The renovation of the right Rhine line will bring residents in the Rheingau region five months of quiet – but also tests of patience. Deutsche Bahn no longer speaks of a "general renovation" but of a "corridor renovation" – it is the second mega-project of this kind in the Rhine-Main region after the overhaul of the Riedbahn between Frankfurt and Mannheim two years ago.
The right Rhine line is one of Europe’s most heavily used freight train routes and part of the north-south axis from Dutch seaports to Italy. Long-distance passenger traffic was largely removed from the Rhine Valley in 2002 with the opening of the high-speed line near the A3 motorway. A new route for freight trains is not in sight in the long term, so the railway wants to make coexistence between residents and rail traffic more bearable – for example through noise protection.
During the closure, passenger trains will be replaced by buses on slightly altered routes. Residents hope that trains will run more reliably after the renovation than before. Federal Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder (CDU) announced in February that a decision on removing the level crossing in Rüdesheim would be made in 2026. As part of the corridor renovation, the city will receive a new, centrally located train station.
Source: www.faz.net
