Chaos in the Pegnitztal: Railway line closed until 2026 due to dilapidated bridges!

Chaos in the Pegnitztal: Railway line closed until 2026 due to dilapidated bridges!

The railway line between Pegnitz and Hersbruck has been closed since last week due to dilapidated bridges. The announcement came from Parliamentary State Secretary Silke Schwanzert (CSU), who underlined the urgency of the situation. This closure will affect travelers from Bayreuth, Hof and Marktredwitz, who are now dependent on replacement buses. The situation is particularly precarious for students, who are often dependent on unreliable bus connections, parents said.

The need for renovation has been known for years, but the railway seems to have been surprised by the need for the closure. “We had to act quickly to ensure safety,” said a railway spokesman. The previous inspection of the old steel bridges in the Pegnitztal revealed safety deficiencies, which led to their immediate closure. A large part of freight traffic has been banned from the region since the beginning of the month.

Chaos in replacement transport and mobility problems

The impact on replacement traffic is worrying. According to reports, many students were left stranded by the bus and some arrived an hour late for class. Therefore, many parents have decided to drive their children to school themselves and carpool. The challenge is obvious: replacement buses often do not arrive or are unreliable, and even if they do run, there is a shortage of vehicles.

Mayor Robert Ilg criticized the railway's lack of preparation and expressed his disappointment with the current situation. “There is something going on and the railway finally needs to plan better!” says Ilg.

Long-term restructuring prospects

The planned repair of the route is scheduled to last until February 2026. In the medium term, “upgrading measures” are needed at critical points. But that's not all: a total of 18 new bridges are to be built by 2032 to secure the infrastructure in the long term. The financing comes from a “special fund” that is provided as part of a larger federal government infrastructure package.

Nationwide, investments totaling 166 billion euros are planned for rail infrastructure by 2029. Of this, around 107 billion euros will be used specifically for rail. The federal government has made it its mission to comprehensively renovate ailing railway lines and motorway bridges. This commitment is also intended to help improve the punctuality and reliability of rail transport, even if travelers have to expect construction sites and restrictions in the next few years.

The problems surrounding the dilapidated bridges in the Pegnitztal are not isolated and reflect a nationwide need for renovation. While the railway tries to keep the situation under control in the coming months, the next steps will be examined in a new analysis of the bridges in the next two weeks. The closure of the route could not only mean a temporary closure, but also an impetus for fundamental improvements in the railway infrastructure.

The hope remains that travel experiences will soon run smoothly again and rail users can return to their usual everyday lives.

For more information on route closure developments, read the articles from np-coburg, BR and daily news.