The German railway operator Deutsche Bahn (DB) announced that, starting from Monday, July 15, it will close the main railway connecting the financial center of Frankfurt with the south of the country for five months, in order to carry out modernization works worth EUR 1.3 billion.
Currently, the Frankfurt – Mannheim rail line is congested and delays on this sector can have a major impact on other parts of the 33,000 kilometer German rail network, as well as on trains from neighboring countries such as Switzerland and France.
The state of Germany’s railways has come to international attention during the Euro 2024 tournament, with fans complaining of overcrowded trains and disruption to travel.
Even though state-owned operator Deutsche Bahn has bought hundreds of modern high-speed ICE trains in recent years, many sections of railway, tracks and other infrastructure are in need of repairs or upgrades.
The data published by Deutsche Bahn show that in June a little over half of the trains that traveled long distances arrived on time. In reality, it is possible that even more trains will be affected because the German operator considers a train late if it arrives at least six minutes late. Canceled connections are not counted.
The investment of EUR 1.3 billion that DB wants to make for the modernization of the Frankfurt – Mannheim highway is significantly higher than the initial estimate of EUR 500 million for this project.
Over the next five months, the German company will restore 140 kilometers of railway and overhead cables, modernise 20 stations and replace more than 150 locomotives.
DB hopes that disruptions along the upgraded mainlines will decrease by 80%. In total, the German operator intends to renovate 40 railway corridors to stabilise the system. The next major renovation is scheduled to take place next year on the rail line between Berlin and Hamburg, Germany’s most populous cities.
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