The Hermann Hesse regional line in Calw, a city in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, was inaugurated with great fanfare by authorities and citizens.
The partial opening of the line provides Calw residents with connectivity to the rail network, with the project being considered a “project of the century for Calw.” The line connects Calw and Weil der Stadt, a city in the Stuttgart region, and has been reopened after 40 years of inactivity.
The opening ceremony in Calw was attended by the Minister of Transport of the State of Baden-Württemberg, Winfried Hermann, and the President of the Calw District Council, Helmut Riegger. The event was marked by an inaugural journey from Calw to Weil der Stadt with the new Mireo battery trains supplied by Siemens Mobility.
“After a 43-year hiatus, trains are running here again – just as they did for over 111 years until 1983. The closure of this line was a mistake, which has now been corrected thanks to the courage and commitment of many people in the region. The new connection significantly brings Calw and the communities around Stuttgart closer together and, at the same time, brings the residents of Stuttgart closer to Calw,” said the Minister of Transport.
The line operator, SWEG, estimates a daily ridership of around 3,000 passengers. Commuters who travel to Stuttgart on a daily basis are particularly expected to use this connection, which would allow them to give up their personal cars, according to the objective of the Hermann Hesse line association. In particular, residents of Althengstett (Calw district) would benefit from the new Hermann Hesse regional line. They are connected to a railway line for the first time, with a new platform being built especially for this purpose.
For the time being, the Hermann Hesse line only runs as far as Weil der Stadt. Starting in June, passengers will be able to travel to Renningen (Böblingen district) as planned. The new route is expected to improve connections between the Calw district and Böblingen and Stuttgart.
The project to open the line had a budget of 240 million EUR, but exceeded initial estimates by tens of millions of EUR. Nature and species protection measures alone cost over EUR 85 million.
“Every EUR invested was worth it. The people in the region deserved to benefit from modern mobility. Now we have to look ahead. But at the same time, we also have to take stock and see what we can do better in the future,” said Helmut Riegger.
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