The proposed construction of a new high-speed railway line (ICE) through the Lüneburger Heide region of Lower Saxony is facing opposition from the state’s Minister-President, Olaf Lies. Lies, of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), argues that prioritizing upgrades to the existing Hamburg-Hannover railway line offers a more effective and timely solution to improve transportation infrastructure.
In an interview with “Welt am Sonntag” Lies stated that pursuing new construction projects unlikely to be completed for decades provides minimal progress. He emphasized his responsibility as Minister-President to advocate for the swift expansion of the existing line, referencing the “Alpha-E” concept. This plan, developed in 2015 through collaboration between the state government, municipalities and citizen initiatives, secured a prior commitment from Deutsche Bahn and focuses on increasing capacity, alleviating bottlenecks and strengthening key junctions while simultaneously modernizing the existing network. He urged Deutsche Bahn to concentrate efforts on fulfilling this established framework and conduct parallel analyses to identify any additional capacity needs.
However, the proposal for a new ICE line has garnered support from within the Green Party. Matthias Gastel, the Green Party’s spokesperson on transport policy in the Bundestag, contends that the existing line between Hamburg and Hannover is so heavily overloaded that improvements to it or its immediate vicinity are insufficient. He asserts that new capacity and more appealing travel times – attainable only with a new railway line – are essential for securing reliable connections. Gastel has called for a decision on Deutsche Bahn’s proposed construction project to be made by the Bundestag this year.
The Federal Ministry of Transport is currently working on a report assessing the viability of Deutsche Bahn’s plans, which will likely inform upcoming policy decisions.