New tunnel between Fulda and Gerstungen: Progress in the railway project!

New tunnel between Fulda and Gerstungen: Progress in the railway project!

The participation forum on the Fulda–Gerstungen railway line is entering the next round: On October 28, 2025, an exciting meeting took place in Bad Hersfeld, bringing together over 50 participants, including representatives of Deutsche Bahn (DB InfraGO AG) and engineering offices such as Bosch & Partner and WBI GmbH. At this forum, the current status of the planning was presented and the latest developments in the railway project were discussed. The main focus was on the impact on the environment and the geological challenges along the planned route, around the 42 kilometer long route of future trains.

An important topic was the mapping of the flora and fauna in a 500 meter wide strip along the planned railway location. In addition, the subsoil investigations were completed with a total of 129 boreholes, which penetrated over 9,500 meters deep into the earth. The first signs indicate that the tunnels will be built mainly in red sandstone, with a maximum depth of 150 meters. Basically, the aim is to avoid the geological difficulties in the Meckbach area as far as possible when it comes to the tunnel route.

Environment and technology in focus

Deutsche Bahn has divided the route into three main areas (south, center and north) and developed various routing lines. Particularly noteworthy is the V1 route, which was determined to be the best solution in terms of the environment, technology and traffic. This variant traverses healing spring protection areas and groundwater zones to a minimum and ensures a construction that is as ecologically compatible as possible. Another important aspect is the planned parallel route of two valley bridges to cross the Schwarzbachtal in the southern section of the route.

Bad Hersfeld train station is being expanded as an important junction in the regional rail network. Here, modern systems enable you to switch between long-distance and regional transport on the same platform. In addition, the new route will be connected to the existing Fulda-Bebra route, which will reduce the travel time between Fulda and Erfurt by at least ten minutes. This is all part of the overarching infrastructure program Frankfurt RheinMain plus, which aims to improve connections and reduce regional traffic pressure.

Citizen participation and information

Since 2018, the discussion about the project has been accompanied by a participation forum that takes up the concerns of regional interest groups, citizens' initiatives, municipalities, districts and authorities. Important information for citizens is that the presentations and minutes of the meetings will be published on the project website. The DB also plans to provide an information mobile during the Hessentag in Fulda in June 2026 in order to provide interested citizens with an understanding of the current planning status.

The decision in Bad Hersfeld represents a significant step in the implementation of the project. It will be interesting to see how the project develops and what influence the upcoming construction work will have on the region. Preparations are in full swing, and it looks like it will be exciting to see how the plans can ultimately be put into action.