The reason for the closure is construction work on the section near Hallstadt in Upper Franconia. The two-track line will be extended to four tracks over a length of five kilometers. The Hallstadt section is part of the high-speed line between Munich and Berlin. It was opened at the end of 2017 with the completion of the approximately 230-kilometer-long new Ebensfeld-Erfurt-Leipzig line.
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The four-track expansion between Nuremberg and Ebensfeld is currently following. According to Deutsche Bahn, the speed to the south will be increased to 230 kilometers per hour for long-distance trains and capacity will be increased.
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Hönebach Tunnel in West Thuringia becomes a construction site
From the end of September, rail travelers in Thuringia will have to prepare for longer journey times and changed timetables. This time, however, an important east-west connection is affected, as the Hönebach tunnel near Gerstungen is under construction: ICE traffic between Leipzig, Erfurt and Frankfurt am Main will be reduced to a two-hour cycle, trains will be diverted. The travel time is increased by around 60 minutes because of the diversion. The ICE trains start and end in Frankfurt Central Station instead of continuing to Frankfurt Airport, Mainz and Wiesbaden.
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On the route via Gera, Jena, Weimar, Erfurt, Eisenach, Kassel to Düsseldorf, the trains only run east of Eisenach and west of Kassel. Alternatively, travelers between Erfurt and Kassel or North Rhine-Westphalia can use local transport. Buses commute between Gerstungen and Bebra as well as Eisenach and Fulda.
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