A “catalog of requirements” from the Hanau-Gelnhausen-Schlüchtern Chamber of Commerce and Industry is devoted to the question of how the railway expansion will continue in the Rhine-Main region and how improvements could be achieved today.

Co-authors of the paper with the title "Rail projects in the Main-Kinzig-Kreis" are the roundabout company of the Main-Kinzig-Kreis and the city of Hanau.

According to IHK managing director Gunther Quidde, the catalog published on the Internet should be continuously updated.

Among other things, it shows how large projects could be optimized, such as the construction of the Nordmainische S-Bahn or the upgraded Hanau – Gelnhausen line.

It should serve as an argumentation aid for the Deutsche Bahn during the planning.

Luise Glaser-Lotz

Correspondent for the Rhein-Main-Zeitung for the Main-Kinzig district.

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    According to Quidde, the projects are suitable for creating the capacities that will be required in the future.

    But the time it takes to complete it could be daunting and obscure its benefits.

    "If we bundle our needs and findings and demand them from those responsible at Deutsche Bahn, we can reposition the entire region in a better way," said Quidde.

    For this, the President of the Chamber is hoping for the support of future comrades-in-arms from the region.

    According to the Hanau City Councilor Thomas Morlock (FDP), the catalog of requirements puts the opportunities of the construction projects in a large-scale context and thus points to the future. The advantage for Hanau and its main train station is the location in the center of an extensive rail network. The Hanau traffic department head expects more stops for the trains, closer frequency and better transfer options would already promote dynamic development in the entire region. According to Rüdiger Krenkel, Managing Director of the Main-Kinzig GmbH roundabout company, for people in rural areas and in the cities of the Main-Kinzig district and especially for commuters, closer and more reliable timing of timetables and better linking of all public transport Local public transport important.The future viability of the rail transport mode throughout Germany depends on the capacities available on the Kinzigtal route. The modernization of the Niddertalbahn or the Gießen – Gelnhausen line is just as overdue as the new line concepts made possible by the expansion.

    Germany clock 2030

    The authors of the catalog of requirements associate positive expectations with the concept of Deutschlandtakt 2030, which provides for additional train journeys and closer timing. The target timetable for 2030 promises the people in Hanau, in the Main-Kinzig district and in many other municipalities in the region that they will be able to reach important destinations within and outside the region more quickly and conveniently in the future, according to the catalog. In the short term, an improvement in long-distance transport connections for the timetable change in 2022 would be possible by linking the timetables more closely, offering better transfer options and creating additional ICE stops. In view of the importance for the region, this should be demanded from the railways. It is criticized that currently only two of nine ICE lines passing through stop at Hanau main station,line 12 Berlin – Basel and line 91 Frankfurt – Vienna. In Germany, there should be five.

    The Hanau main station is an important hub and the ideal transfer station in the east of the metropolitan region. According to the authors of the catalog, ICE line 41 from Essen to Munich, line 13 from Berlin to Frankfurt Airport and line 11 from Berlin to Munich via Stuttgart should stop as early as the 2022 timetable change. Rail services in the region will also be improved if Gelnhausen station becomes a long-distance stop. In addition, with the upgrading of existing regional routes and the creation of additional stops, the currently existing infrastructure can be used more intensively. Extensive interventions in nature and the landscape would be avoided.

    At the same time, the regional rail network needs to be expanded, modernized and, if necessary, electrified. The Niddertal Railway from Bad Vilbel to Glauburg-Stockheim is mentioned as an important commuter connection to Frankfurt, the Friedberg – Hanau railway line, the Lahn-Kinzig Railway between Gießen and Gelnhausen and the Odenwald Railway from Hanau to Eberbach, which should also have additional stops. It is also important that the route be selected soon for the East Regional Tangent, which is to connect the Neu-Isenburg-Zentrum with Bad Vilbel via Offenbach, Frankfurt-Fechenheim and Frankfurt-Enkheim. At least one stop is required in the Main-Kinzig district. In addition, it is desired that train stations can be reached more comfortably in the future and that they are made accessible.