Offenbach is fighting for the long-distance railway tunnel: a joint resolution is required!

Offenbach is fighting for the long-distance railway tunnel: a joint resolution is required!

Things are boiling in Offenbach! The city now wants to position itself clearly in the race for the Frankfurt long-distance rail tunnel. A strong signal is sent with a joint call from the magistrate and the CDU, the largest opposition party. The resolution is expected to be passed in the city council on Thursday. The head of the mobility department and mayor Sabine Groß (Greens) emphasizes that the Offenbach district and the IHK are also behind this project. Offenbach's interests must definitely be taken into account, because the planning for the long-distance railway tunnel is progressing, even if the structural implementation is still a long way off.

Mayor Felix Schwenke (SPD) warns of the huge impacts of the project, which are comparable to those of the airport. “We don’t want to take legal action against the long-distance railway tunnel, but it must bring benefits for Offenbach,” he explains. A central request is to get to Frankfurt Central Station every quarter of an hour. The so-called Hessenexpress is currently only planned once an hour - far too little, according to the unanimous opinion of Schwenke and CDU leader Andreas Bruszynski. “We want a train to stop at the main station every 15 minutes so that the people of Offenbach can get to the long-distance railway tunnel in seven minutes and get on the long-distance trains there.” At the same time, there are concerns that the railways and the RMV could push for savings that would disadvantage Offenbach. Bruszynski demands: “There should be no night-time freight traffic through Offenbach.”

Urgent expansion of S-Bahn services required

The mayor emphasizes that the interests of the people of Offenbach must already be taken into account in the route planning, especially for the southern regional bypass. The feasibility study has not yet been a high priority for the RMV, which is causing concern in the city. In order to prevent the planning of the long-distance rail tunnel from overshadowing the regional tangent, the actors are demanding that the study be implemented next year. “It would be good if it had been available since the day before yesterday,” said Groß. In addition, the existing S-Bahn service in Offenbach must be expanded instead of being weakened by new services at the main station.

The Offenbach Alliance also calls for noise protection along the route and the barrier-free renovation of the main station. Schwenke appeals: “It is important that we put pressure together now, because the decisions will be made in the next one to three years.” Time is of the essence and Offenbach doesn't want to be in the shadow of the big projects!