Brandenburg minister criticises Deutsche Bahn over delayed Fangschleuse station opening near Tesla factory

Delayed opening

The newly built Fangschleuse station, located near the Tesla auto factory in Grünheide southeast of Berlin, was scheduled to begin service on Saturday morning with the first RE1 regional express trains stopping there. The opening was postponed after DB InfraGO, a Deutsche Bahn subsidiary, extended construction work on the track between Erkner and Frankfurt (Oder) by approximately 24 hours. The Odeg, which operates the RE1 line between Berlin and Frankfurt (Oder), announced on its website that DB InfraGO had extended the construction measure by an estimated 24 hours until approximately 21:00 on 15 August 2026. A bus replacement service was established, and departure boards at the Fangschleuse station showed the cancellations on Saturday morning. The RE1 is a commuter line used in part by employees of the Tesla factory, and the Fangschleuse station belongs to an important transport axis heading east from Berlin.

Minister's criticism

Brandenburg's Transport Minister Robert Crumbach (SPD) accused Deutsche Bahn of informing the Odeg only at 19:15 on Friday evening about the extension, despite the construction plan being known for weeks. He demanded an immediate explanation from DB InfraGO and more reliable advance communication in future. The company has been trying since Friday evening to organise additional buses and drivers for the replacement service, Crumbach added.

That a federally owned company, in the case of a construction planning known for weeks, only reacts on the eve of the planned completion and leaves passengers standing in the rain is unacceptable.

Technical cause

Deutsche Bahn stated on Saturday morning that delays occurred during the acceptance testing of the signalling and control technology, which encompasses all technical systems that control and secure train traffic. Train service could therefore only resume in the evening. The railway expressed regret for the inconvenience to passengers.

New station details

The old Fangschleuse station was closed a few days earlier. The new station is located approximately two kilometres further west, placing it significantly closer to the Tesla factory. With the new station, Saturday was to mark the start of one of Brandenburg's most high-profile infrastructure projects. A total of 16,000 daily travellers are expected. The new station is expected to handle hundreds of workers daily who, travelling from Berlin, will have a shorter commute. Initially the RE1 will stop at Fangschleuse once per hour; from 25 August the station is to be served twice per hour. A Deutsche Bahn spokesperson said the station's sizing was coordinated with the state of Brandenburg and incorporated all identifiable local developments, though the railway could not confirm whether the expected traffic consists specifically of Tesla employees. Tesla was certainly one of the factors, the spokesperson added. The old station had been heavily used in the past, and the new one can accommodate longer trains.

Remaining construction

Crumbach had acknowledged before the opening on RBB-Inforadio that the site was still a construction zone and that some difficulties were to be expected.

It is of course still a construction site. There will be a few difficulties.

The new L386 state road, intended to connect the station with the Freienbrink-Nord motorway junction, is expected to be completed in 2027, with provisional routes used until then.