Preparations for converting the “Bayerwald” network to battery-powered trains are progressing. The Free State of Bavaria has commissioned Länderbahn to plan the battery charging station in Viechtach.
At the signing of the contract, Bavaria’s Transport Minister Christian Bernreiter stressed : “We are making the Gotteszell – Viechtach railway line fit for the future. After the decision for continuous operation, we are now setting the course for a switch to climate-friendly drives.”
The switch to battery-powered trains requires various infrastructure upgrades in the Bayerwald network. A charging station must be built in Viechtach so that the trains between Gotteszell and Viechtach can charge their batteries. For this purpose, Viechtach station will be spanned by an overhead line that will be fed from the state network. Costs of EUR 660,000 were calculated for planning the charging station. The Free State will cover 90 percent of this, and the Länderbahn will cover 10 percent of the costs. Planning is to be completed by the end of 2026.
The switch to battery-powered trains is scheduled to take place in December 2034. At that time, the contract for operating the current diesel trains will expire. The following lines will be operated with battery-powered trains in the future:
- RB 35 Plattling – Bayerisch Eisenstein
- RB 36 Zwiesel – Grafenau
- RB 37 Zwiesel – Bodenmais
- RB 38 Gotteszell – Viechtach
In coordination with the authorities in the Czech Republic, it is also being examined whether direct connections from Plattling to Klatovy can be offered in the future.
“After the modernization of the Gotteszell – Viechtach route last year and the decision to permanently reactivate the route, the preparation for the switch to battery-powered trains with the planning of a charging station in Viechtach is a further step on the way to a sustainable mobility transition in the Bavarian Forest,” emphasizes Eugen Rubinstein, Managing Director of Länderbahn. “Viechtach has been our company headquarters since 1889 and Gotteszell – Viechtach is our oldest and most traditional railway line. Bavarian railway history was written here. That is why we are happy to be involved in upgrading the infrastructure for the use of battery-powered trains and thus expanding it to be future-proof.”
The Free State wants to end diesel operation in Bavarian local rail passenger transport by 2040. In 2023, the TU Dresden determined on behalf of the Free State that battery operation would be a suitable option for this in the Bayerwald network. It is cheaper than using hydrogen trains and requires significantly less infrastructure expansion than full electrification.
Battery-powered trains use sections with overhead lines to charge the traction battery. Non-electrified routes can then be travelled electrically using power from the battery.
Expansions are also required between Bettmannsäge and Zwiesel and at the Bayerisch Eisenstein and Grafenau stations. For this, the Free State will conclude a separate planning contract with DB InfraGO AG, which owns these routes and stations. The Free State is seeking federal funding for all infrastructure expansions in accordance with the Municipal Transport Financing Act (GVFG).
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