Deutsche Bahn (DB) has completed the modernisation and quadrupling work of the rail section between Forchheim and Eggolsheim on the Nuremberg – Bamberg railway. Following this milestone, DB modernised and expanded the section to four tracks.
Passengers also benefit from barrier-free mobility between Forchheim and Eggolsheim and, from the timetable change in December, from an additional S-Bahn stop in Forchheim Nord. The federal government, the Free State and DB invested around EUR 298 euros for modernisation and quadrupling Forchheim – Eggolsheim rail section.
The project covered the construction of eight new bridges over a distance of almost 8 km, including the unique twin steel bridges over the A73 motorway, and the expansion of three existing bridges. 27 km of tracks, 38 new switches, and 8 km of noise barriers have been also laid.
All the stations have been made barrier-free, the Eggolsheim stop has been relocated, and an additional stop has been created in the north of Forchheim. The existing infrastructure has been modernised, and new control and safety technology has been installed.
A six-track overtaking station has been built, which allows more traffic and offers overtaking opportunities in the event of a disruption, so that trains can travel even more punctually and with greater stability on the route and the Munich – Berlin route.
“The turnaround in the railways has begun. After years of neglect, we are investing heavily in the renovation of the infrastructure. This project is impressive proof of this. In addition to the urgently needed general renovation of our existing network, we are also pushing ahead with the expansion of the network. We can only transport more people and goods reliably by rail if we comprehensively renovate and modernize the rail infrastructure,” the State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport, Hartmut Höppner, said.
The Nuremberg – Bamberg railway is one of the busiest routes in Bavaria and part of the Munich – Berlin high-speed line. DB is creating a state-of-the-art four-track rail infrastructure over 64 km, thereby significantly improving the stability and punctuality of train operations. Thanks to additional tracks, more long-distance, regional and freight trains can now be offered, as well as more sprinter trains between Munich and Berlin.
“The new section enables more attractive and reliable local transport connections in northern Bavaria as well as additional long-distance traffic between Berlin and Munich. This means that the success story of the high-speed line can be continued. If the federal government and the railway remain committed, this does not have to be the end of the story – both in terms of travel times and the service on offer,” Bavarian State Minister for Housing, Construction, and Transport, Christian Bernreiter, said.
After the opening of the four-track Forchheim – Eggolsheim route, the DB will now continue to work on the final construction phase between Altendorf and Strullendorf in the coming months. In 2025, the entire four-track Nuremberg – Bamberg line, which stretches from Nuremberg to the southern city limits of Bamberg, will go into operation.
The four-track expansion of the Nuremberg – Bamberg railway is part of the German Unity Transport Project which was decided in 1991 by the German federal government in order to improve transport links between the old and the new German federal states with a total of 17 projects. The largest rail project VDE 8 covers the new construction and upgrade of railway lines with a total length of 515 km between Nuremberg, Erfurt, Halle, Leipzig/Halle and Berlin.
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