The towns of Kelheim and Saal a.d. Donau as well as the district of Kelheim have defined a common ambition of offering their citizens and visitors a genuine alternative to the use of private cars. Due to increasing traffic congestion and the formulated climate protection goals, the municipalities would like to establish a transport solution that offers ‘climate-friendly mobility for all’ and at the same time serves as a model for other municipalities in Germany.
Since the closure of the Saal - Kelheim railway line in 1998, Kelheim has been one of only two district towns in Bavaria without a rail connection. TTK, together with its partners IBS, REBEL and Moja Design, examined various options for re-connecting Kelheim to Saal station as part of a feasibility study.
In this context, in addition to the creation of a cable transport link, six other measures were studied on the basis of a comparison of different means of transport, including a restructuring of the bus network, the extension of the on-demand transport offer and the extension of the cycle network. A concept was developed for each variant, and the costs and potential demand were determined using Bavaria's transport model.
Overall, the study of the cable car system showed that demand was too low - the cable car only provides localised access to the Kelheim urban area - to justify the building work and the associated forecast costs. An alternative to the cable car is the restructuring of the bus network. The current bus network only offers an irregular service between Kelheim and Saal railway station, and the quality of connections to trains outside commuter times is often poor. The TTK therefore recommends the introduction of a new direct bus route every 20 to 40 minutes, with a timetable based on that of the regional rail network. It was also recommended that the route of the existing lines be adapted.
The enhancement of the cycle infrastructure is another possible option for improving Kelheim's connection to the Saale railway station. There is currently no continuous cycle network. In addition, some of the existing facilities no longer meet today's requirements. Possible measures therefore include the creation of two new high-speed cycle paths between Kelheim and Saal railway station (north and south of the Danube), the elimination of current gaps in the cycle network and a new pedestrian and cycle bridge over the Danube.
Finally, a combination of bus network restructuring and the development of the cycle network is recommended on the basis of the cost forecast, expected demand and traffic impact.
Picture Source : Moja Design