Braunschweig Tram-Train Scheme, Germany

Braunschweig (Brunswick), Germany is the focal point of a projected tram-train operation covering a large area in the east of the state of Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony).

Formulated in the 1990s, the RegioStadtBahn (RSB) scheme is being promoted by the regional development body and collective organisation for the communities covered by the scheme, Zweckverband Grossraum Braunschweig (ZGB) and the state's transport authority Landesnahverkehrsgesellschaft Niedersachsen (LNVG).

The project

A letter of intent was signed by RSB interest groups in September 2008 to start construction during 2009. The current main rail interests are DB's regional (DB Regio) train operations and infrastructure (DB Netz) arms, and the city transport organisation Braunschweiger Verkehrs AG.

As a tram-train scheme, the RSB will reduce the need for mode or service changes and should encourage passenger levels on rail overall.

Project aims include an upgrading of the present facilities, improved accessibility and more services. Main roads around Braunschweig are noted for traffic congestion, and the RSB could offset this by making more journeys feasible through rail use only.

The RSB will be formed mainly on a north-south axis, with the northern limit at Uelzen, 80km (50 miles) north of Braunschweig, to provide an interchange with the Hamburg-Hannover main line. South of Braunschweig a south-western arm will incorporate multiple stations in Salzgitter.

Branching at Wolfenbüttel, lines on the south-eastern arm will end at Goslar, Bad Harzburg and Schöppenstedt. Funding for the project, with planning and construction estimated at €232.5m, was not complete in late 2008. Main contributions were expected to be from the federal (60%) and Niedersachsen (22.5%) governments.

Infrastructure

Braunschweig trams use an unusual 1,100mm gauge and the national railway network the 'standard' at 1,435mm. For through running over shared space this requires the addition of a third rail as part of the tram infrastructure through Braunschweig, with this including coverage of the main retail area.

Well in advance of the commitment being made to start work on the scheme, since 1999 some three-rail sections have been created as part of other works. These include the large combined bus and tram stop at Berliner Platz in front of Braunschweig Hbf which will have much higher frequency levels than at present, being on the core section which would accommodate all four RSB routes in the initial scheme.

South of Braunschweig city centre, a link between heavy rail and tram tracks will be installed just to the west of the main station (Hbf). The other will involve use of an industrial siding for a new Braunschweig Nordbahnhof, a through station that will also be a terminus for two routes extending south of the city. Other completely new trackwork needed for the scheme will be in western Salzgitter.

The majority of the proposed 185km (116-mile) four-route RSB covering 63 stations (some new) would mainly use existing DB Netz heavy rail tracks, currently covered by a mix of regional train types.

Rolling stock

Dual-system vehicles will be required that are capable of operating on main lines and tram tracks as well as under their respective control systems. Unlike the fully electrified pioneer among German tram-train operations at Karlsruhe that began two-system track sharing in September 1992, as unwired DB tracks would be involved for the RSB, units with diesel power will be needed.

Featuring in promotional materials for the RSB project, a strong candidate appears to be the Alstom Regio Citadis, an Alstom Deutschland product from Salzgitter (also on the proposed RSB network), location of the former Linke-Hoffman-Busch plant. An established specialist in regional and urban rail vehicles, LHB has previously supplied trams to Braunschweig.

In two variants, 15kV dc / 750V ac and diesel / 750V ac, the three-section Alstom Regio Citadis is the basis of the Kassel tram-train system in the neighbouring state of Hessen that became fully operational in 2007. Procurement of vehicles for the RSB was not part of the late 2008 announcement.

Signalling and communications

Tram signals and light-of-sight principles apply on the Braunschweig tramway to which the tram trains would be subject, elsewhere running under DB Netz signalling. The RSB would become part of the integrated ticketing arrangements of the individual communities and the region.

The future

Construction should begin during late 2009 with a target start of services in 2012. The potential exists for more of the Braunschweig region's lines to be incorporated in the RSB. Supporters of the scheme in Wolfsburg, 33km (21 miles) north-east of Braunschweig are seeking to have the project extended to their city at an early stage.