Reactivation of the Aurich-Emden railway line: opportunities and conflicts!

Reactivation of the Aurich-Emden railway line: opportunities and conflicts!

Something is happening in Aurich! The railway line between Aurich and Emden is about to be revived. On June 26, 2025 at 7 p.m. an information event will take place in the KVHS Aurich seminar hotel, organized by the “Ran an die Bahn” alliance. The topic will be the reactivation of the rail connection via Abelitz, which could bring with it many challenges, opportunities and even conflicts. It's not just about mobility and transport connections, but also about medical care and climate protection.

What does this mean for East Frisia?For years Aurich was disconnected from local rail passenger transport, but the plans show that things are looking up again. The Aurich district has set itself ambitious goals and is planning a feasibility study to examine passenger traffic on the 25-kilometer route. The first draft of this study is already in technical coordination. As nwzonline reports, investment costs of around 60 million euros are expected for the reactivation.

Diverse topics on the agenda

The event aims to promote open dialogue, which is why all citizens, including skeptical voices, are warmly invited. Not only the chances of reactivation should be discussed, but also any conflicts that arise, for example, due to the elimination of level crossings in Südbrookmerland. The planned local rail transport connection will run from Aurich via Abelitz to Emden, with travel times promising: the route between Aurich and Abelitz takes around 23 minutes, and 37 minutes to Emden.

A steering committee of the state parliament is convinced of the economic sense and eligibility of reactivation. This project could not only increase the accessibility of the region, but also promote climate protection, as the aurich-bahn highlights. Lower Saxony has set itself the goal of being perceived as the No. 1 climate protection country and is committed to promoting rail transport and increasing the shift in traffic from road to rail.

Economic and social perspectives

Reactivation could provide the region with a much-needed economic connection and, last but not least, attract tourists. Highlights in particular such as the Great Sea or the Moormuseum Moordorf would then be environmentally friendly and easily accessible, a real enrichment for day trippers. Taking bicycles with you on the train would also be unproblematic, whereas this is often a challenge on buses. This could mean a step towards a sustainable mobility transition. In a market in which the old rail infrastructure in East Frisia has been partially dismantled, there is now a willingness to create innovative transport offerings that could benefit the region, as reported by [Kreizeitung.de/lokales/niedersachsen/will-alte-decken-reaktivieren-mobilitaetswende-auf-alten-gleisen-niedersachsen-92205543.html].

The reactivation plans have met with great support, even from various political parties. Nevertheless, the government has to deal with the challenges that the Social Association of Germany (SoVD) also addresses: Progress in the reactivation of railway lines has been rather slow in recent years. Many citizens continue to rely on cars, while rail transport options have gradually been neglected. Now that the plans are becoming concrete, it is clear that participation and citizen participation could be the key to success.

It will be exciting to see how the discussions and planning develop and what concrete steps will be taken in the coming months. The planned event on June 26th is a first, important step in the right direction.