GERMANY: DB InfraGO has selected its preferred option for reconstruction of the Ulm – Augsburg section of its Stuttgart – München main line.
According to the infrastructure manager, this is the only section of the corridor which has not yet been upgraded or superseded by a parallel high-speed line. The aim is to increase capacity on the busy corridor and reduce the running time between the two cities for inter-city services from the current 40 min to around 26 min.
Planning has been underway since 2020, and DB has been consulting on four proposed variants. The preferred option announced on June 21 combines a mix of new line and upgraded route, using sections from three of the four variants, and would be around 65 km long.
From Ulm to Bubesheim, the preferred option would follow the so-called Violet variant, paralleling the existing main line for around 15 km through Neu-Ulm and Burlafingen to Nersingen. There it would switch to the Orange variant with a new double-track high speed alignment running south of Liepheim and Günzburg alongside the A8 motorway. This would include several tunnels and a viaduct over the Kammel valley near Burgau, where there would be a connection from the current line.
The new route would then tunnel through the hills to the north of the existing route, serving a possible underground station at Zusamtal, while a regional station would be built at Zusmarshausen. East of Adelsried the line would switch to the Turquoise variant and curve south from the motorway corridor in order to enter Augsburg Hbf from the north.
DB InfraGo said further work would be needed to optimise the proposed variant and consider the potential impact on nature conservation areas as well as residential zones. It aims to submit a formal application for consideration by the Bundestag in 2025.
