Berlin-Szczecin rail line promises a new role for sleepy rural towns in Brandenburg

Towns like Angermünde and Eberswalde are preparing new projects to become attractive commuter towns for Germans and Poles

Yesterday, Deutsche Bahn launched the redevelopment of the line between Berlin, in Germany, and Szczecin in Poland. The project is set to finish ahead of schedule, in 2025. According to the company, the trip between the two cities will take only 90 minutes.

Furthermore, during the redevelopment, the route will get many new bus stops, following the line, which will contribute to an enormous influx of people between Germany and Poland. This opens an opportunity for small rural towns on the line to become new commuter towns.

Sleepy towns on the new line are waking up

One of the biggest benefits to the new rail infrastructure between Berlin and Szczecin is the inevitable new traffic and people that will pass through the small sleepy German towns in the state of Brandenburg.

Towns like Angermünde and Eberswalde have started preparing for the launch of the new line four years from now. According to local leaders, the train will put them on the map for residents of Berlin, looking for cheaper housing alternatives.

After the redevelopment is complete, both towns will be roughly a 45-minute ride away from the city centre. Furthermore, they offer a lower population density and cheaper housing. The mayor of Angermünde, Frederik Bewer, said that the town had building land available and a new school is also in the works.

He also pointed out, that Angermünde is a 45-minute train ride away from Szczecin and that Polish people could also find the town’s offer appealing.

In an interview to rbb 24, he explained that the line is great news, but it also puts pressure on local authorities to finish preparations earlier.

Closing a gap in Europe’s rail  

The gap between Berlin and Szczecin is one of many in the European Union’s rail corridor system. Berlin is a crossroad hub and no less than three rail corridors pass through it – the Scandinavian-Mediterranean, the Orient/East Mediterranean and the North Sea-Baltic corridor.

However, there is another one that also passes fairly close – The Baltic–Adriatic corridor, starting from Gdansk, Gdynia and Szczecin in Poland and going to Bologna in Italy. Currently, there is a gap between Berlin and Szczecin.

The German federal government is pumping 380 million euros into the project, while Berlin and Brandenburg will contribute 100 million euros. Trains will be able to travel at a speed of 160 kilometres on the finished line. At the same time, Polskie Koleje Panstwowe is aiming for similar results on the other side of the border.