Weiterstadt's mayor Ralf Möller wants to continue until it is successful. He fights against Deutsche Bahn and their planned route for the new Frankfurt-Mannheim line. The small Weiterstädter curve, as the variant is called in the plans of the railway, would have devastating effects, especially for a riding stables. He would have to give up part of his property, the railway line would pass directly behind the riding arena. Riding is then no longer possible, because horses are "escape animals", they can no longer stand the noise of freight trains that are already rolling by in the immediate vicinity on the regular railway line.
Jörg Schmidt is the owner of the riding arena.
He marches with indignant residents at the head of the protest march from the Weiterstadt train station to the riding hall.
More than 300 citizens have come to support the city's protest, which is supported by all political groups.
"Noise like at the airport"
"That will be a noise that is similar to that from the airport," fears Schmidt.
Freight trains up to 700 meters long should pass the riding arena every three minutes.
Initially only at night, as Deutsche Bahn insures, but residents are skeptical.
“What about ten years from now?
My business will then no longer be able to survive, ”says Schmidt.
The riding arena behind the hall would be eliminated, as would the vaulting operation.
The riding club, which is located on the site, organizes several tournaments every year.
That would also be a thing of the past, as Monika Pons, who runs the vaulting business, says.
In five years the association with around 160 members will be 100 years old.
But where should he go when part of the area he uses falls victim to the railway, not only the members ask.
Schmidt built the hall 14 years ago and has already found a successor for the company.
He was just as surprised by the plans for the railway as the city.
Schmidt emphasizes that he has nothing against the railway, but more consideration must be given to the people when choosing the routes.
Residents fear shocks
Despite the noise barriers promised by the railway, residents fear constant noise and vibrations from the up to 140 freight trains at night.
Because there is a claim to sound insulation only where new construction is taking place.
It is not planned along the existing routes, even if the number of trains doubles.
The mayor raves about the quality of life in Weiterstadt, the lively club life and cultural diversity.
"We worked hard for that." Currently, 69 freight trains are already en route every night on the existing line.
The idyll during the day is confirmed on the way to the riding stables.
Chickens, roe deer and deer frolic in an enclosure, horses stand in the pasture, the view sweeps over farmland to the Feldberg.
The residents of Weiterstadt make a suggestion for a different route variant, which was also included in the investigation of the railway. Namely the route along the A 67 from Groß-Gerau to Griesheim and from there on towards Mannheim. Significantly fewer citizens would be affected by noise than in Weiterstadt. But all other factors that the railway assigns to the “human being”, such as nature conservation or landscape consumption, were worse, which is why the planners opted for the Kleine Weiterstadt curve, as the project manager Jörg Ritzert planned after the protest march in the Reithalle explained. “You can't please everyone,” is his conclusion.
Ritzert emphasizes, however, that the preliminary planning is still in progress.
This is the basis of the hope of the local politicians and citizens of Weiterstadt.
Perhaps another route could be found after all - and the equestrian club as well as the Weiterstadt idyll with a lot of field markings all around would be saved.