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Altona train station: Court stops controversial car train system in Eidelstedt!
Court stops new construction of motorail train facility in Hamburg-Eidelstedt. Success for the “Prellbock Altona” initiative in environmental law.
Altona train station: Court stops controversial car train system in Eidelstedt!
What a day in Hamburg! The plans for the new car train system in Eidelstedt must be overturned. As the daily news reports, the “Prellbock Altona” initiative achieved partial success in court. You have to imagine it like this: Nuremberg 2025, Deutsche Bahn wants to build a loading facility for cars with four tracks and two platforms on the existing premises, but ultimately there is a problem.
The Hamburg Higher Administrative Court has stopped construction for the time being. It turns out that the Eidelstedt railway site has been in a water protection area since 2019. The plans therefore urgently need to be revised because the court rulings require a re-examination of the risks of groundwater contamination. In the meantime, the car trains will continue to be handled at Altona station, which will maintain traffic there. The planning approval decision for the new train station remains in place, but improvements are required for the facility in Eidelstedt.
Environmental concerns are heavily weighted
The court also ruled on other objections, such as noise reduction or traffic volume, but these were rejected. During the court hearing, it emerged that an environmental organization was right on important points. The initiative critically notes that the permit for the infiltration of rainwater is flawed because it has not been sufficiently checked whether the groundwater is at risk from pollutants. The environmental association “Prellbock Altona” sees its chances of success here and is calling for a reassessment of the Diebsteich project.
Michael Jung, a spokesman for the association, emphasizes that a new long-distance station at Diebsteich is neither necessary nor sensible, as it would block existing capacity in the Hamburg rail network and cause additional bottlenecks. Instead, he advocates a renovation and modernization of the Altona train station at its current location.
Legal situation and outlook
An appeal of the judgment is not permitted, but an appeal to the Federal Administrative Court is possible. Even though the written reasons for the judgment are still pending, it is clear that the challenges for Deutsche Bahn are far from being overcome. Until the plans for the facility in Eidelstedt are revised, we will continue to have to take a look at developments in the railway sector.
The tailwind for environmentalists could not be greater. This news brings a breath of fresh air into the discussions surrounding the transport project and gives hope that the voices of those who are committed to environmental and climate protection will also be heard more.