Reactivation of the Mainschleifenbahn: A historical step for the region!

On January 7, 2025, the Mainschleifenbahn is reminiscent of the initiative of some committed railway enthusiasts 25 years ago. In the last few weeks of 1999, a group of volunteers freely freely made the 10 km route of the Mainschleifenbahn to make the route for tourism that had been laid down since 1994 and later for regular rail passenger traffic to Würzburg. This historical action was supported by the use of a two-way unimog with hydraulic swivel arm and four rotating saw blades, the financing of which was based on residual funds of the district office Kitzingen. Talks with the Deutsche Bahn (DB) and the Bavarian Ministry of Transport led to a reactivation concept that had to be carried out on the condition of personal responsibility and costs.

The work began under challenging weather conditions, whereby the volunteers initially only used ironing saws and hedge trimmings before switching on chainsaws. By the turn of the year 1999/2000, the route was already accessible for the Unimog, and in January 2000 some Volkacher took the opportunity to hike on the track bed. In February 2000, the railway line was visibly cleared, which stimulated political discussions and revealed the need for repair work. It took 3 ½ years for the first trains to go back to Volkach after numerous work and permits had been carried out. In July 2003, the Mainschleifenbahn operating company received approval as a non-state, public railway until 2052.

Current developments in the Mainschleifenbahn

In the past few months there has been significant progress in reactivating the route from Volkach to Seligenstadt. As mainschleifenbahn.de , the district councils of Kitzingen and Würzburg unanimously issued the power of attorney to award the design and approval planning (LP 3 and LP 4). In addition, the financing of the planning and the search for a railway infrastructure company (EIU) was approved as a cooperation partner. The total costs for the expansion of the infrastructure are estimated at around 20.7 million euros, whereby the company admission is planned for the timetable change 2028/2029.

The route is managed as a line S6 of a future Mainfranken S-Bahn in the concept of the Bavarian railway company (BEG). The company is planned with an overhead line hybrid railcar (BMU). The feasibility of the connection between Volkach and Würzburg Hauptbahnhof was confirmed by the passenger tests of DB Netz and DB Infrago. The standardized evaluation (NKU) resulted in promising numbers with values over 1.0 and a passenger potential of over 1,000 RKM. The district administrator of Würzburg, Thomas Eberth, paid tribute to the commitment of the association and the economic meaningfulness of the project, while the district administrator of Kitzingen, Tamara Bischof, whose support for reactivation has been going on for 24 years, emphasized the positive aspects.

The rail bus connection will continue to commute between Volkach and Seligenstadt until the track construction work begins, which should start at the earliest in 2027/28. After the reactivation, it is planned to use the rail bus for museum purposes, but no longer on its main route. The sponsoring association intends to maintain and use the bridge house in Astheim, the old Posselsheim station building and the workshop hall.