Germany shuts key train route for 5 months of renovation
July 15, 2024
German rail operator Deutsche Bahn (DB) halted train traffic along a 70-kilometer (45-mile) stretch between Frankfurt and Mannheim starting Monday and set to last until December 14.
The renovation work on one of the busiest railway lines in Germany had been planned to start after the Euro 2024 soccer championship.
DB received criticism over train delays and cancellations during the tournament. The rail operator said on Friday that its punctuality during the tournament was "mixed," adding that it got "the maximum out of the railway system, but the possibilities were limited by outdated and overloaded infrastructure."
German Transport Minister Volker Wissing said starting the renovation project before the Euro 2024 would have meant even more disruption.
Why are there no trains between Frankfurt and Mannheim?
DB saidit was "bundling all planned construction measures for the coming years" in one stretch of renovation work. The period of five months will see the work "carried out at record speed," it added.
"In just five months, the superstructure, noise barriers and signaling technology on the line between Frankfurt and Mannheim will be renewed and 20 stations modernized. For the first time, the planned renovations will target both the network and the stations," the German rail operator said.
DB said 140 kilometers of overhead lines will be installed and some 20 stations along the route will be renovated, among other improvements.
The renovation is set to cost €1.3 billion ($1.4 billion) and is the first section of a larger project to modernize 41 busy rail routes by 2031.
Who is affected by the closure?
The line between Frankfurt and Mannheim is part of a main north-south route that connects Hamburg and Cologne with Stuttgart and Basel, in Switzerland. Delays there often have knock-on effects elsewhere on the network.
The halt in train traffic is estimated to affect over 75,000 passengers daily, as more than 300 regional, long-distance and freight trains move along the route every day.
All regional trains will be replaced by buses during the shutdown, and long-distance trains will be diverted to slower routes.
Die Güterbahnen, an association for the freight train business, has set up a live ticker to track the DB project and its effect on shipments.
fb/ab (AP, dpa, AFP)
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