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After 40 years of standstill: the Hesselbergbahn is finally rolling again!
The Hesselbergbahn in Middle Franconia is being reactivated after 40 years. From December 15th, trains will run between Gunzenhausen and Wassertrüdingen again.
After 40 years of standstill: the Hesselbergbahn is finally rolling again!
A historic moment for the Middle Franconia region: After almost four decades of standstill, the Northern Hesselbergbahn is finally starting to operate again! From December 15, 2024, there will be hourly trains between Wassertrüdingen and Gunzenhausen, as the Bavarian Ministry of Transport announced. This connection not only represents an important step towards improving local public transport, but also gives residents significantly better connections to other transport routes. The last passenger train journey on this route took place in 1985, and now people can finally travel by train again, as they already did Northern Bavaria reported.
Commuters and tourists who want to travel between the Hesselberg and the Franconian Lake District will particularly benefit from the reactivation. This train journey is expected to attract over 1,000 passengers every day; the district administrator of Weißenburg-Gunzenhausen, Manuel Westphal (CSU), described the restart as an “important milestone” for the region. A ceremony will take place on Saturday, December 14th at the newly designed train station in Wassertrüdingen, during which, among other things, a “Wassertrüdingen” locomotive will be blessed. Free test drives and numerous activities for children are also offered, such as loud BR reported.
Extensive construction work
To increase the attractiveness of public transport, significant construction measures were taken, including the creation of new stops that were opened in places that had not had a rail connection since 1985. At the same time, the bus service will be adjusted to connect the new train stations with 25 communities in the Ansbach and Weißenburg-Gunzenhausen districts. The full connection to Pleinfeld will not be possible until the beginning of 2025, as due to construction delays on a signal box, the rail replacement bus service will regularly commute between Pleinfeld and Gunzenhausen. This development is a long-awaited wish of the region, which is now coming true after more than ten years of planning and work.