Reactivation of the Merzig-Losheim railway line: opportunities and risks in focus!
Reactivation of the Merzig-Losheim railway line: opportunities and risks in focus!
The discussion about the reactivation of the railway line between Merzig and Losheim am See takes an unexpected turn. On May 9, 2025, after the session of the Losheim municipal council, which began at around 7:40 p.m., it became known that the councils of Merzig and Losheim were majority against the reactivation. The decision met with mixed reactions, especially from the approximately 20 -headed group of the Losheim Museum Railway Club (MECL), which followed the meeting carefully. Vorsitzender Markus Meyer sprach sich während der Sitzung für die Wiederherstellung der Zugverbindung aus und bezeichnete die Reaktivierung als sinnvoll.
The former Merzig Büschfelder Railway extends over 12.5 km and is the focus of an in-depth feasibility study. Their results certainly have potential, but also require considerable investments. In addition to the electrification of the route, there are also several stops at the towns of Merzig, Brotdorf, Bachem and Losheim.
investment needs and use
The planned investments for the reactivation are around 28 million euros. This sum covers the construction of six outer platforms and the repair of the route to enable train speeds of 80 km/h. In addition, the project includes the new line of approx. 3 km, the three bridges and a stop needs, and could cost another 30 to 40 million euros. Overall, the estimated investment costs for the entire Merzig-Wadern railway line amount to around 85 million euros.
The reactivation should also promote passenger changes, apart from an expected transportation of 1,300 to 2,000 passengers every day. According to the feasibility study, the benefit-cost ratio for the Merzig-Losheim route is promising because it is above 1.0, while the ratio for the Losheim-Wadern section is not convincing. The reactivation expects a significant time saving compared to the bus connection, and the transfer of traffic could save 3.3 million car kilometers annually.
federal context
In the background of this discussion, federal political efforts to promote rail transport by 2030 are steadily doubled to constitute the traffic performance. In this context, the reactivation of disused railway lines is of central importance. The Federal Government has already identified 325 railway lines to be reactivated to ensure that 3.8 million people are re -connected to the rail network.
However, the challenges should not be underestimated: high costs, planning law hurdles and competition with other traffic operators, such as bicycle traffic, represent large Obstacles. However, the legislature has taken measures to strengthen the public interest in maintaining railway lines and to promote reactivation, which also includes the creation of track connections for industry.The decision of the local council in Losheim shows a clear attitude, but it remains to be seen whether the arguments of the supporters will be heard and whether it can be possible to achieve consensus in the future that takes into account both the interests of the public and the financial realities. Efforts for rail traffic are in line with the goals of the federal government and could make a decisive contribution to combating climate problems by reducing emissions and reducing the dependence on motorized private transport.
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