Rastatt (dpa / lsw) - Transport Minister Winfried Hermann (Greens) has called for a rapid expansion of the railway infrastructure. Hermann said on Thursday in Rastatt: "It is impressive how the experts are advancing the gigantic tunnel construction site in Rastatt, given the great effort involved in eliminating the consequences of the accident five years ago." The railway tunnel accident showed how important it is to have sufficient capacity in the rail network. "Sufficient alternative routes are needed, especially for freight transport. Here the federal government has a duty to expand the network quickly."
The Greens politician went on to say that the Rhine Valley Railway was heavily loaded and that freight traffic was also increasing there. "This also affects the punctuality of passenger transport on the heavily used route. It is all the more important that the expansion of the Rhine Valley Railway progresses quickly in the interest of shifting freight transport to rail."
On August 12, 2017, the accident occurred in the tunnel during the construction of the underpass of the existing Rhine Valley Railway. The tracks above sagged and traffic came to a standstill for seven weeks. In order to limit the damage, workers pumped large quantities of concrete over a length of 160 meters into the tube in which the million-dollar tunnel boring machine was still stuck.
