Anyone who wants to leave Dreieich in the direction of the A5 will soon need better nerves. The level crossing in Buchschlag will be closed.
Dreieich – You can be prepared for this: The barriers at the level crossing in Buchschlag remain down for a few days in May. The lockdown begins at 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 13 and is scheduled to be lifted at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, May 16. The reason for this is track construction work by DB Netz AG. But it could get worse.
This is particularly inconvenient for bookmakers who want to get on the A5 or drive to the airport. But they could only be a foretaste of what lies ahead for motor vehicle traffic from the summer of 2024. Then the Riedbahn will be renovated – and completely closed. A diversion route will be the Main-Neckar-Bahn between Darmstadt and Frankfurt – with a book in the middle. Residents of the villa colony fear that the barriers will then no longer go up at all and that their district will be left behind to the west.
ICEs, freight transport, regional trains – up to 300 trains travel daily on the heavily used Riedbahn between Frankfurt and Mannheim. But the route is prone to disruption, so the railway is planning a general renovation. Nothing will work here from mid-2024, passengers will have to change buses or make detours. The route is to be closed on July 15, one day after the final of the European Football Championship. The work should be completed in mid-December, before the onset of tourist traffic at Christmas. During this time, passengers have to be prepared for delays and train cancellations. This also applies to the two detour routes between Worms and Mainz and Darmstadt and Frankfurt.
Deutsche Bahn: “We cannot confirm that”
“The level crossing will then no longer be open at all,” a bookmaker paints the devil on the wall. Long queues of cars are already forming, especially during peak traffic times. According to them, the barrier is sometimes closed for up to 45 minutes an hour. “It will be even more then.” According to the resident, the district will be “cut off”.
Deutsche Bahn counters the rumor of a permanent closure on request. “We cannot confirm that,” said a spokeswoman. “The level crossing will remain in operation during the construction work and full closure of the Riedbahn,” she assures. The employee does not provide any information on the opening hours. The planning for possible alternative traffic and/or diversions has not yet been completed. Discussions are still being held here with those involved at the political level as well as with the bus and railway companies. “Due to diverter traffic, however, there may be a phased increase in the load on the route.”
Dreieich: Riedbahn closed at the beginning of 2024
Since the Deutsche Bahn press office usually only answers inquiries if they are made in writing, the result is often poor. Some questions are simply ignored or succinctly dismissed in one sentence. For example, how long the barrier currently stays down on different days and times per hour. Or which are the hours with the highest frequency. Statement by the railway: “Unfortunately, we do not have any concrete information on current and future closing times by hours and days.”
The first effects could be felt as early as January 2024. Then the Riedbahn must be at least partially closed for three weeks in preparation for the construction work. (Frank Mahn)
Not a showpiece: Sprendlinger train station is to be upgraded.
