Electrification of the Stade-Cuxhaven railway line: DB Netz informs the management board of the HWG about the current planning status

The electrification of the railway line between Stade and Cuxhaven is an essential prerequisite for the expansion of port transhipment and the optimisation of public passenger transport between Cuxhaven and Hamburg – this was the topic of the 241st board meeting of the Cuxhaven Port Authority (HWG) on 1 July 2019, for which the HWG management board invited Michael Körber, Head of Customer Management and Northern Regional Timetable at DB Netz, to attend. 

In the meantime, the long-awaited electrification project has moved up to the category of urgent need of the Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan 2030, confirmed Michael Körber. Concrete planning should begin in 2020. However, the elimination of the single track line in the area of the river Oste crossing is not part of the measure. Due to the nevertheless significant construction measures, one has to go through the usual approval procedures including a planning approval. Against this background, Michael Körber sees the completion of the electrification towards the end of the 2020s. 

The HWG management board thanked Michael Körber for this status report and suggested that all available acceleration possibilities should be exploited. "The electrification of the railway line has a number of positive effects. The shortening of journey times in public passenger transport to Hamburg is an outstanding measure for the integration of the areas in the Hamburg metropolitan region and makes a considerable contribution to increasing the attractiveness of Cuxhaven as a tourist location. In the area of port transhipment, the rail connection to the hinterland is burdened by the increased costs of the current diesel traction. Here, electrification offers the opportunity to open up more distant cargo sources through environmentally friendly and efficient rail transport. In this way, the competitiveness of the port location can be secured," said Hans-Peter Zint, Chairman of the HWG. 

Michael Körber added: "We as DB Netz are aware of the importance of the rail connection to Cuxhaven. Accordingly, we ensure that this measure is implemented with the necessary vigour." 

Diesel locomotives are currently in service on the railway line between Hamburg and Cuxhaven, as there are no overhead lines between the station of Stade and the Cuxhaven terminus. The route is mentioned in the Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan 2030 under the category "urgent need". The electrification of the railway line would eliminate the need to change locomotives for freight traffic on the line. In addition, regional trains could travel at higher speeds, which would significantly shorten travel times in local passenger transport.