Reactivation of the railway line: opportunities for Merzig and Losheim!

Reactivation of the railway line: opportunities for Merzig and Losheim!

The discussion about the disused railway line between Merzig and Niederlosheim has again gained importance. In mid -November 2024, the state government of the Saarland presented the results of a comprehensive feasibility study to reactivate railway lines for local public transport. In this context, the feedback from the municipalities concerned is of central importance, since they are crucial for the continuation of the plans. By May 9, the municipalities have time to express their points of view about this project. The city council of Merzig plans to position itself on May 8th and the local council of Losheim am See will also take a position on this day, such as Saarbruecker-zeitung.de reported.

In the run -up to the upcoming meetings, the city of Merzig has signaled a negative attitude to reactivating the railway line. This negative position could have a significant impact on the future of the project. Against this background, the results of the feasibility study are particularly revealing.

feasibility study for reactivation

The feasibility study includes the reactivation of the 12.5 km long route from Merzig to Losheim. Several stops were examined that are to be built as part of the project. These include the Merzig station forecourt, Merzig District Court, Merzig Ost, Brotdorf, Bachem and Losheim itself. The planned stops are planned with the aim of integrating the S-Bahn trains from Kaiserslautern, such as Saarland.de reported.

The planned investment costs for the project amount to around 28 million euros. This sum includes the construction and expansion of six outer platforms, the creation of ten level crossings and the repair of the route to a speed of 80 km/h. Additional costs of 30 to 40 million euros are required for a new line of around three kilometers. These costs arise in particular from the construction of bridges and a stop. In total, the planners expect total investment costs of around 85 million euros for the route from Merzig to Wadern.

public reactions and potential use

The reactivation of the railway line could be important for around 11,000 inhabitants in the catchment area from Merzig to Losheim. It is expected that the S-Bahn trains between Merzig and Losheim serve an average of between 1,300 and 2,000 passengers every day. Of these, around 1,000 people could be newly obtained for local public transport, which would lead to a significant shift in traffic, as can be seen from the feasibility study.

In addition to the traffic aspects, reference is made to CO2 savings of around 420 tons per year. This is based on the expected saving of 3.3 million car kilometers. Nevertheless, the need to adapt the bus network to avoid parallel traffic to the S-Bahn, as well as a topic.

The benefit-cost ratio for the Merzig route-Losheim is considered positive. With a value of over 1.0, the study considers reactivation to be economically advantageous. However, an insufficient benefit for the connection from Losheim to Wadern.

With the upcoming decision of the committees, it will be shown in the next few days whether the reactivation project will actually be promoted or whether the resistance from Merzig will bring the plans to a standstill again.