Courtesy Translation: Train tracks built in record time: Wiesbaden Central Station reconnected to the rail network

Courtesy Photo | Icon to accompany courtesy translations of press releases from the city of Wiesbaden.  

WIESBADEN, HESSEN, GERMANY

12.22.2021

Story by Nadine Bower 

U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden   

Press Release from the Wiesbaden City Government from 22 DEC 2021
Courtesy Translation: Nadine Bower, Public Affairs Specialist

Train tracks built in record time: Wiesbaden Central Station reconnected to the rail network

Joint press release from the Deutsche Bahn AG and the state capital Wiesbaden

After more than six months, trains started running again on the main rail line to Wiesbaden Hauptbahnhof on Wednesday, Dec. 22. Representatives of the city, Deutsche Bahn and the transport companies welcomed one of the first S-Bahn trains on site and thanked the passengers for their patience. Passengers can now reach the Hessen state capital again in the usual way with the lines S1, S8, S9, RB10, RB33 and RB75 as well as with long-distance trains. Among other things, the transport companies are thus resuming the commuter-heavy direct connections to Frankfurt, Rheingau and Mainz.

"We are pleased to be able to resume train services to Wiesbaden Central Station again today," says Dr. Klaus Vornhusen, DB Group Representative for the State of Hessen. "Around 500 trains per day will roll over the rails again and reliably take people to work, school, family and to friends. To this end, the construction teams repaired rails, railway sleepers and ballast beds on the railway line on a tightly timed schedule, put up four overhead cables and restored the signaling technology."

"For more than six months, the state capital Wiesbaden was not accessible by long-distance and S-Bahn traffic," said Wiesbaden's Lord Mayor Gert-Uwe Mende. "After the opening of the federal highway, this is another relieving step for our city. All trains are running as usual again. The airport and Frankfurt Central Station are again only half an hour's drive away. An important day for the people and the economy of our city."

"Finally, the wait is over: The state capital Wiesbaden is now fully connected again to the rail network with its main station," says RMV Supervisory Board member and Wiesbaden's head of transport Andreas Kowol. "This means that we are growing closer to the surrounding region again and can once again make all passengers an attractive and quick offer to travel by train, whether for work or university, for shopping or to visit friends and family."

"The past few months have been associated with longer travel times and additional transfers for our passengers," says RMV Managing Director Dr. André Kavai. "I would like to thank everyone – our passengers for their patience and our partners at the transport companies for their flexibility, because they have built up an extensive replacement bus service overnight. It was only because of this excellent cooperation that the expansions in local and express bus transport as well as on the Ländchesbahn were possible."

"We are grateful that the exceptional situation has come to an end. The past six months have been a challenge for all, especially for the employees of ESWE Verkehr. Without significant preparation time, buses had to be diverted, additional meinRad stations were set up or the express bus line 928 was put on the road. Our thanks go to employees, passengers and the many helpers who have contributed to having public transport maintained at all times," says Jörg Gerhard, Managing Director of ESWE Verkehr.

"We have succeeded well in maintaining the rail connection of the main station with our Ländchesbahn at least on a small level. But of course we are pleased that the main station is now becoming busier again and that we can finally offer our important connections to Darmstadt again without having to change trains," says Veit Salzmann, Managing Director of Hessische Landesbahn.

Jochen Auler, Managing Director of Vias: "The route closure around the Wiesbaden Central Station was the third major restriction on the Rheingau line within a year. A lot was expected of our passengers. We as a company had a lot of unscheduled work to do. The employees of Vias are all the more pleased to be able to offer passengers a fast, transfer-free rail connection from Wiesbaden to the Rheingau and Frankfurt again."

The most important rail line to Wiesbaden Central Station had not been passable since Jun. 18. The cause was the closure of the Salzbachtalbrücke, which was in danger of collapsing. Since the bridge led over the main train tracks to Wiesbaden Central Station, the tracks below it had to be closed for safety reasons. During the closure, the Hessen state capital could only be reached by rail via the Ländchesbahn via Niedernhausen. All other train connections had to be discontinued.

During the closure, public transport officials had taken numerous measures to keep the restrictions for passengers as low as possible. Examples of this are the additional line 928 from Mainz-Kastel to Wiesbaden Central Station, timetable extensions on the X26 bus line to Hofheim, longer cabins on the Ländchesbahn, a tariff goodwill arrangement for the journey via Niedernhausen and the use of passenger helpers at the temporary S-Bahn terminus Wiesbaden Ost.

With the resumption of scheduled train traffic, the rail replacement service with buses ends. The additional line 928 will continue to operate until Dec. 23 and the expansion of space on the Ländchesbahn will continue until Christmas Eve. The additional service of the X26 will continue to take place until further notice. In addition, Wiesbaden is now again an integral part of the nationwide long-distance transport network. The two-hourly ICE connections between Frankfurt-Erfurt-Leipzig-Dresden and other individual trains, for example in the direction to Stuttgart and Munich or Hanover and Hamburg, will again run without restrictions.

Source: https://www.wiesbaden.de/medien/rathausnachrichten/PM_Zielseite.php?showpm=true&pmurl=https://www.wiesbaden.de/guiapplications/newsdesk/publications/Landeshauptstadt_Wiesbaden/141010100000414783.php

• Date Taken: 12.22.2021
• Date Posted: 12.22.2021 08:47
• Story ID: 411744
• Location: WIESBADEN, HESSEN, DE