Train traffic: Railway closures over Easter demand travelers

Just in time for Easter travel traffic, the railway blocks two central routes in Baden-Württemberg due to renovation work: from Maundy Thursday, the expressway line between Mannheim and Stuttgart is tight. From Good Friday, the Rhine Valley Railway between Karlsruhe and Basel is also closed. Tens of thousands of travelers will be affected by longer travel times and train failures. What exactly is – and what can passengers do:

What is traveling between Mannheim and Stuttgart?

From Thursday (April 17) to June 6th, the express train line between Mannheim and Stuttgart is closed. During this time, the trains of long-distance, near and freight traffic are diverted. According to the train, there will be longer travel times of up to 40 minutes. However, individual connections will also be omitted on the section of the route. The changed travel times can already be seen in the Deutsche Bahn booking systems. The route would be passable again for the Baden-Württemberg Pentecost holidays.

What do travelers have to adjust to the Rhine Valley Railway?

The Rhine Valley Railway between Karlsruhe and Basel is dense from Friday (April 18) to April 27th. Long-distance trains that come from the north end on the track, in Baden-Baden or in individual cases also in Karlsruhe. If you want to continue to Freiburg or Switzerland from there, you have to switch to the buses provided by the train. From Freiburg, long -distance trains go back to Switzerland. According to a speaker, it takes about three hours from Karlsruhe to Basel instead of about an hour and 40 minutes.

What about local transport between Karlsruhe and Basel?

It is also impaired. Between Karlsruhe, Rastatt and Baden-Baden, for example, there is only one track available. On April 22nd from 10 p.m. to April 23 (10 p.m.), the section between Rastatt and Baden-Baden is fully blocked. The route via Ettlingen is not accessible even for the entire time of the renovation work. Only one track is available between Müllheim and Basel – there are changes in the timetable.

In the evening and at night, there are restrictions between 9:00 p.m. and 4:00 a.m., the railway continued. By the way, bicycles must not be taken into the replacement buses. Around 100 to 130 buses are used on the routes with rail replacement traffic every day to bring travelers to their destination despite the construction sites and closures, as a rail spokeswoman said.

Why are the routes closed?

The Mannheim-Stuttgart route is affected because there are problems with geology in the almost seven-kilometer 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. The railway therefore attracts, among other things, on the tunnel ceiling over a length of 1,000 meters wire nets. The costs are around 7.5 million euros.

On the Rhine Valley Railway, the tracks and the course and the underground for the tracks are to be renewed – on the route between Karlsruhe and Rastatt, in the Rastatt station and between Denzlingen and Freiburg. Additional switches are planned on the Offenburg railway node. During the billion-dollar expansion of the Rheintalbahn, the Karlsruhe-Basel route is gradually expanded by two to four tracks.

Why are both routes closed in parallel?

According to a railway spokesman, the Easter holidays are traditionally used for repair work. At that time there are simply fewer people on the move. “The volume of travel is significantly lower than on normal working days, where you still have commuters, business trips and students,” said the spokesman. Although there are fewer connections, most travelers still range to their destination.

Detlef Neuß, Federal Chairman of the Pro Bahn passenger association, said: “The renovations of the railways are inevitable.” They were pushed out for far too long.

What can travelers do to get to the goal more relaxed?

“In any case, it makes sense to carry enough drinks, fruit and other meals,” said Neuss. “It cannot always be guaranteed that the bortrest restaurants will be open.” You should also take books or consumer electronics with you. When traveling with children, it makes sense to take games with them to make the children appear shorter.

The railway advises to reserve seats. “The trains are clearly booked,” said the spokesman. “At Easter we recommend that we make a reservation – or switch to less busy trips on the main travel days.” Some of the railways also use twice as long as ICE trains – with 1,000 instead of 500 seats.