The inauguration of the high speed Cologne - Rhine/Main line on 1st August 2002 constituted a milestone in the history of German and European railways. Rainer Schuff reports.

The regular speed of 300km/h reached for the first time on the Cologne - Rhine/Main line in Germany, represents the breakthrough in the effort to make the railway the fastest and most effective mode of transport for distances up to 500km.
In the construction of the line particular attention to environmental considerations was given. The goal was to minimize any further impacts in the landscape. This was the main reason for planning the new line adjacent to the A3 autobahn.
After completion of the Cologne - Rhine/Main line in 2004 (Cologne/Bonn airport link), the total length will be 219km.
The direct route from the Cologne Main Station to Frankfurt Main Station constitutes 180km of this, with 42.1km of the track on level ground, 72.8km running through cuttings and 51.4km along embankments.

Thirty tunnels

A total of 30 tunnels account for 46.7km or 21.3 per cent of the line and 18 viaducts support 6km, or 2.97 per cent.
The 4500m long Schulwald Tunnel near Medenbach and the 992m long Hallerbachtal Bridge are the line's largest structures.
A further particularity is the tight curvature radius of only 3350m, which is currently in German high-speed transport.
By designing the route to correspond to ICE3 operating specifications, environmental parameters could be taken into consideration from the planning onwards. The extensive excavations that would have otherwise been required were not necessary as ICE3 sets can easily negotiate lines with gradients of up to 4 per cent. This significantly reduced the impact on the surrounding countryside.

Demanding achievement

DE-Consult played an important role in Deutsche Bahn's largest-ever individual project, including the preparatory phase as well as the planning and construction, where DE-Consult engineers were involved as designers and supervisors.
Driving tunnels through the Mittelgebirge (central Germany's low mountain range) has always been very challenging due to the relative nearness of the tunnels to the terrain above. This was also true of the tunnels on the Cologne - Rhine/Main high-speed line.
One crucial task, for example, was to protect the tunnel excavations from falling rocks whilst at the same time ensuring that the tunnel casing could bear the weight of the overlay while construction was still in progress.

Unfavourable geology

The unfavourable geology also meant that such complex driving methods as side wall and roof propulsion had to be employed.
One of the most difficult sections to construct on the line was the underpass at the Frankfurt autobahn crossover.
Because of the extremely limited overlay of six metres the open construction method was chosen, except for the 280m long section underneath the A3 autobahn which was tunnelled otherwise it would have been necessary to close the autobahn.
Such a measure was never an option, since diverting 300000 to 350000 vehicles a day past the unavoidable excavations already represented a major challenge. m

enquiry no 18

Dipl-Ing Rainer Schuff is team leader line planning, DE-Consult Deutsche Eisenbahn-Consulting GmbH International Transportation and Railway Services, Frankfurt Main, Germany. www.de-consult.de