📋 Tender Overview
Status: in planning
The 173-kilometer route between Bremen and Groningen - also known as the "Wunderline" - connects northern Germany with the north of the Netherlands. 124 kilometers of the route run over German soil. The expansion of the route enables a faster and more comfortable connection between the two cities of Bremen and Groningen.
The work on the route will be divided into two construction stages. In construction phase 1 (modernisation of route 1575 and ESTW Ihrhove route 2931) work will be carried out on the route between the German/Dutch border and Ihrhove and around Ihrhove on the subsoil as well as on the tracks, switches, level crossings, signals and the overhead line. In addition, a new electronic interlocking (ESTW) will be built in Ihrhove. For this purpose, adjustments and renewals of level crossings are taking place both on the section mentioned above and between Papenburg and Leer. A new cable duct is also being built there. All in all, this work enables the travel time between Bremen and Groningen to be reduced to less than 2.5 hours.
In construction phase 2 , it is planned to expand the track to two lanes in the sections between the German/Dutch border and Ihrhove and between Stickhausen-Velde and Augustfehn. As part of this work, an additional platform will be built in some stations or an existing platform will be extended. In addition, tracks, level crossings, signals and the overhead line will be modernized or renewed. This will enable the travel time between Bremen and Groningen to be reduced to less than 2 hours and 15 minutes and an additional Wunderline express train to be established.
Construction stage 1 is currently in the planning phase and is going through the so-called draft or approval planning ( service phases 3 and 4). As soon as the planning documents have been compiled, they are submitted to the Federal Railway Authority (EBA). For the planning approval section (PFA) 1, this happened in mid-February 2022. The documents for PFA 2 and 3 will follow by summer 2022. The planning approval procedure begins with the submission of the approval documents. Authorities and citizens are involved in this legally prescribed procedure. Commissioning is expected at the end of 2024.
Construction stage 2 is currently in an early planning phase. Completion of this construction phase is planned for 2030.
