Andreas Forster, Chairman of the NTB, commented: “After we were able to resume service on the first section in the southern part of the Aartalbahn in November 2024, we are very pleased that construction work on our main line toward Eiserne Hand is finally getting underway. We would like to thank the state capital of Wiesbaden, which made these construction measures possible through a municipally guaranteed loan and corresponding grants.” 

The construction site is part of a comprehensive package that is primarily financed by the State Capital of Wiesbaden and implemented by NTB’s subsidiary, Aartalbahn Infrastruktur gGmbH. 

Regarding the City of Wiesbaden’s commitment, City Councilman Andreas Kowol stated: “We are pleased that a viable solution for securing this bridge has now been found and can be implemented, allowing work on the northern Wiesbaden section of the Aartalbahn to begin. We are deliberately pursuing a two-pronged strategy here: On the one hand, the Aartalbahn line is to be brought out of its slumber as quickly as possible and in full view of the public through the NTB’s museum rail service. On the other hand, with these infrastructure measures, we are already setting the stage for the resumption of regular service.” 

Throughout the entire planning process, close coordination between the city and Aartalbahn Infrastruktur gGmbH ensures that all major renovation work already takes into account the requirements for the planned reactivation of public transit. For this reason, the bridge’s retrofitting not only serves museum rail operations but also already incorporates all relevant requirements and measures necessary for future public transit use. 

In the first phase of construction, a so-called “impact barrier” will be erected in front of and behind the structure. Jens Seibel, site manager for the steel construction firm Huhle, explained the technical details: “The impact protection is a massive steel structure made of double-T girders. This will ensure that, in the future, any truck accidents can no longer damage the actual bridge structure. This will permanently prevent critical damage that could disrupt rail traffic.” 

During the second construction phase, which is scheduled for the Easter break, the actual railway bridge will be repaired. This will involve fixing the damage caused by accidents in recent years and repainting the bridge. At the same time, the railway bridge will be upgraded to meet future public transit requirements—specifically, to handle approximately 19,000 crossings per year by modern commuter railcars traveling at a speed of 60 km/h. 

Measures are also planned at many other locations along the Aartalbahn in the coming months under the leadership of Aartalbahn Infrastruktur gGmbH, including ongoing track construction work in Dotzheim. Work will then follow in May on the Grundmühlweg and Wiesenstraße railroad bridges (both located alongside Waldstraße) and, during the summer break, on the railroad bridge over Schiersteiner Straße. Work on the southern section of the Aartalbahn—that is, between the Henkell sparkling wine cellar’s rail spur and the Wiesbaden-Dotzheim station—is scheduled to be completed this summer. Provided the necessary approvals are granted by the relevant state railway regulatory authority, the southern section of the line up to the Wiesbaden-Dotzheim station could therefore be put back into service for museum railway operations as early as 2026. The opening of the section via Eiserne Hand to the Hahn-Wehen station is then scheduled for 2028 or 2029.