Nuremberg–Erfurt high-speed railway
The current route, which was opened in 1851, was not based on comprehensive transport planning, but was a consequence of a network that evolved from 1840 out of lines built to serve local purposes.The quality of operation of the existing lines would be unsatisfactory, partly due to heavy use and long service times, and it would be virtually impossible to upgrade them.[13] The first Thuringian Minister-President, Josef Duchac, joined the Federal Minister of Transport, Günther Krause for the selection of the route corridor through Erfurt.[9] In February 1992, Deutsche Bundesbahn presented three options: one running from the existing section north of Lichtenfels, via Rödental and Stadtilm to Erfurt.The third option would have branched from a junction north of Ebensfeld and run via Coburg, Eisfeld, Großbreitenbach and Arnstadt to connect with the existing Eisenach–Erfurt line at Möbisburg.[21] The essential requirements were an ICE stop in Coburg, the replacement of embankments by bridges in ecologically sensitive areas, the relocation of the planned over-taking station in Dorfles-Esbach to the south and the lowest possible crossing of the Main valley to the north of Ebensfeld.[7] The planning approval decision for the southern section of the railway power line from the 19 December 1995 lost its effect because the construction work had not commenced within the limited period of validity.[43] At a joint cabinet meeting at the end of March 2000, the state governments of Bavaria and Thuringia asked for an immediate increase in the construction activity on the line and for it to be finished by 2007.Special committees of the town of Ilmenau, according to a statement by Mayor Seeber at a citizens gathering, had turned against the planned Wümbach station and "opted for the development of the existing line".[12] It passes through the Thuringian Forest between Truckenthal and Ilmenau over a length of 27.4 kilometres and rises temporarily to a height of around 600 metres above sea level.With the ceremonial foundation of a bridge of the Rudisleben–Kirchheim state road over the future Eischleben relief loops, work on the new and upgraded line began on 16 April 1996.At Coburg, work commenced at the end of 2005 on the Itz Viaduct, the neighbouring construction of the shell of the 221 metre-long tunnel of the Dörfles-Esbach connecting curve and a road crossing.[77] At the beginning of April 2008, Deutsche Bahn called tenders for the construction of the Masserberg, Rehberg, Kulch and Lichtenholz tunnels and the Dunkel, Reh and Mühlbach viaducts in September and November 2008 respectively.[82] According to Deutsche Bahn, the already built structures have already been included in the regular maintenance program, in order to ensure their functionality at the opening of the line.Near Püchitz, around 20,000 pieces were found at the largest North Bavarian site of the Linear Pottery culture during archaeological excavations on the course of the new line up to mid-2010.[116] On 30 August, another presentation trip took place between Erfurt and Bamberg, carrying the Federal Minister for Transport, Innovation and Technology, Alexander Dobrindt and DB board member, Berthold Huber in a modernised ICE 3.The Federal Railway Authority (Eisenbahn-Bundesamt—EBA) stated that in Bavaria, in contrast to Thuringia, changes to the planning approval decisions would have led to a risk of third-party objections.The Federal Audit Office considered this to be inaccurate, since the reduction in the distance between the tracks in Bavaria would have reduced the extent to which the environment was affected.As a fallback to ETCS, an intermittent train control system (Punktförmige Zugbeeinflussung) was modelled, which would allow operations outside of stations with turnouts at speeds of up 160 km/h.[149][150] In 2014, the Federal Audit Office criticised the fact that the provision of €54 million for the signaling technology of the line had been made on the basis of an outdated operating program from 1995.The 83 km long line is part of the existing railway highway circuit from Nuremberg via Saalfeld to Halle and is being upgraded to a maximum speed up to 230 km/h (143 mph) trains.Between Nuremberg and Ebensfeld, different route options were tested:[7] On 30 March 1993, the Bavarian State Ministry for Land Development and Environmental Issues initiated the land-use planning process.Between the Nuremberg marshalling yard and Eltersdorf, the construction of a 13 kilometre-long double-track freight line, including the 7,580 metre-long Pegnitz Tunnel between Fürth-Kronach and Nuremberg-Grossmarkt is proposed.[187] On the basis of a decision of the mediation committee of the Bundestag and the Bundesrat, the provision of federal funds for the route were significantly reduced in December 2003.[54] The construction timetable and financial plan laid down in the financing agreement could no longer be complied with due to reduced budgets as a result of a compromise negotiated in the mediation committee in December 2003.Critics such as Alliance 90/The Greens and Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland believed the project was pointless and a waste of public funds.[27] Vieregg-Rössler (a consultancy), the Greens and the Verkehrsclub Deutschland (a lobby group for environmentally-friendly transport solutions, VCD) suggested, at the end of 1992, that traffic should run from Erfurt via Gera, Plauen and Hof to Nuremberg.The majority of the customers did not need the route, just "the construction industry, so that they deserve a golden nose, or speed fetishists dreaming of a high-speed network in Europe.Three new options emerged from a dialogue: optimised new noise protection on the existing route, which would be lowered at sensitive points, a tunnel for freight trains or a complete bypass of Bamberg to the east through the main stretch of carr (marshy forest), parallel to the A 73.Prior to the application for planning approval on 2 May 2016, the Bamberg council passed a resolution by a majority on 27 April 2016 that rejected an eastern bypass.
ThuringiaBavariaErfurt HbfEbensfeldTrack gaugestandard gaugeMinimum radiusElectrification15 kV/16.7 HzMaximum inclineLeipzig/Halle high-speed railwayFrom WeimarThuringian Railway to EisenachEischlebenGrümpenLine from SonnebergRödentalCoburgTo Lichtenfelsfrom Lichtenfelsto BambergGermanhigh-speed railwayNurembergErfurtVerkehrsprojekt Deutsche EinheitBerlinMunichScandinaviaEuropean UnionTrans-European Rail network1998 electionFriedrich ListErlangenLudwig South-North RailwayGerman reunificationDeutsche BundesbahnInterregioIntercityGroßheringen–Saalfeld railwayFranconian Forest RailwayIlmenauFederal GovernmentDeutsche MarkDeutsche ReichsbahnJosef DuchacGünther KrauseStadtilmStaffelsteinGroßbreitenbachEisfeldArnstadtBayreuthDresdenFranconian ForestGoldisthal Pumped Storage StationFederal Agency for Nature ConservationGehrenWerra RailwayFederal Administrative CourtBad StaffelsteinSPD-Green coalitionFranz MünteferingEdmund StoiberGerhard SchröderDeutsche BahnKurt BodewigIlm-KreisDB Netztrain pathFürth nodeThuringian Foresttraction power networkhectaresHalle–Bebra railwayAutobahn 71ApfelstädtNeurodaKirchheimstate roadMatthias WissmannBernhard VogelOtto WiesheuDB ProjektBauLinear Pottery cultureErfurter BahnclassesRichard LutzAlexander Dobrindtincremental launchWolfgang TiefenseeLangewiesenWipfraclock-face timetableDB Cargooverhead lineslab trackFederal Audit OfficePunktförmige ZugbeeinflussungBase transceiver stationbase transceiver stationsrepeatersTechnical Specification for Interoperabilityelectronic interlockingssignalling controlfail-safetraction power linesWeimarAltenfeldNuremberg HbfNuremberg–Bamberg railwayFrom MunichFürth (Bay) HbfEggolsheimBambergBreitengüßbachSaalfeldIntercity-ExpressRegional-ExpressS-BahnRegionalbahnagilisRegnitzFranconian SwitzerlandNuremberg S-Bahnlevel crossings