Tunnel renovation: Mannheim-Stuttgart railway line closed from Easter

Due to the blocking of the expressway line between Mannheim and Stuttgart from Maundy Thursday, travelers have to prepare for train failures and delays. Due to renovation work on the route, there will be up to around 40 minutes for longer travel times, as the train announced. The route is therefore blocked from April 17 to June 6th. This would be passable again on schedule for the Baden-Württemberg Pentecost holidays.

The background to the work is that there are problems with geology in the almost seven -kilometer long Freudenstein tunnel near Knittlingen (Enzkreis). The tunnel therefore leads through anhydrit-containing rock, which has expanded due to water entry. This led to cracks in the tunnel shell occasionally, said a spokesman.

Therefore, the train attaches wire nets to the tunnel ceiling over a length of 1,000 meters. In addition, two new cross walls in the tunnel sole and pumps should prevent the water in the rock. The railway has the work carried out around the clock and, according to its own statements, invests around 7.5 million euros.

The trains of long-distance, near and freight traffic are diverted. According to the railway, individual connections will also be omitted on the section. The changed travel times can therefore already be seen in the Deutsche Bahn booking systems.

Locking of the Riedbahn last year

The 99 -kilometer route between Stuttgart and Mannheim had already been closed to extensive renovation work in 2020. 190 kilometers of tracks were exchanged and 54 switches were replaced.

It was only last year that travelers on the Frankfurt-Mannheim route, the so-called Riedbahn, had to come to terms with massive restrictions. After an almost half -year closure, the route had been reopened in mid -December. More than a hundred kilometers of tracks, hundreds of signals and overhead line masts were renewed as part of a general renovation.