This July sees the start of the major modernisation of the Deutsche Bahn (DB). The delay in modernising the network over the last two decades is putting an increasing strain on the German rail company's service. With a very poor punctuality for several years. The company has therefore committed to refurbishing or rebuilding 40 sections of line totalling over 4,000 kilometres by 2030. The bad news: all the work required for this urgent modernisation will be carried out within this period of more than five years. The good news for passengers: after that, Deutsche Bahn promises that there will be no major works for a long time to come, and that trains will be faster and, above all, more punctual!
4,000 km of railway track to be upgraded
This general renovation will also be accompanied by the modernisation of many stations and, in many cases, the digitisation of sections based on European standards. During these closures, long-distance trains will run on diversionary routes. This should extend all journeys by an average of 30 minutes. On regional services, high-density bus services will replace train cancellations.
This vast renovation programme kicks off with the "RiedbahnThe Frankfurt-Mannheim rail corridor is one of the busiest in the network. Part of this line is used by the Paris-Frankfurt TGV high-speed trains. There are around 300 trains a day. The line closed on 15 July and will remain closed until the introduction of the 2024/2025 timetable on 14 December.
5 months of work on part of the Paris-Frankfurt line
During this time, track, points, signals and signal boxes, as well as stations, will be modernised. Trains to Paris will a diversion via DarmstadtThe journey will take 30 minutes longer. From Mannheim, passengers travelling directly to Frankfurt airport's mainline station will have to use buses.
In 2025, other lines will also be renovated, one of the most important being the Hamburg-Berlin line (278 km). In 2026, Hamburg-Hanover (189 km), Koblenz-Wiesbaden (93 km) and Nuremberg-Rasbon (88 km) will follow. The rebuilds that should also affect rail traffic to France are the Cologne-Düsseldorf-Hamm line in 2027 and the line between Aachen and Cologne in 2029. These are the two sections on which Eurostar trains operate from Paris.
Above all, during the same year, work will begin on the Forbach-Sarrebruck-Ludwigshafen. The route currently used by TGV Paris-Frankfurt. According to Deutsche Bahn, the 133 km long line will require complex reconstruction. It will also require the creation of a new station, Saarbrücken-Saarbasar.
