Northward Railway Expansion: Balancing Rapidness and Cost Efficiency Against Slowness and Economy
The joint cabinet of both federal states, Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, has the rail expansion project on its agenda for their meeting in September. This expansion is seen as crucial for connecting the Berlin-Brandenburg metropolitan region with Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and of great importance for the entire region in the northwest of Brandenburg and the south of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
Two variants of the rail expansion are under consideration - a slower, 80 km/h variant, and a faster, 160 km/h variant. The 80 km/h variant is estimated to cost 248 million euros for Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (MV), while the faster 160 km/h option costs 653 million euros. The federal government could cover up to 75 percent of the construction costs for the rail expansion.
The 160 km/h rail expansion variant proposes a continuous regional express (RE) from Berlin to Rostock, with the current RE ending in Nauen. In contrast, the 80 km/h variant would not offer direct travel from Berlin to Rostock.
A study, authored by Wolfgang Scherbaum, recommends the 80 km/h rail expansion option as the preferred variant due to its cost-effectiveness. However, many passengers would use the offer to travel directly from Berlin to Rostock in the 160 km/h variant, according to the study's author. The number of passenger kilometers in the 160 km/h variant would be approximately twice that of the 80 km/h variant.
The states are examining the next steps for implementing the 80 km/h variant for the examined lines, but a mixed variant is also possible. Both states aim to expand their cross-border rail traffic and are considering the rail expansion options for the regional rail lines 73 and 74, as well as the "Mecklenburgische Südbahn".
The study examined potential on the railway lines between Neustadt (Dosse), Kyritz, Pritzwalk, and Güstrow, as well as between Parchim, Malchow, and Waren/Müritz. The future federal government of Germany will be consulted for the expansion of railway lines between Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
The minister emphasized that the desire for expansion has been clearly expressed from the regions, but the affordability is contingent on the federal government's involvement for investments and operating costs. The rail expansion is intended to make life easier for commuters, businesses, and tourists in the region. The costs for the step-by-step realization and commissioning of the expanded lines are still in the future.
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