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Major construction kicks off to fix Germany's railway system

18 0
06.07.2024

Anyone traveling with Deutsche Bahn over the next few years will need more time –– and patience. On July 15th, the day after the final game of the European Football Championship, the state-owned railway company will start a massive renovation program.

It is planning to renew 40 primary train routes by 2030. Each route will be closed for some months, while construction work is carried out. The first slated for renewal is the ca. 70-kilometer-long central German route connecting Frankfurt and Mannheim, called "The Riedbahn."

"The Riedbahn will be the initial building block of a high-performance network," says Berthold Huber, Deutsche Bahn's Director of Infrastructure. "Nowhere else in Germany is the infrastructure currently under more strain. Around 300 local, long-distance and freight trains travel along this route every day."

There are regular disruptions on this route caused by defective switches, signal boxes or overhead power lines, due to disrepair. Almost every train on the Riedbahn route gets delayed, which affects rail traffic across Germany.

Train delays with Deutsche Bahn have steadily increased in recent years. In 2023, less than two-thirds of long-distance trains reached their destination on time –– a new record low. In Germany, a train is considered punctual if it is delayed by less than six minutes.

Train journeys are often curtailed due to massive delays and don't even make it to their final stop.........

© Deutsche Welle


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