Infrastruct

This is an alternative and faster route, compared to the planned light-rail line from Herzogenrath to Stolberg. It makes sense as an extension of a Maastricht-Heerlen-Herzogenrath urban-regional (S-Bahn) line. The line would turn south-east from the existing line, south of Herzogenrath station, and pass north of Berdenberg and Würselen, to join the existing freight line near the main line Aachen-Stolberg. From Würselen, it would follow the alignment of an existing freight line. (This line was re-routed arond the Autobahnkreuz Aachen A4 / A44, and the approximate original alignment could be used, shown in brown).

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The line would terminate at Stolberg station. The new section would be about 11 km long, and some tunnels would be needed. Its justification is primarily as a tangential line Heerlen-Würselen-Stolberg, as part of a larger urban-regional metro network around Aachen.

The proposed urban regional network around Aachen would realign the existing local services in the Netherlands, and replace the euregiobahn network. The remaining local service from Maastricht to Heerlen via Valkenburg can then be extended to Herzogenrath, over the existing line from Landgraaf, via Eygelshoven-Markt. This connecting line is at present single-track and not electrified. Upgrading is planned in any case for an Intercity service Eindhoven-Aachen.

Re-opening of this largely unused freight line is planned, as part of the euregiobahn network. It is an orbital or tangent line via Alsdorf, running about 12 km outside the centre of Aachen. The variant proposed here includes a new line from Begau to Eschweiler, so that trains can run from Herzogenrath to Stolbert-Altstadt via Stolberg-Hauptbahnhof, without reversing. The rest is the same as the planned euregiobahn variant: it would form part of the proposed urban-regional network around Aachen.

The existing line Begau-Stolberg does pass the airfield at Merzbrück, but it is a small airfield with a 500-meter runway, used by light aircraft – not a major traffic destination. A short variant of the new section, with no intermediate stops, would be about 4 to 5 km long. A longer variant could serve Hehlrath and give a better station location in Eschweiler-Röhe, and would be about 6 km long. Proposed new sections in red, in existing lines in blue and black – the only passenger services on the black lines are the euregiobahn trains.

The line from Köln to Aachen is a main international route, recently upgraded for the Thalys to Paris. The 42 km from Köln to Düren was upgraded for a maximum speed of 250 km/h, and the S-Bahn services separated (4-track with some 3-track sections). The remaining 36 km to Aachen were upgraded for speeds of 160 km/h or 140 km/h, but without additional tracks. There, the high-speed trains share tracks with regional trains (RE 1 Aachen-Hamm and RE 9 Aachen-Siegen), with the euregiobahn diesel units between Stolberg and Aachen, and with freight trains – a typical result of inadequate funding.

The proposed by-pass line would diverge from the existing line out of Aachen, near its crossing with the A44 autobahn, east of Eilendorf station. It would turn north-east to the A4 autobahn, and then follow it north of Eschweiler, Langerwehe and Düren. Near Arnoldsweiler it would turn away from the autobahn, to rejoin the existing line north of Merzenich. The alignment is not difficult, since it follows existing infrastructure, although in some places the A44 autobahn curves too sharply for a precisely parallel alignment. The line is approximately 28 km long, has no intermediate stations, and would be used only by high-speed trains on the route Aachen-Köln, including possibly inter-regional express services. Existing line in green, new line in red: