GERMANY: The latest plans for the Stadt-Umland-Bahn 26 km inter-urban extension of the Nürnberg tram network from the Am Wegfeld stop to Erlangen and Herzogenaurach have been backed by voters in Erlangen.
The project is being developed by a joint venture of Nürnberg, Erlangen and Herzogenaurach councils.
An initial referendum in 2016 gave the go-ahead for the development of detailed proposals. The plans were approved by 52·4% of participants in a second vote held alongside the European Parliament elections on June 9.
‘I am delighted with the clear result’, said Erlangen Mayor Florian Janik. ’This is a good signal for our business and science location and for the transport transition. For the second time since 2016, the citizens of Erlangen have spoken out in favour of this project — and as we know, this is not a matter of course for such major projects.
‘Now there is clarity and we can devote all our energy to the final step in the approval process, the planning approval procedure with the Mittelfranken local authority, and concrete preparations for the construction phase.’
Stadt-Umland-Bahn
The cost of construction is estimated at €635m at 2022 prices, including a 20% risk buffer. The promoters envisage that the majority of the cost would be funded by the federal government and the Land of Bayern, with Erlangen contributing €82m, Nürnberg €27m and Herzogenaurach €22m.
Construction could begin in 2028, for opening in stages in 2031-34.
Services would operate every 10 min, running through to central Nürnberg on existing tracks.
It is not envisaged that people would travel the full length of the line, as using regional trains for longer sections would be faster. Instead, the line with 31 stops would form part of the wider transport network and improve access to destinations including Friedrich-Alexander University and major employers including Siemens, Adidas, Puma and Schaeffler.
An eastern branch starting in Erlangen and running via Spardorf, Buckenhof, Uttenreuth, Dormitz, Neunkirchen am Brand and Kleinsendelbach to Eckental is also being planned.
