On Friday, after a construction period of 15 months, a new pedestrian tunnel was opened under Chemnitz main station. With the new building, which costs around four million euros, trains, trams and buses can be reached directly from the Sonnenberg district. Until now, pedestrians had to take a detour of more than a kilometer. The tunnel, known as “Access East”, ensures a barrier-free connection to the main station with an elevator. As announced by the city of Chemnitz, the new connection will also make it easier for pedestrians to reach the Brühl residential area, Theaterplatz, the bus station and the city center campus of Chemnitz University of Technology.
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Station tunnel without the involvement of Deutsche Bahn
The planning for the tunnel took longer than originally planned. The head of the Chemnitz civil engineering department, Bernd Gregorzyk, also blames the lack of cooperation on the part of Deutsche Bahn. “We could not agree that it should be a basic concern of the railway to get customers directly from the residential area to the platforms.” Ultimately, the city built the pedestrian link as the client. “The railway did not participate in the investment project,” said Gregorzyk at the opening. At least the Deutsche Bahn approved the construction after drawing up a total of 30 contracts. “If we had met earlier, the tunnel could have been built ten years ago.”
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Tunnel enables other transport projects
The city of Chemnitz wants to tackle several transport projects around the main train station, for which the new tunnel will be important. Building mayor Michael Stötzer summarized the plans for the next few years. “It is planned to place the long-distance bus terminal here on Dresdener Straße.” A regional bus station is to be built on the station forecourt. “Then we have the regional train, the CVAG, the Chemnitz model and the Deutsche Bahn.” This concentration will bring significant relief for the travelers.
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