DB InfraGO reopens Ahr Valley railway after flood destruction

The Ahr Valley railway, rebuilt after the 2021 flood, returned to service with the timetable change on 14 December 2025; on the 29 km between Remagen and Ahrbrück, DB InfraGO says in its annual review that it restored track, bridges, tunnels and ten stations, built modern interlocking technology and installed overhead lines for electric operation. Trans Regio runs the new RB 32 service there hourly with Siemens Mireo trains on behalf of the Rhineland-Palatinate North regional rail authority (SPNV Nord); the additional contract initially runs for eight years until the 2033 timetable change. Because DB InfraGO could not finish all construction work by the timetable change, an interim concept with a change at Remagen applied at first; the RB 32 was not expected to run through to Boppard every two hours until around mid or late 2026, the reason being a new 900 m retaining wall in Heimersheim. (LOK Report, 18 Dec and 29 Dec 2025) Update (12 Dec 2025): The total volume of the reconstruction and electrification of the Ahr Valley line is about EUR 590 million. On the 29 km between Remagen and Ahrbrück DB restored 18 km of track, 22 bridges, five tunnels and ten stations, installed 55 km of overhead line and 84 signals, and connected the line to the Ahrweiler interlocking. At the start on 14 December 2025 the RB 30 runs to Ahrbrück and the RB 32 only to Altenahr; because of the retaining wall at Heimersheim both are to run the full length by summer 2026. (LOK Report, 12 Dec 2025)