Gößnitz (dpa/th) - The expansion of the Gößnitz railway junction (Altenburger Land) began on Tuesday with a groundbreaking ceremony. With the start of the expansion work in Gößnitz station, another section of the Saxony-Franconia Magistrale will be comprehensively modernized, as announced by Deutsche Bahn. In the Gößnitz-Crimmitschau node project section, the technical prerequisites are to be created over a total length of ten kilometers so that passenger trains can travel there in future at speeds of up to 160 kilometers per hour.
The work includes the renewal or new construction of tracks and switches, platforms and the overhead line. The control and safety technology in the entire railway junction is being modernized and a new electronic signal box is being installed. Among other things, 18 tracks and four platforms will be completely rebuilt at Gößnitz station. A passenger tunnel will also be created.
The construction work at the Gößnitz railway junction is also related to the expansion of the Weimar - Gera - Gößnitz line. The 115-kilometer section of the so-called central Germany connection is being electrified and is to be double-tracked. This means that the existing long-distance line from the Ruhr area to Gera can be operated electrically throughout and extended to Chemnitz. The previously required locomotive changes in Gotha are no longer necessary. The entire project is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2030. However, according to its own statements, the railway wants to continuously examine possibilities that allow an earlier commissioning date.
