Juist chooses the future: E-core and carriage bus for the island!

On April 10, 2025, the local council of the island of Juist discussed the connection of the airfield to the village in an important meeting and decided two concepts for the transport connections: an e-wind railway and a carriage bus. Seven out of eleven council members voted for the e-core railway, which will enable passenger transport with a motor vehicle on the island for the first time. However, the approval of the Aurich district is necessary for the application before the project can go into implementation. In order to realize the e-wind railway, the spa administration will buy a path and lease it to an operator. Juist remains car -free.

The carriage bus is to be tested by the end of October and drive up the airfield twice a day. However, the municipality bears a financial risk of 25,000 euros for the carriage bus, which will only run if there is no line traffic with the carriage. The operation of the person's carriage of the forwarding agency Huf had to be stopped for economic reasons, which is why passengers are currently only entering the town by bicycle rickshaw. The number of passengers dropped from 54,000 in 2018 to currently only 26,000. The East Frisian flight service (OFD) flies twice a day from Emden to Juist, while a Norwegian flight provider is planning to fly from Norddeich eight times a day.

Details on the traffic concepts

The hotelier Joe Pütz has expressed his support for the e-core railway and plans to win additional excursion guests. The e-core railway will run between the airfield and the port, the price for the trip is 10 euros per person and route. The concept for the carriage bus also provides for stops on the entire island, with a day ticket that is also supposed to cost 10 euros, whereby the municipality offers financial support. Mayor Tjark Goerges emphasized the economic aspects and possible costs for the guests in the discussion.

Air traffic between Norddeich and Juist was hired on March 1, 2025, which continued to fuel the discussions about the future of airfield connections. At a public event on March 24th, to the Mayor Dr. Tjark Goerges the Juister Bürger had invited, the two connection concepts were presented.

While the e-core railway is considered a forward-looking solution, the traditional horse-drawn carriage remains an important part of the island's transport history, which presents the municipality with the challenge of combining both concepts. In a walking traffic market, the connection of the airfield for the island of Juist is of central importance.