While the city of Regensburg had already taken into account its ambitious light rail project for the Nibelungen Bridge, this was neglected for the Galgenberg Bridge.
Both bridges are the same age.
Regensburg - It is a prestigious transport project that the city of Regensburg * actually launched in 2018 after decades of non-binding planning: a rail-guided city tram is to connect central nodes in the urban area quickly and with zero emissions.
Initially, a network of 15 kilometers in length is planned.
But in the long term, the project is to be expanded into the district.
Discussions about a regional light rail system are in progress.
There is a broad cross-party consensus for the project, which is funded by the federal and state governments with up to 90 percent.
The first lines should run as early as 2030 - that was the hope three years ago.
Stadtbahn Regensburg: The route was not taken into account when the bridge was built
Current studies now show that the project could be significantly delayed.
The striking thing is that, according to a current report, the comparatively new Galgenberg Bridge over the tracks at the main train station is not in a position to “be able to take the loads of the light rail vehicles passing over it and the track infrastructure to be installed”.
While the city railway was already planned for the Nibelungen Bridge, the new construction of which was completed in the same year as the Galgenberg Bridge (2004), this was neglected for the Galgenberg Bridge.
In the competition at the time, a tram route was “also considered”, according to the investigation that was presented to the Regensburg city council on Tuesday.
But: "Since the realization of the light rail was not foreseeable at this point in time and there were considerable concerns about the routing of the light rail between the arcades and the railway systems with the crossing of the arcades footbridge, the overhead line in the vicinity of the Galgenberg bridge was not taken into account. This failure is now catching up with the city.
Stadtbahn Regensburg: solution could take up to 16 years
The reviewers see two options for solving the problem. Either the city builds a parallel footbridge west of the Galgenberg Bridge, which would be reserved exclusively for the Stadtbahn. Cost: up to 28.5 million euros. Option two: Demolition and completely new construction of the Galgenberg Bridge for around 48 million. But apart from the additional costs, another problem arises: According to the study, “a time requirement of up to 16 years for the planning and construction phase can be expected” for implementation. This means that the start of the light rail system would be postponed to 2037.
City councilor Klaus Rappert (SPD *) speaks of the “heart” and “key point” of the project with a view of a tram stop on the Galgenberg Bridge, directly at the main train station.
Against the background of the present study, one would have to say goodbye to the idea that one would get to this stop as quickly as possible.
"It scares me when I think that it could take another 16 years."
Stadtbahn Regensburg: Further investigations are necessary
In further investigations, the costs and benefits of the two variants are now to be weighed against each other. In particular, it is about attractive connections to a future Regiostadtbahn, accessibility and short distances to the Deutsche Bahn trains and the bus station. In certain circumstances, higher costs are justifiable, provided that this is accompanied by increased attractiveness for future users, according to the Regensburg City Council's light rail committee on Tuesday. It is important to note that the city must provide evidence of the eligibility of any new construction of the Galgenberg Bridge that may be necessary - then the federal and state governments would also assume up to 90 percent of the costs.
Mayor Gertrud Maltz-Schwarzfischer (SPD) exercises optimism on Tuesday.
"I very much hope that it will be a little faster."
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