Jena-Göschwitz station becomes an IC hub

Jena-Göschwitz station is being expanded into a new IC hub. This was announced today, 13 June 2019, by Dr. Klaus Sühl, State Secretary for Infrastructure and Agriculture, and Lord Mayor Dr. Thomas Nitzsche in Jena.

State Secretary Sühl: "Jena will develop into a hub for two IC lines over the next few years. From 2019, the connection on the Central Germany line and from 2023 on the Saalbahn will be gradually increased to a two-hourly frequency. This will bring many opportunities for Jena that need to be seized now."

Beforehand, the creation of a new junction station in Jena-Burgau was also discussed as an alternative to the expansion of Göschwitz station. The advantages and disadvantages of the two locations for the city and region were examined by the Institute for Transport Policy and Spatial Planning at Erfurt University of Applied Sciences on behalf of the Thuringian Ministry for Infrastructure and Agriculture (TMIL) and the city of Jena.

The result is that the expected transfer connections do not justify a major investment in the construction of a new central station in Jena from a transport perspective, even in the future. The financial and time factors are too great in comparison to the benefits. Instead, it is recommended that the existing personnel, time and financial resources of the city and state be used to further develop and improve Jena's decentralized station system.

Lord Mayor Nitzsche: "It is good that the decision has been made with a clear vote. This means we can now concentrate fully on the further development of the existing stations. This is also a good signal for the surrounding area of Jena. Deutsche Bahn has also assured us that the long-distance stops in Jena-Paradies and Göschwitz in the north-south direction and in Jena-West and Göschwitz in the east-west direction will be retained. Whether this would have been possible in the case of a new junction in Jena-Burgau is questionable."

The "IC junction for Eastern Thuringia in Jena" steering group initiated by TMIL, in which representatives of the cities of Jena and Gera, the districts of Eastern Thuringia, representatives of the railroads and associations as well as the various long-distance transport alliances participate, supports this assessment. The steering committee is in favour of optimizing the existing stops.