Three million euros for sustainable mobility

• The extensive bridge works of Norddeutsche Eisenbahn Niebüll along the route Niebüll ↔ Tønder have been completed.
• RB 66 is back in scheduled service.

After an intensive construction phase lasting around seven months, Norddeutsche Eisenbahn has reopened the Niebüll ↔ Tønder route for train traffic in mid-January 2025. During the construction period, a rail replacement bus service was provided for passengers. Since 18 January, all travellers can again comfortably reach their destinations directly by train on the RB 66 line.

NAH.SH and Norddeutsche Eisenbahn Niebüll invest three million euros

Together with the transport authority NAH.SH, approximately three million euros have been invested in the bridge structures, which have a history of over 100 years. The old structures, still founded on oak piles, had to be permanently replaced with new reinforced concrete structures after about 120 years of technical service life. "To ensure a service life of 100 years for the new constructions as well, extensive foundation work with sheet piles was necessary," says Dipl.-Ing. Tobias Hein, Infrastructure Department, Norddeutsche Eisenbahn Niebüll. The installation of the sheet piles to depths of up to 21 metres significantly slowed down the construction. As part of the foundation work, it was necessary to lower the groundwater in the area of the structures and to divert the water with pipes through the construction site. A summer with heavy rainfall even required diving operations during welding work. After completing the foundation work, construction on the superstructures of the first bridge could begin in mid-October. Up to 13 double-T beams, each up to 8.30 m long, were connected at the correct intervals using threaded rods. The voids between the beams are filled with concrete in addition to the reinforcement, forming the new bridge deck. In mid-December, after the Bosbüller Sielzug, the superstructure of the Dreiharder Gotteskoogstrom was also concreted, restoring a continuous roadway from Niebüll to Tønder. Finally, the work on equipping the structure and the earthworks in the immediate vicinity of the structure were completed. On 17 January 2025, the NEG team proudly accepted the release of the two structures and the route between Niebüll and Uphusum.

History

The route was established in 1887 as the main connection from the Hamburg area to the Hoyer Schleuse (Højer Sluse) – the ferry port to Sylt. In 1907, the route was expanded to double track up to Süderlügum, but only a few years later, during the construction of the Hindenburg Dam in the 1930s, it was reverted to single track. After passenger services were discontinued in 1981, the route fell into a deep sleep.

Since 2002, under the leadership of Norddeutsche Eisenbahn Niebüll, continuous passenger services to Denmark have been offered again, and investments have been made in the future of this route. Five years later, a speed increase to up to 80 km/h was achieved due to further installations of technical safety measures at several level crossings and additional work on the tracks. In 2019, the entire track was renewed with rails, sleepers, and ballast; and further investments in the route will continue in the future. Future projects include expansion and equipping with the European Train Control System (ETCS), technical safety measures for additional level crossings, and the establishment of a signal box in Süderlügum.

Download PDF