Transport Minister Wissing raises doubts about an S6 expansion from Frankfurt to Bad Vilbel
Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing is now questioning a project similar to the expansion of the S6 between Frankfurt and Bad Vilbel in Lower Saxony.
Frankfurt – Could he Expansion of the S6 between Frankfurt and Bad Vilbel yet to be cancelled? Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing and Finance Minister Christian Lindner (both FDP) were a little afraid of this when they threatened to turn off the money supply for a similar rail expansion project in Lower Saxony. This instance also has significance for travelers to and from Frankfurt: the Weddel loop.
It connects Braunschweig with the Hanover-Berlin high-speed line near Wolfsburg and also went into operation there as a feeder at the end of the 1990s. The ICEs on the Frankfurt-Berlin route pass here every hour. The 21-kilometer route is currently being expanded from one to two tracks so that trains can run reliably and more regional and freight traffic is possible.
Route Frankfurt – Bad Vilbel: Expansion of the S6 has been running since 2021
Although construction work has been underway since 2021, the federal government announced this autumn that it would again examine the legality of the federal subsidy of 73 million euros for the 150 million euro project. It is therefore unclear whether it is right for the federal government to support a local transport project of this magnitude. Without the federal millions, the expansion would have died – and the railways could only pre-finance the ongoing construction work until the end of the year.
When expanding the 13.2-kilometer S6 line from Frankfurt-West to Bad Vilbel from two to four tracks, the situation is relative: Here, too, the federal, state and local governments are paying for the expansion, which is currently estimated at as much as 570 million euros. Here, too, construction work has been going on for some time, and the line should be finished by the end of next year. Reason for the traffic policy spokesman of the CDU parliamentary group, Frank Nagel, to ask questions of the city councilors: whether the S6 expansion could also be endangered, since the federal government also pays for this, he is likely to do.
Berlin is silent on the expansion of the S6 in Frankfurt – “Magistrate stands by the project”
“The magistrate is in close contact with DB Netz AG on the ‘four-track expansion of the S6’ project,” explains Stefan Majer (Greens), head of the mobility department. From this contact, the city council reports: “Both the responsible specialist office and DB Netz AG have indications that under no circumstances indicate a corresponding review by the federal government and could lead to a stop or delay in construction work.” The Federal Ministry of Transport itself is silent on the S6 -Expansion, whether a similar back and forth threatens as in Lower Saxony or even a construction freeze. Volker Wissing’s house did not respond to questions from this editorial team.
After strong criticism from the region of the actions of the Berlin traffic light government, the Minister of Transport released the money for the Weddel Loop at the beginning of December. Like the S6 route, this is important for the Germany cycle. This includes the expansion of long-distance and local transport decided by the Bundestag in order to double the number of passengers by 2030 and thus protect the climate. These routes will also be expanded so that more trains can run. (Dennis Pfeiffer-Goldmann)