Ried Railway - Planning

Planning

To ease overloading on the line a new high-speed line from Frankfurt to Mannheim is being planned, cleared for top speeds of up to 300 km/h. The new line would mostly run close to the A5 and the A67 motorways. Deutsche Bahn originally proposed to build a bypass of the Mannheim Hauptbahnhof (the most important rail junction in southwestern Germany, although it is not a Category 1 station like Karlsruhe Hbf), but dropped this plan for the time being in 2006 due to strong community and political opposition. Construction has not started yet due to the difficulty in reaching agreement on the details of the project. Construction is expected to start in 2011 and be completed in 2017.

A connection to the planned Terminal 3 at Frankfurt Airport is being considered. A connecting curve for S 7 and RE 70 services, including an underground S-Bahn station, would cost € 120 million. Such a connection would have a Benefit-cost ratio of more than 1.

The second track of the eastern branch of the Ried Railway in Mannheim is to be reactivated in 2015 and the line will be served by S-Bahn services, according to the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Environment and Transport. A new S-Bahn stop is planned at Mannheim-Neuostheim at the crossing of Dürerstraße. From December 2015, S-Bahn trains will run on the line every hour between Biblis and Mannheim Hauptbahnhof.