📋 Tender Overview
Status: in planning
The so-called Upper Ruhr Valley Railway runs between Aachen and Kassel. The approximately 151 km long, largely non-electrified railway line stretches from Hagen through the Hochsauerland region to Warburg. It connects the rural area in the Hochsauerland district to the Ruhr area. Due to the topographical conditions, the route leads through tunnels that were built in the 19th century.
The Elleringhauser Tunnel will be operated as a single track in the future. Due to the small distance between the tracks, there is currently a ban on trains meeting each other. For this reason, the existing double-track ballast superstructure is being dismantled and renewed for one track (slab track). In order to ensure comparable capacity with a single-track route, a new block division (among other things with additional signals) will be set up in the vicinity of Olsberg station. This allows more trains on the route.
The tunnel will have a reinforced concrete inner shell and a 1.2 meter wide escape route with a continuous handrail. The tunnel equipment consists of a fire extinguishing line, safety lighting and a tunnel power supply.
Furthermore, an emergency tunnel that can be driven on by motor vehicles, including a reversing hammer, with a length of around 475 meters is planned. The rescue tunnel connects to the Elleringhauser tunnel at the height of the turning hammer with a connecting structure. In addition, a ventilation shaft with a height of around 126 meters is led from the turning hammer to the surface.
All work is expected to be completed by spring 2028 .
November 2020 – June 2022: execution planning
October 2022 – March 2026: main civil works
