Railroad to control trains in the Ahr valley by mouse click from mid-December
From mid-December, Deutsche Bahn will be putting two new electronic signal boxes into operation in the Ahr valley between Remagen and Walporzheim. Deutsche Bahn (DB) announced on Friday that points and signals could then be set electronically at the click of a mouse from a building in Ahrweiler instead of using the muscle power of employees, as was previously the case. The modern control and safety technology replaces four mechanical systems from the 1950s on the line.
The new signal boxes were created during the reconstruction following the flood disaster in summer 2021. Before they go into operation, tests on electronics and software as well as test runs will be necessary from December 4 to 11, the railroad company added. Therefore, there will be a replacement bus service for travelers during this time.
Since the end of 2021, the Ahrtalbahn has been running on a single track on the 15-kilometer section between Remagen and Walporzheim. Construction work has been underway on the section between Walporzheim and Ahrbrück since September. By the end of 2025, the entire route should be electrified and in operation with two tracks. After the new construction, the Ahr Valley Railway will then run every 20 minutes, more frequently than before.
According to Deutsche Bahn, the four old mechanical signal boxes will be gradually dismantled from December 4. The system in Walporzheim will find a new home in the Kommern open-air museum in the district of Euskirchen in North Rhine-Westphalia. There, interested visitors will be able to learn more about the technology.
The flood disaster in North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate in the summer of 2021 destroyed seven regional transport routes to such an extent that they had to be rebuilt or extensively renovated. Deutsche Bahn estimated the damage at 1.3 billion euros.
Due to the upcoming replacement of four outdated mechanical signal boxes with two new electronic ones in December, railroad traffic on the Ahr valley line may experience temporary disruptions during testing and software adjustments. The new electronic signal boxes, managed via a building in Ahrweiler, will allow traffic control using mouse clicks instead of manual labor, reducing operational complexity and improving safety.
The upcoming construction work on the Ahrtalbahn between Walporzheim and Ahrbrück may lead to increased railroad traffic during the dismantling process of the old mechanical signal boxes, initially relocated to the Kommern open-air museum in Euskirchen, before being gradually dismantled from December 4.
Source: www.dpa.com
