Deutsche Bahn wants to start its new concept for the general renovation of important routes shortly after the 2024 European Football Championship in Germany. "We will close the Riedbahn from the first day after the EM final until the timetable change in December 2024," said Infrastructure Board Member Berthold Huber in Frankfurt.
The Riedbahn between Frankfurt and Mannheim is the first of many routes to be completely overhauled. It is one of the busiest routes in Germany, and the current problems there are having an impact on long-distance traffic in other parts of the country.
The concept of the general refurbishment envisages that a route will be completely closed for several months and then everything will be repaired at once. In the case of the Riedbahn, this affects, among other things, the control and safety technology, more than 150 points and 117 kilometers of track. Numerous train stations are also to be renovated.
So far, routes have often been renovated during ongoing operations - albeit with long construction times and not as extensively as it should be. Since the network as a whole is very old, each construction site is quickly followed by the next.
More punctuality expected after general renovation
"After the general renovation we will have more and more punctual traffic," said Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP). "The Riedbahn is the pilot project, the blueprint for everything else." There is currently "no tangible alternative" to the general renovations.
Huber said that after a general renovation, eight to ten years of freedom to build on the respective section is expected. "But then we won't go back to this amount of construction sites. Then something breaks, but nothing is repaired and you can start again from the beginning," added Wissing.
According to the minister, the Riedbahn is a problem child. Huber explained that at least one disruption had been registered there every day since January 1st. According to the DB board, the general renovation of the route will cost around 500 million euros.
30 to 40 million euros will be invested in advance in the two neighboring routes, which are intended to absorb traffic during the Riedbahn closure. In addition, rail replacement services with around 140 buses and a good 400 drivers are needed.
