Schleswig-Holstein plans Marschbahn electrification by early 2030s

The roughly 173 km Marschbahn between Itzehoe and Westerland still has no overhead wire and is meant to run electrically from the early 2030s. The state has tasked NAH.SH with the preliminary design, two lead planners have been retained since January 2025, and DB InfraGO will then take over building the catenary. Ground investigations began in November 2025 between Itzehoe and Heide (over 1,000 soil samples) and in February 2026 between Heide and Westerland and on the Jübek–Husum branch (around 2,000 drilling points); stated benefits are operating savings of about EUR 8 million a year and an end to the locomotive change at Itzehoe. The date is a placeholder: the article only says "early 2030s". (LOK Report, 16 Feb 2026)