Major Deutsche Bahn projects are always controversial, which sometimes leads to strange demands. High on the scale of oddities in the project to expand the route between Augsburg and Ulm is the suggestion by the mayor of Zusmarshausen in Swabia that in future long-distance traffic on the important main line between Paris and Budapest should no longer go through Augsburg’s main station, but around the city in one to lead on site. The planners of the railways quickly conceded the idea, they have serious problems that they have to take care of: Project manager Markus Baumann just had to announce that the preliminary planning will be completed almost a year later because no offers were received in a first round of awarding to specialist offices received. The Bundestag will now only deal with the final route at the end of 2024 instead of at the beginning of 2024.
It is foreseeable that the construction work will not start in this decade. The railway project Ulm – Augsburg – ULA for short – is of cross-border importance. The tracks in Swabia are to be expanded in such a way that trains to France or Hungary can race past at up to 300 kilometers per hour and additional freight locomotives can transport goods in Europe. The route on which ICE trains from Augsburg to Ulm take just under three quarters of an hour at best is 160 years old. In the future it should be 26 minutes, also so that the so-called Germany cycle works, which is intended to simplify the nationwide timetable for long-distance traffic. In order to accelerate the travel speed accordingly, the DB is planning, among other things, four tracks instead of two, and four possible routes are currently being examined.
The expansion is essential to make the “Magistrale for Europe” fit for the future. Municipalities and associations along the Paris – Budapest route have joined forces under this name, including the cities of Augsburg and Munich as well as the local chambers of industry and commerce. The connection to the rail network is an important location factor, says Annika Hummel, managing director of the initiative – if only to attract well-trained specialists to the region. The expansion of the Ulm – Augsburg route is, in addition to a missing curve near Strasbourg, “the last section between Paris and Munich that has not yet begun”.
Stuttgart 21 may be finished by 2025
ULA is therefore also closely linked to the ongoing expansion of the Ulm – Stuttgart route. The commissioning of the section from Ulm to Wendlingen is currently scheduled for mid-December 2022, with a planned time saving of 15 minutes for long-distance travelers. By 2025, the train station giant Stuttgart 21 should perhaps be finished. That increases the pressure to finally tackle the section between Augsburg and Ulm.
Until then, however, there are still many hurdles to be overcome. A number of citizens’ initiatives have been set up, fighting for their houses or the union, which in turn leads to such curious proposals as that of the mayor of Zusmarshausen. The train actually has to take a close look at the main train station in Augsburg: New capacity calculations and timetable simulations are intended to clarify whether the stop – which is currently being expanded at great expense and effort – would still have enough capacity if the expanded route to Ulm was put into operation or whether it would be expanded again would have to. Also because the federal government recently put the expansion of other routes, such as from Donauwörth to Augsburg, on the agenda.
In general, the ULA project is one for long-distance traffic, but it should also bring improvements for local traffic. Bärbel Fuchs, Managing Director of the Bavarian Railway Company, hopes that the future four tracks will increase frequency and improve punctuality in regional traffic because there will be no conflicts with long-distance traffic. A 30-minute interval between Augsburg and Ulm is currently planned from Monday to Friday, and the transfer times at the junction stations in Ulm, Neu-Ulm, Günzburg, Gessertshausen and Augsburg Hauptbahnhof will be improved. Two new stops for the regional trains could also be built in Augsburg.
However, there are still numerous investigations to be carried out, with the DB stating that it is happy to investigate realistic inputs. The planners have already eliminated two possible routes and, based on suggestions, have included two new ones in the detailed evaluations. And in one variant, the railway has changed the course of the route because of a nature reserve – the meadow breeders in the Pfuhler Ried, at least that is already certain, will be able to continue to live unmolested by express trains.