Visitors to the 2024 European Championship, which ended on Sunday with a victory for Spain, praised Germany’s stadiums and fans but were critical of the trains that transported them to the matches.
German state railway company Deutsche Bahn (DB) hopes that the next time foreign fans visit the country’s stadiums, the many delays caused by the major rail modernisation plan that started on Monday will be a thing of the past.
In total, 41 lines will be thoroughly modernised by 2031. This means that DB is not trying to modernise while the trains continue to run, but is closing the lines completely for a more extensive renovation.
The runway is the route between Frankfurt and Mannheim – one of the country’s most important rail connections. It is closed until mid-December.
More than 300 regional, long-distance and freight trains travel on this route every day. Every seventh long-distance journey in Germany, which means 60,000 passengers, travels on this north-south route every day. In addition, there are 16,000 daily regional passengers.
This first part of the renovation is expected to cost €1.3 billion ($1.4 billion) – considerably more than initially estimated. It includes the installation of 140 kilometres (87 miles) of overhead wires and 120 kilometres (75 miles) of track, among other improvements. About 20 stations along the route will be modernised.
Those in the freight industry are skeptical. Their association, Die Güterbahnen, is concerned about construction delays and the effect the project will have on shipping.
The group has set up a live online ticker to track the first phase of the DB project, keeping members informed of any delays or issues that may arise as a result of the renovation.
