Frankfurt/Main
If you want to take the train during the Easter holidays, you have to improvise in many places. The railway is expanding its rail network. This mainly affects travelers in NRW and Hesse.
In several regions of Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia, Deutsche Bahn passengers have to prepare for route closures during the Easter holidays and sometimes far beyond.
In Frankfurt, parts of the city tunnel will be closed to S-Bahn trains from this Friday evening (March 31, 9 p.m.). In the west of Frankfurt, the construction of separate tracks for the S6 continues, the route is therefore temporarily not passable. Construction is also underway on the Lahntalbahn and Vogelsbergbahn. In Kassel there is construction work going on ICE high-speed route before, the changes in the timetable entail on the alternative lines.
Replacement traffic set up
Passengers usually have to change to replacement buses, for example in the case of the closed tunnel from the east in the direction of Frankfurt-City. In addition, trams and underground trains run more frequently in Frankfurt, and S-Bahn trains are also diverted via Offenbach Central Station.
In the tunnel, the S-Bahn only runs between the Hauptwache and the Hauptbahnhof. According to the plans of the railway, the construction work there should last until April 24 (4:30 a.m.). The S6 route, which will be closed from this Saturday (April 1st/midnight) until April 17th (midnight), can be bypassed with buses and diverted trains.
From this Saturday (April 1st) until December 9th, long-distance traffic for construction work on the high-speed line between Kassel and Fulda will be diverted to local traffic routes. In long-distance traffic, this means up to an hour more travel time, the timetables also have to be changed for local traffic, and in some cases journeys are omitted entirely. The North Hessian Transport Association (NVV) recommends its customers to find out about the many changes before starting their journey.
Among other things, tunnels are being renovated on the Lahntalbahn. The route is partially closed from March 31st to May 7th, buses will be used as replacement traffic. New tracks for the Vogelsbergbahn between Mücke and Alsfeld will ensure that the RB 45 will be closed from April 10th to May 11th. Passengers have to transfer to buses here as well.
Bahn also blocks important routes in the Ruhr area
Train passengers, especially in the Ruhr area, have to be prepared for numerous timetable changes and train cancellations during the Easter holidays in the next two weeks.
Due to construction work, the important connection between Essen and Duisburg will be completely closed from this Friday evening (9 p.m.) until the end of the Easter holidays. This has an impact on train traffic to Dortmund and Düsseldorf and also on long-distance traffic. Train passengers sometimes have to accept long detours or change to significantly slower buses.
There are also route closures between Dortmund and Münster and on the Lower Rhine during the Easter holidays. The construction work was deliberately scheduled for the holidays, “because then there are fewer commuters and no schoolchildren,” said a railway spokesman.
Cities between Dortmund and Duisburg completely cut off
The construction work around Duisburg and Essen will have the greatest impact: 14 local transport lines and important long-distance connections will be canceled or diverted. The cities on the important east-west axis between Dortmund and Duisburg will be completely cut off from long-distance traffic during the two weeks.
ICEs and ICs do not stop in Bochum, Essen and Mülheim/Ruhr. There will also be some failures in Duisburg, the railway said. Trains between Düsseldorf and Berlin, for example, would be diverted. Travelers would have to be prepared for longer travel times – also because there are construction works on the route in other federal states at the same time.
In the case of S-Bahn and local trains, the impact varies from city to city. Only buses will be running between Essen and Duisburg in the next two weeks, and not a single train will stop at Mülheim/Ruhr station for two weeks. The replacement buses on the route should run “at regular intervals”, the railway promises.
Otherwise, travelers in the Ruhr area can also switch to numerous other connections and avoid the blocked route. There are changes to the normal timetable during the Easter holidays on lines RE1, RE2, RE3, RE6, RE11, RE14, RE19, RE42, RE44, RE49, RB33, S1, S3 and S9.
The online information provides information about changes
The railway spokesman said the numerous changes were included in the online information provided by the railway. Anyone looking for their connection there can see how they can reach their goal despite the construction work.
Background to the route closure: For a total of nine million euros, tracks would be renewed in Duisburg, Oberhausen and Essen, switches replaced and the power supply for the trains modernized. This would create the conditions for more trains to be able to run on the heavily used route in the future, the railway wrote.
Work is also being carried out on the tracks at the Kaiserberg motorway junction during the rail closure. The important motorway junction will be modernized and expanded over the next eight years. Eight railway tracks also run right in the area of this major construction site.
Long-distance trains between Dortmund and Hamburg diverted
In the next few weeks, construction will also take place between Dortmund and Münster. The route between Lünen and Davensberg will remain closed until May 12th. Long-distance trains between Dortmund and Hamburg are diverted and take around 45 minutes longer. In local transport, travelers on the RB50 Eurobahn line have to change to buses on the closed route or switch to other connections with a change in Hamm.
Extensive construction work also begins on the Lower Rhine with the start of the Easter holidays. The section between Oberhausen and Arnhem in the Netherlands is under construction for the expansion of the important freight train route to the port of Rotterdam. The route will be completely closed to long-distance and local traffic until April 16th. Even after that, restrictions can still be expected until the end of May, the railway said.
