Complete Refurbishment of the Riedbahn Successfully Completed
It’s done. With the timetable change on December 15, 2024, the Riedbahn officially returned to service right on schedule. One day earlier, Federal Transport Minister Dr. Volker Wissing and DB CEO Dr. Richard Lutz, together with state secretaries from Baden-Württemberg and Hesse, celebrated the grand reopening of the fully modernized rail corridor between Frankfurt am Main and Mannheim with a formal ceremony in Gernsheim. The Riedbahn is successfully completed and marks the successful completion of Germany’s first major corridor refurbishment project.
Over the past five months, starting with the full closure on July 15, 2024, major work was carried out along the entire route: 20 stations between Frankfurt and Mannheim were modernized and expanded; 117 kilometers of track and 152 points were overhauled; 140 kilometers of overhead lines were renewed, along with numerous level crossings. In addition, more than 15 kilometers of noise barriers were installed to improve residential protection along the line. In addition to the refurbishment, the Riedbahn project also included the rollout of cutting-edge signaling and train control systems. This included the installation of Electronic Interlockings (ESTW), the replacement of roughly 1,200 signaling components, and the implementation of the European Train Control system (ETCS).
The Riedbahn project, carried out by SPITZKE in collaboration with numerous partner companies, kicks off a nationwide program to comprehensively modernize Germany’s busiest rail corridors. In the upcoming years, more than 4,000 kilometers of track are scheduled for refurbishment. Full details about the Riedbahn and upcoming corridor projects can be found on DB’s project website.
For SPITZKE, the work continues in the new year with the Hamburg-Berlin line up next on the schedule.
A huge thank you to everyone for their amazing effort!
