On the disused line of the Aartalbahn between Wiesbaden and Bad Schwalbach, trains will most likely run again in about seven years. The first results of the ongoing feasibility study for the reactivation of the line are available and demonstrate a high economic benefit for rail transport on this section. "With a benefit-cost ratio of 2.1, there is no way around the reactivation of the Aartalbahn. That's clear," said Wiesbaden's head of transport Andreas Kowol (The Greens) on Friday at the presentation of the results, adding: "The route must come."

Together with the managing director of the Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund (RMV), André Kavai, and the head of the transport department of the Rheingau-Taunus district, Günter Döring (SPD), Kowol had invited to the historic Dotzheim station in Wiesbaden to present facts and figures that would enable the reactivation of the line, which was closed in 1983. Decisions are still pending and the overall result of the feasibility study is not expected to be available until the summer, but the figures presented speak for themselves.

The decisive factor here is the aforementioned benefit-cost ratio, which, according to expert Matthias Kurzeck from the Koblenz-based planning office BPV Consult, has a value of 2.1. This value characterises the economic benefit and says for the Aartalbahn that for every euro invested, a return of 2.1 euros can be expected for society as a whole.

Save 30 minutes driving time

By way of comparison, the ratio of the failed City-Bahn was 1.5, according to Döring. The investment and planning costs for the reactivation of the line, on which hydrogen trains are to be used, are currently difficult to calculate, but are expected to amount to well over 100 million euros. 80 percent of this is to be financed by federal and state grants, Döring continued.

The current plans are as follows: The route runs from Bad Schwalbach via Taunusstein to Wiesbaden. In the Hessian state capital, the main station is no longer to be served, but above all the stations Dotzheim and Wiesbaden Ost. From Dotzheim, buses will bring passengers into the city, Wiesbaden Ost is considered the connection point with the S-Bahn network of the Rhine-Main area. The journey time from Bad Schwalbach to Frankfurt city centre is to be reduced by up to 30 minutes. Another stop on Schiersteiner Straße will allow the bus to change to the main train station. In addition, stops are planned in Wiesbaden in Klarenthal, Steinberger Straße and Dolomitenstraße.

In the Lower Taunus, the Aartalbahn is to stop at the bus station in addition to the terminus in Bad Schwalbach in Taunusstein, in Bleidenstadt, Friedrichstraße and in the Hahn district. Further stops of a tourist nature are planned at the Iron Hand and at the Chausseehaus. The almost 24-kilometre-long line will not be electrified and will remain single-track, with trains being able to meet in two places.

During rush hour, a half-hourly service is planned and an hourly service is planned outside of it. The Hahn bus station is to become the hub of local transport in the Lower Taunus, because numerous bus lines depart from there. The journey time from Bad Schwalbach to Bahnhof Ost in the Amöneburg district is expected to be around 34 minutes.

About 3000 passengers expected daily

"If we look at the crowded streets in Wiesbaden's city centre, we all know that things can't go on like this forever," said Kowol, adding that the operating concept of the Aartalbahn enables commuters from the Lower Taunus to get to the Rhine-Main area quickly and comfortably without a car, thus relieving the Wiesbaden road network of through traffic.

The expert assumes that about 1000 commuters switch from cars to trains every day. In total, he forecasts about 3000 passengers a day from the Lower Taunus to the state capital. But also in Wiesbaden itself, up to 3300 passengers will use the train every day.

The fact that the route is not becoming more expensive is also thanks to the members of the Nassauische Touristikbahn (NTB), who kept the rail network in good shape as much as possible on a voluntary basis. According to the expert, most of the infrastructure is in good condition and the bridges and tunnels are to be renovated and not rebuilt.

Until then, however, the municipalities must make the appropriate decisions and the state of Hesse will have to award the planning contract. If the further procedural steps are implemented quickly, the line could be reactivated in six to seven years, according to the expert's forecast.

The fact that this repeated attempt to allow trains to run again on the Aartalbahn line is successful at all is also due to the fact that the legislator has changed the funding guidelines. For example, a tonne of carbon dioxide saved is financially valued much higher than in previous years.

Taunusstein's mayor Sandro Zehner (CDU), designated district administrator of the Rheingau-Taunus district, supports the plans for reactivation: "For Taunusstein, a train every 30 minutes at peak times means a real alternative for the tens of thousands of commuters from the region who currently travel to and from Wiesbaden or the A 3 via Aarstraße."