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Electrification of the AKN line: court confirms planning

Local residents have filed a lawsuit against the plans for the railroad line. They fundamentally question the project and complain about noise pollution. Now there is an important decision for commuters.

Railroad - Electrification of the AKN line: court confirms planning

The Higher Administrative Court in Schleswig has confirmed the plans to electrify the AKN railroad line from Hamburg-Eidelstedt to Kaltenkirchen (Segeberg district). This is good news for thousands of commuters in southern Schleswig-Holstein, said Transport Minister Claus Ruhe Madsen (CDU) to the German Press Agency on Thursday. The planned S21 S-Bahn line is an important rail project on the outskirts of Hamburg.

Following a decision by the fourth senate on Wednesday, AKN Eisenbahn is allowed to electrify the existing line via an overhead line system, according to a court spokesperson. This will allow the line between Quickborn and Ellerau stations to be extended to two tracks and various adjustments to be made along the route.

Twenty-four local residents had filed a lawsuit against the plans. They fundamentally questioned the project due to what they saw as declining passenger numbers. They also complained about the noise pollution caused by construction work and also during operation, as well as the partial use of land for the construction of overhead line masts.

In the opinion of the judges, the noise pollution during the construction phase was sufficiently taken into account. They had nothing to criticize about the Ministry of Transport's forecast that no increase in noise was to be expected as a result of the operation. The use of the land was also lawful. The Senate also had no reservations about the decision to install an overhead line instead of a conductor rail.

The court did not allow an appeal against the decision (case no. 4 KS 2/22). Plaintiffs can lodge an appeal with the Federal Administrative Court within one month of receiving the written reasons for the ruling.

According to AKN, the S-Bahn is expected to go into operation at the end of 2028. Passengers should then be able to travel from Kaltenkirchen via Hamburg Central Station to Stade in Lower Saxony without having to change trains.

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Source: www.stern.de

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