Infrastruct

The ring freight line from Herzogenrath to Stolberg has a winding route via Alsdorf, but it is the only ‘orbital’ or ‘tangential’ line around Aachen region, roughly 12 km from the city centre. The section from Herzogenrath to Alsdorf-Annapark has been reopened for passengers, , as part of the Euregiobahn network. Reopening of the rest of the line for passenger services is planned, but Euregiobahn is a light-rail network with low service frequencies.

The proposal here goes further: a full S-Bahn service, on a shorter and faster route, as part of the proposed urban-regional metro network around Aachen.

It would be a logical extension of the proposed Maastricht – Heerlen – Herzogenrath urban-regional (S-Bahn) line.

The line would turn south-east from the existing line, south of Herzogenrath station – the freight line to Stolberg passes north of Herzogenrath. The exact alignment is not shown here: a tunnel is inevitable, to climb 40 m from the valley of the river Wurm.

The line would pass just north of Bardenberg, and near Gewerbegebiet Weiweg it would join the alignment of the former Aachen-Nord – Jülich line. It would then reach the former station at Würselen, which can be reopened. Here the line met the Kohlscheid – Stolberg freight line, and the S-Bahn would follow that line out of Würselen station. The alignments near Würselen are intact, but partly in use as a ring road (Willy Brandt Ring). In most places, there seems sufficient space for a line next to the road, but the junctions will need reconstruction.

The Aachen-Nord – Jülich line is also a candidate for reopening, as a Euregiobahn line. If it is reopened as a light-rail line, or possibly as an urban tram, then Würselen would be an interchange station.

After Würselen, the S-Bahn line would serve a reopened Weiden Station, and then follow the original alignment of the Kohlscheid – Stolberg line. This section (still in use) was re-routed in 1939 for construction of the Autobahn to Aachen. The later Autobahnkreuz Aachen (A4 / A44) was built on the old alignment, but only a short tunnel is needed to restore it.

Close to the main Aachen – Köln line, the S-Bahn line would join the alignment of the freight line from Herzogenrath, into Stolberg station. In any case, there is also an older alignment on the north side of the main line, which could take the S-Bahn to Stolberg Hbf, without any shared track (orange line). The ‘Hauptbahnhof’ has a peripheral location, but it is on the main line, and it is the interchange point for the local line through Stolberg (originally part of the Vennbahn).

The new S-Bahn line would terminate at Stolberg, about 11 km from Herzogenrath. The logical service pattern is an extension of the proposed Maastricht – Heerlen – Herzogenrath service, creating a long orbital line relative to 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.

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:

The direct rail link between two of the three major cities in the region (the other is Liège) was closed in 1992. The Maastricht-Aachen line was built in 1853, but at present it is used only for internal services in the Netherlands: Maastricht-Valkenburg-Heerlen. These trains use a connecting line from Schin op Geul to Heerlen, built in 1915. In European perspective, the line to Aachen is more important than the Maastricht-Heerlen line.

The proposal is to re-open the section from Schin op Geul to Richterich, to double-track the section from Wijlre-Gulpen to Richterich, and construct a grade-separated junction at Richterich with the Aachen-Herzogenrath–Mönchengladbach line. The re-opened section would have stations at Wijlre, Eys, Simpelveld, Bocholtz, and possibly Vetschau:

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The former Wijlre-Gulpen station is in use by the museum line ZLSM and could easily be reopened. It is too far from Gulpen to serve that village, which has an alternative in the Maastricht-Aaachen bus line along the N278. The former Eijs- Wittem station is outside the village, but still the best location for a station, where the line crosses the small valley of the Eyser Beek. The former Simpelveld Station is also on the flank of this valley, and it is close to the centre of the old village. However, new housing is mainly in Hulsveld, up the hill on the other side of the valley. The old halt at Bocholtz is very close to the village centre, but has limited space on a curving line. A re-located station, further back in the direction of Simpelveld, would be possible.

On the section Maastricht – Schin op Geul, stations could be re-opened at Nazareth-Limmel and at Rothem (closed 1935). At present the Maastricht-Aachen journey takes 59 minutes, changing at Heerlen to a euregiobahn train. Using the proposed tunnel under central Aachen the distance from Maastricht to Aachen would be about 36 km: with 12 intermediate stops, a journey time of about 40-45 minutes.

An alternative for the section Schin op Geul – Aachen is a possible new line Gulpen – Vaals – Aachen. That would be a more difficult project, and it would conflict with a possible high-speed line Maastricht – Aachen, on an almost identical alignment. As a compromise, a new loop is possible between Simpelveld and Wijlre, serving a new station at Gulpen (instead of Eijs- Wittem station). It would increase the total length of the line from 36 to about 38 km.