A billion-euro project by Deutsche Bahn in Frankfurt is taking shape: planning for the long-distance railway tunnel is now starting. However, it still takes some time before the first train can roll through.
Frankfurt / Main – Deutsche Bahn wants to build a long-distance railway tunnel with two tracks under Frankfurt city center.
A new stop for ICE trains is also planned under the previous main station. A feasibility study showed that the project was feasible, announced the Deutsche Bahn (DB) on Monday. The company now wants to start concrete planning for the billion-dollar project; the construction time is expected to be around ten years.
The capacity of Frankfurt Central Station, an important hub in the Deutsche Bahn network, is to be significantly expanded by the long-distance railway tunnel. With currently 1,250 trains per day it is considered to be heavily used. In the future, the new tunnel could mean that up to 250 more trains a day could travel through the main station, explained DB Infrastructure Board Member Ronald Pofalla.
The tunnel for long-distance trains is to run from the west and from the east to the new underground station, which is to be built under Frankfurt Central Station. The main station should then be available exclusively for regional traffic. Four platforms are planned for the new, underground long-distance train station at a depth of around 35 meters.
As a terminus, Frankfurt Central Station has so far often caused delays with nationwide effects. The project is intended to resolve the bottleneck. On behalf of the Federal Ministry of Transport, Deutsche Bahn had carried out a feasibility study to determine whether and under what conditions a double-track long-distance railway tunnel is technically feasible. The most favorable course of the tube – south or north of the Main was also examined.
When the feasibility study was announced in September 2019, there was talk of a cost of just under 3.6 billion euros. As a result, long-distance trains should travel up to eight minutes faster through the Frankfurt hub. “The tunnel is a central component for climate-friendly rail traffic and the German cycle,” the railway explained in advance. dpa
