked until 07/03/2026. It is not yet possible to request an extra train.

Our Customer Service will answer your questions about specific shipments.
 
METRANS Team