The passenger association Pro Bahn is calling for the complete electrification of the Saxony-Franconia main line. The line must finally be upgraded so that trains can run continuously between Dresden and Nuremberg again, said Pro Bahn spokesman Bertram Zetzsche at a "rail summit" in Plauen, Vogtland. Stakeholders from politics, transport planning and industry from Saxony and Bavaria were invited to the event.
The railroad line runs from Saxony to Bavaria with a connection to the Czech Republic. On the Bavarian side, between Hof and Nuremberg, around 140 kilometers of the line are still not electrified. "It's about regions, it's about people, it's about being left behind," said Zetzsche. Bavaria actually wants to say goodbye to diesel locomotives in regional transport for good by 2040.
The federal government had rejected electrification due to an unfavorable cost-benefit ratio. Proponents of the expansion of the Saxony-Franconia main line consider this cost-benefit calculation for the rail expansion to be outdated and are calling for it to be abolished. The next federal government must also launch a far-reaching rail electrification offensive. Connections to the neighboring Czech Republic must also be improved.
