ruth901
There will be no trains between Hanau and Fulda for two weeks during the Hesse Easter holidays (March 30th to April 10th). Replacement buses and diversions ensure longer travel times.
Fulda/Hanau – The reason for the closure is extensive construction work for the four-track expansion of the Hanau–Gelnhausen railway line, on which an ICE train collided with an excavator on March 23rd. After this unscheduled closure, train traffic on the route between Hanau and Fulda will be suspended from Friday (March 27th) at 9 p.m. to Monday (April 13th) at 5 a.m. due to the work, the railway said.
During this time, work will be done in several places, including platforms and tracks. Switches are to be replaced and a bridge is to be demolished and replaced by a new and wider one. As an alternative to regional trains that are no longer available, replacement buses will be set up for passengers.
Hanau–Fulda railway line closed during the Easter holidays
The railway advises that more time should be allowed for the journey with the replacement buses. It is also said that bicycles cannot be taken due to a lack of space. The traffic concept with departure times and transfer points is currently as follows:
For passengers on the Regional Express (RE) 50 (Frankfurt Main Station – Hanau – Fulda), a half-hourly replacement bus service will be set up between Hanau Main Station and Fulda without intermediate stops. Between Frankfurt and Hanau, the S-Bahn lines S8 and S9 as well as the regional trains RE54, RE55 and RB51 can be used as alternatives.
For the regional train (RB) 51 (Frankfurt Main Station – Waechtersbach – Fulda), buses between Hanau Main Station and Waechtersbach will also run every half hour, serving all intermediate stops. The RB51 is offered every hour between Frankfurt Central Station and Hanau Central Station.
Construction work: Trains do not run to Hanau
The closure also has an impact on long-distance traffic. ICE trains travel via diversion routes and will therefore take a little longer. In addition, some stops cannot be approached. The restrictions can be found in the digital offerings. This results in the following changes:
The majority of connecting connections are offered on the Frankfurt–Kassel–Berlin axis. The Karlsruhe, Bruchsal, Heidelberg, Weinheim, Darmstadt, Frankfurt Airport and Frankfurt Süd stops are no longer available. On some days, individual trains run directly, but the journey time is extended by around 60 minutes.
Hourly connections are available to passengers on the Frankfurt–Hamburg axis. Here too, the journey time is extended by around 60 minutes. The Bremen–Karlsruhe ICE trains are no longer available between Hanover and Bremen. The Karlsruhe, Heidelberg, Weinheim, Darmstadt, Frankfurt Central Station, Gießen, Marburg, Wabern, Treysa, Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe and Göttingen stops are no longer available.
Complete route closure during general renovation in 2027
On the Frankfurt-Erfurt-Berlin/Dresden axis, there are still hourly connections to Berlin and two-hourly connections to Dresden, but the journeys take up to 60 minutes longer. Deutsche Bahn recommends going online www.bahn.de as well as in the app, the DB Navigator, to provide information about travel and connection options during the construction phase.
Meanwhile, train travelers between Hanau and Fulda will have to prepare for months of restrictions from mid-2027. Deutsche Bahn wants to completely close the section between Gelnhausen and Fulda during this period as part of its general renovation. Commuters will then have to deal with a lot. (jkl, with dpa material)
