Kassel worried: Railway plan with route closures for documenta 2027!

Kassel worried: Railway plan with route closures for documenta 2027!

The city of Kassel and the surrounding region are facing exciting but also challenging times. With regard to the documenta 2027, in addition to the usual art and culture news, there is also the threat of significant traffic problems. The reason is the extensive renovation measures by Deutsche Bahn, which are to be carried out in northern Hesse between May and July 2027. Protests from citizens, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and city councilors have already had an impact, so that Deutsche Bahn (DB) has announced a reduction in the planned scope of the closure. This decision is intended to reduce the need for rail replacement services and secure the connection to Wilhelmshöhe train station. [HNA].

Several regional railways are affected by this renovation work. The most affected routes include lines leading to Kassel such as Kassel-Eichenberg, Kassel-Bebra and Kassel-Gießen. The North Hessian Transport Association (NVV) warns of “significant restrictions” on local and regional transport, which could make traveling to one of the largest art events in the world even more difficult. Critics can therefore only hope that the DB will ultimately adjust the plans. Andreas Hoffmann, managing director of documenta, is vehemently committed to postponing the renovations and warns of potential damage to the image if access to this cultural highlight is restricted. Hessenschau reports that in the last documenta editions, 60 percent of visitors used local and long-distance public transport.

Planned changes and impacts

The planned construction work affects a total of eight routes that provide access to the documenta. This also includes connections between Kassel and Frankfurt and to Warburg. These renovation measures are part of a comprehensive restructuring program by DB, which will invest more than 53 billion euros in the rail infrastructure by 2027. The DB is planning to shorten the closure times on some routes: the Kassel-Friedberg route, for example, will only be closed on a single track, while the closed sections at Kassel-Eichenberg are to be reduced from 45 to just 10 kilometers. Deutsche Bahn has described the cuts as a positive step towards ensuring smoother traffic.

During the renovation work, the railway plans to introduce an hourly service, possibly also every 30 minutes. In addition, long-distance trains from Kassel via Gießen to Frankfurt are to be rerouted in order to ensure accessibility to the region even during construction.

The challenges of maintenance measures

Deutsche Bahn currently sees itself as having a duty to get the dilapidated infrastructure under control in order to ensure the travel comfort of its passengers. More than 400 train stations are to be made more customer-friendly and modernized in the future. DB is confident that the measures taken can restore the performance of regional and long-distance routes. Numerous general renovations are planned by 2027, including for the Frankfurt–Mannheim route and the connection from Emmerich to Oberhausen.

Overall, the situation remains tense and it remains to be seen whether the DB can sufficiently take into account the concerns of citizens and cultural workers while tackling the urgently needed renovations.