Article: New Cottbus maintenance depot – expansion enters its decisive phase
In the coming weeks, the first half of Hall 1 will be put into trial operation and connected to the power supply for the first time. Construction is scheduled for completion by the end of 2026, with the first train due to arrive in February 2027 as planned.
In future, heavy maintenance work on the ICE 4 will be carried out much more efficiently here: thanks to modern workshop infrastructure, turnaround times will be reduced to around three weeks – roughly half the time taken at other locations. This means the trains will be back in reliable service for journeys in Germany, Switzerland and Austria more quickly.
The eighth meeting of the Cottbus Rail Hub Task Force also underlines the importance of the project for the Lusatia region. The Task Force is a joint working group comprising politicians, the railway company and other stakeholders, which coordinates and drives forward key issues relating to Cottbus as a railway hub. In addition to the progress of construction, the focus was on strengthening the region’s railway profile through new degree programmes offered by the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg in the field of rail and railway engineering. Another key issue was improving the region’s connectivity through the double-track upgrade between Luebbenau and Cottbus – a prerequisite for half-hourly regional services between Berlin and Cottbus. Better rail links to Berlin will further strengthen the region in the future.
The new maintenance depot in Cottbus represents one of Germany’s most significant railway industry projects. At full capacity, it will create 1,200 skilled industrial and apprenticeship jobs, support structural change in Lusatia and position the region as a forward-looking hub for mobility, technology and innovation.
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