Railway closure due to roof buildings: critical voices for rail planning!

Railway closure due to roof buildings: critical voices for rail planning!

As of March 17, 2025, the railway line between Bad Dürkheim and Deidesheim will be closed for four months, which presents passengers with considerable challenges. This was reported by SWR . The reason for the unexpected blocking is badgers that have built tunnels below the route, which endangers the stability of the railway embankment. The purpose association public transport Rhineland Palatinate Süd criticizes the late announcement of the blocking and the inconvenience caused by the passengers. The construction work was originally planned for July 2025.

The damage was determined during a special inspection at the end of February, which was the reason to block the route at short notice. After all, the train was aware of the critical situation two months ago. This type of problems is considered seriously because it is necessary to stabilize the railway embankment. The construction work should continue until mid -December.

passengers must switch to buses

In the transition period between March and July 2025, passengers are forced to switch to buses. The replacement schedule provides for:

• regional trains in the Neustadt section - Deidesheim will drive in changed times.
• The connections between Deidesheim, Bad Dürkheim and Freinsheim are eliminated.
• Replacement buses will serve the section Deidesheim - Bad Dürkheim - Freinsheim and Grünstadt.
• Some trains drive in the morning of professional and student traffic between Freinsheim and Bad Dürkheim.
• trains of the regional railway line 46 are not affected by the closure and drive regularly.

In the past, similar problems have been observed on other railway lines. The route between Fröndenberg and Unna is also blocked on the basis of a large roof building, such as Wa.de . Here it was found that there are 39 roof inputs on the south side of the tracks, which results in a multi -month closure.

environmental protection and renovation measures

The problem of roof buildings under the railway embankment is not only a recurring topic in Rhineland-Palatinate, but also in North Rhine-Westphalia. Along the tracks there is a widely branched tunnel system that runs up to five meters below the rails. These cavities are a serious risk of the rail infrastructure. First, the roof population must be removed from its buildings before the damaged dam can be renovated.

Deutsche Bahn is in contact with the responsible environmental authorities in order to maintain the necessary permits for the clearing during the breeding season of the birds. This is done as part of its responsibility for nature conservation, as in the project db where solutions are also being developed to compensate for interventions in nature. The aim is to increase the ecological quality in the excluded areas.

The short -term closures due to daxies and associated renovation measures raise questions about the surveillance of such buildings. In view of the alternatives to hunting and the environmental authorities, a sustainable solution must be found to reconcile the safety of the rail infrastructure with the protection of animals.