EUROPE: The German Land of Niedersachsen has approved the start of preliminary works paving the way for the reintroduction of a passenger service on the freight-only line from Neuenhaus to Coevorden in the Netherlands.
The Land has applied for federal funding to cover 90% of the estimated €34m cost of renovating the 25·5 km section of the route within Germany.
The Dutch section is only 2·5 km long, but will require works estimated at €20m, including the installation of a bridge over the Coevorden – Vecht canal and the construction of a new platform at Coevorden.
An hourly service is expected to be introduced from the end of 2026; this will be operated by Bentheimer Eisenbahn using three Alstom Coradia LINT diesel multiple-units. The trainsets were obtained second-hand from Deutsche Bahn last November, and are currently stored in Coevorden awaiting refurbishment.
‘Closing the gap between Germany and the Netherlands is an important signal for the border region and thus for commuters and tourists’, said Niedersachsen’s Minister of Economic Affairs & Transport Olaf Lies on January 12. ‘By approving preparatory construction work, we are showing that we are fully behind the project and that no time should be lost.’
