A good 100 days after the start of the general renovation of the Riedbahn, Deutsche Bahn (DB) and the construction companies involved have reached an important milestone. The work on the rails, sleepers and ballast is nearing completion as planned. Now the intensive phase begins in which technicians install the new control and safety technology.
They are gradually connecting the new electronic signal boxes. From there, switches and signals can be controlled with a click of the mouse. Trains are scheduled to run again on the completely renovated route between Frankfurt/Main and Mannheim from December 15th. Until then, long-distance and freight traffic will run on diversion routes. Since construction started in mid-July, DB has been replacing regional traffic with 150 modern replacement buses.
The general renovation of the Riedbahn is part of the overall S3 program for the structural renovation of the DB Group over the next three years. The focus in the infrastructure is on rapid renovation of existing infrastructure. Following the example of the Riedbahn, a total of 1,500 kilometers of track are to be fundamentally renovated by 2027.
The aim is for DB to become more punctual, reliable and profitable again through the general renovation of heavily used routes and other measures. This creates a stable basis for the further growth path of the Strong Rail Group strategy and DB is making its contribution to the federal government’s transport and climate policy goals.
“The phase of the large machines on the Riedbahn is coming to an end as planned – an important milestone. Now the decisive final third of the general renovation begins. The schedule is demanding, because there is no blueprint for a project of this size. One thing is clear: the new signal box technology with modern workstations for our employees will ensure that trains on this heavily used route can run more reliably and punctually in the future. The general renovation of the Riedbahn is therefore an important step on the way to the sustainable stabilization of operations and thus also to the structural restructuring of our group,” said Berthold Huber, DB Infrastructure Director.
“The Riedbahn’s relay interlockings, which are around 50 years old, are being replaced by our modern interlocking and train protection technology. All of the signaling technology and switch drives along the 70-kilometer route are being replaced. A total of eight interlockings with over 600 signals, around 330 switch drives, 880 digital counting points and three ETCS control centers with over 3,500 beacons are being equipped. The interlockings and a large proportion of the signals and switch drives have been installed, and the interlocking software is in the approval phase. In the coming weeks, the focus will be on installing the remaining track-side components and then commissioning the entire system,” said Dr. Guido Rumpel, Head of Rail Infrastructure Germany at Siemens Mobility.
New control and safety technology on the Riedbahn
In cooperation with Siemens Mobility, DB is renewing the entire control and safety technology on the Riedbahn. In order to connect the individual components to the new electronic interlockings (ESTW), the construction companies have laid more than a million meters of cable in recent months. Now assembly teams from Siemens are setting up the remaining signals and connecting all components, such as axle counters, magnets and switch drives, to the new ESTW.
The entire system will then be tested. In the future, large regional areas can be monitored and controlled from the modern control stations of the new ESTW centers in Walldorf, Gernsheim and Mannheim-Waldhof. Additional modular buildings have been built in Groß-Gerau Dornberg, Riedstadt-Goddelau, Biblis and Lampertheim.
In addition to new signal box technology, the new European train control system ETCS (European Train Control System) will also be used on the Riedbahn in the future. To do this, Siemens and DB will install thousands of beacons along the route by mid-December. They will store railway operational information and transmit it to the trains. State-of-the-art satellite technology will be used to determine the exact assembly locations and speed up the equipment installation.
The new ETCS train control system will be commissioned in stages. ETCS will initially go into operation on the section of the route from Mannheim-Waldhof to Biblis. All other sections will follow in the second quarter of 2025.
The timetable times that apply from the timetable change on December 15 will remain unaffected. Travelers and freight transport companies will not notice the gradual commissioning of ETCS. All local and freight trains can travel at their maximum speed on the Riedbahn. In long-distance traffic, top speeds of up to 200 km/h will be possible in some cases after ETCS has been fully commissioned. This creates an additional time buffer in the timetable.
The experience from the Riedbahn pilot project will be incorporated into the planning of further general renovations in the heavily used rail network. Next year, DB will begin the combined renovation and modernization of the Hamburg-Berlin and Emmerich-Oberhausen routes. This will make the most important direct connection between cities and an important main route for European freight transport more efficient and less prone to disruption.
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