DB’s continual programme of investments and developments

Deutsche Bahn AG (DB AG) was founded in 1994 and is now one of the world’s leading passenger and logistics companies. Operating in 130 countries, approximately 290,000 employees, of which about 190,000 are located in Germany, are committed to ensuring that customers are provided with effective and efficient mobility and logistical services.

In a series of recent announcements from DB, the company is showing that it is not putting the brakes on future developments in Germany, with commitments made to invest in line extensions and track investments plus a selection of other significant improvements.

Noise protection

With increasing passenger numbers and a rise in rail traffic, DB recognises the importance of implementing noise protection measures along railway lines. In 2011, DB made good progress in this area by constructing over 55km of new noise barriers and soundproofing 2,550 households. Commenting on the success of the noise protection programme, Oliver Kraft, CEO of DB Netz AG said: “The measures we took in 2011 were innovative and we invested approximately €145 million of federal funding and around €6 million of our own funds.”

The noise protection measures in 2011 were concentrated in the city states of Hamburg, Bremen and Bremerhaven; in the Northeim district and along the Wunstorf–Stadthagen line in the state of Lower Saxony; in the North Rhine- Westphalian cities of Unna, Cologne and Neuss; in the city of Ludwigshafen in Rhineland Palatinate, in Burghaun and Bensheim in Hesse, in the Fils Valley and Freiburg (Breisgau) in Baden-Württemberg; and in Nuremberg, Neustadt/Aisch and Feucht in Bavaria.

Around 30% of the 3,400km of track currently included in the noise protection programme is now protected. In the last few years, 387km of noise barriers have been built, and soundproof windows have been installed in over 46,400 homes. The programme, launched by the federal government in 1999 to implement noise protection measures on existing railway lines, has been an important factor in the noise protection efforts.

Oliver Kraft explains that the programme will continue in 2012: “This year we will again be working flat out on the programme. We plan to erect approximately 55km of noise barriers and to soundproof a further 2,000 homes.”

Major construction work

It is not only noise protection measures that DB is committed to accomplishing in 2012. Plans to carry out major construction work at around 880 sites along 72 corridors will be taking place, renewing almost 2,600km of track, 1,870 points and two million sleepers.

“We are making good progress with the modernisation of our rail network,” explains Dr. Volker Kefer, Member of the Management Board of Deutsche Bahn AG responsible for Infrastructure. “Germany’s rail infrastructure is among the most modern in the world, and we are continuing to invest in it to ensure it is effective. That is the prerequisite for more rail traffic. However, our activities must go hand-inhand with investments in both new construction and measures to upgrade the existing network.”

In 2011, DB replaced approximately 1,700 points and 3.5 million tonnes of ballast on main lines and at rail junctions and renewed almost 3,900km of track and around 2.6 million sleepers. The network modernisation in 2011 was concentrated on the Berlin–Hanover– Rhine/Ruhr, Hanover–Hamburg, Karlsruhe– Basel and Kassel–Gießen–Frankfurt lines. Around €4.4 billion will again be invested in the existing network in 2012 with focus on the Hamburg–Bremen–Münster, Hanover– Göttingen and Hamm–Dortmund–Düsseldorf lines and the Magdeburg, Leipzig and Erfurt junctions. Dr. Kefer says: “Wherever there are changes, we can be relied upon to provide information about construction sites and timetable changes in good time.”

The most important construction sites in 2012

Hamburg–Bremen–Münster

From the end of January to May, DB is modernising the Bremen junction and platforms and points on the lines from Bremen to Hamburg and Osnabrück. The work will include renewing 120km of track and replacing almost 100,000 sleepers and over 60,000 tonnes of ballast. Two thousand bridge girders will be replaced on the bridge over the Weser in Bremen, and the track on the bridge will also be renewed. In addition, DB is building a total of almost 3km of noise barriers, particularly in the Bremen-Oberneuland area.

Hanover–Dortmund

From the end of July to November, track and points between Hanover and Dortmund will be renewed. Bridge work will be carried out as well. Depending on the stage of construction, only a single track will be open on the line. Both longdistance and local trains will be subject to changed timetables. Long-distance journey times will increase by up to 10 minutes. Some local trains will run less often or not at all during some periods, and certain stations will only have a limited service in some stages of construction.

Hanover–Hamburg

From September to November, only a single track will be open on sections of the line between Hamburg and Hanover. Most ICE trains will be diverted via Rotenburg (Wümme) and will take around 20 minutes longer between Hamburg and Hanover. IC trains between Hamburg and Hanover will be cancelled, but ICE trains will stop in Celle, Uelzen and Lüneburg. DB is renewing track and points, improving noise protection and building a third track between Stelle and Lüneburg.

Hanover–Magdeburg

From April to the beginning of July, sections of the line between Hanover and Magdeburg will be single track while track and points are renewed. IC trains between Hanover and Magdeburg will be diverted via Wolfsburg and Stendal. Trains will not stop in Braunschweig, the journey time will increase, trains towards Leipzig will leave Hanover around 10 minutes earlier, and trains from the Leipzig direction will arrive in Hanover around 10 minutes later. DB is renewing almost 40km of track and 16 points here.

Stuttgart–Singen (Gäubahn)

From 8 October to 18 November, DB is renewing track and points between Tuttlingen and Singen (Hohentwiel). Both local and long-distance trains will be replaced by buses. Journey times will increase by up to an hour.

Hanover–Göttingen

From 14 January to 2 February, DB is renewing track on the ICE line between Hanover and Göttingen. Some ICE trains to and from Hamburg and Berlin will be diverted via Kreiensen. Due to the longer journey time, trains will leave Hamburg and Berlin up to 30 minutes earlier and arrive there around 30 minutes later. The times at which long-distance trains stop in Celle, Lüneburg and Uelzen will also change.

ÖBB construction work on the Innsbruck–Brenner line in Austria

ÖBB in Austria is also modernising its well-used infrastructure. From June to September, the Innsbruck-Brenner line will be single track and closed entirely on seven weekends. Some Eurocity trains to and from Munich will have changed timetables or be replaced by buses between Innsbruck and Brenner.

The Stendal–Uelzen line expansion

Another significant DB project to be given the green light, with financing from the Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Affairs (BMVBS), is the first stage of a further doubletrack upgrade to the Stendal–Uelzen line. Approximately €57 million will be invested in this project by DB and the Federal Government over the coming years. Construction is due to begin in summer 2012, with completion scheduled for 2014.

“I am delighted that we will be able to get this important project on track before the end of the year,” explains Enak Ferlemann, Parliamentary Secretary of State to the Federal Transport Minister. “Expanding capacity on this line is of critical importance to improving links to the German seaports.”

A second track will be added alongside two sections of the current line over a total length of 21km. The existing 30km two-track stretch between Brunau-Packebusch and Rademin for passing and overtaking will be extended to both the east and west. This will affect the sections of line between Hohenwulsch and Brunau-Packebusch as well as between Rademin and Salzwedel. The future second track will be connected to the existing electronic control and safety systems, necessitating appropriate modifications to the electronic signal boxes (ESTW). A total of 15 level crossings will have to be upgraded and six new sets of points installed.

“This project is of great significance to Deutsche Bahn,” says Oliver Kraft. “On the one hand, completion of this work will increase freight capacity and improve regional passenger services, while on the other, adding more track is an important element of our Growth Programme, through which we aim to increase network capacity over the coming years, particularly for freight traffic.”

The Growth Programme is part of the DB Netz AG investment strategy. Central to this project is the expansion of hubs and alternative routes to lines that are particularly heavily loaded, including the eastern corridor (Hamburg–Uelzen–Magdeburg–Reichenbach– Regensburg–Munich). In the medium term this will alleviate some of the heavy pressure on the freight routes through western Germany from the north German seaports. The track will simultaneously form the basis for freight traffic through central Germany via the planned train formation depot in Halle and on towards eastern Europe.

Investment in new ICE depot

In December 2011, DB inaugurated a new ICE maintenance depot in Frankfurt-Griesheim. The project involved a total investment of approximately €40 million. The ICE depot will house primarily the multi-system ICE-3 trains used on international routes.

“Frankfurt am Main is the ideal location because it is the hub for our high-speed ICE services to neighbouring countries, on routes to Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Vienna and Switzerland,” explained Berthold Huber, Member of the DB Management Board for Long-Distance Transport. “This new ICE depot not only doubles our maintenance capacities in Frankfurt, but is also a key investment in the future, as it is already designed to handle maintenance and repair of the ICx, the latest generation of highspeed trains.”

In the interest of improving the availability of the high-speed fleet which can be used on international routes, the depot has special facilities for maintaining and repairing multisystem ICEs. Three different voltages are used to check that the trains can function properly with the different current systems used by the neighbouring railways. On-board communi – cations equipment such as aerials and computers for the foreign signalling systems can also be serviced and tested here, enabling perfect simulation of real operating conditions.

Another special feature of the new depot is that one of the maintenance tracks has 32 lifting jacks, which can lift an entire ICE train so that all bogies can be replaced in one stage. This innovation enables bogies to be exchanged faster: time-consuming and expensive trips to other depots are no longer necessary and the trains are back in service again sooner.

The air-conditioning test room is the only one of its kind in Germany. It tests the operability of air-conditioning systems at temperatures of up to 45 degrees Celsius.

Construction work on the new building began on 9 July 2010. The depot was completed in just 18 months and roughly 100 new employees will work there.