DB InfraGO activates tunnel-meeting ban system on VDE 8.1 high-speed line

Mixed operation becomes possible on the high-speed line; additional freight trains can run especially in the shoulder hours and at night, with paths bookable since August 2026

At 0:00 on 10 August 2026 DB InfraGO put into operation a system developed and approved together with Siemens that technically rules out meetings between passenger and freight trains in the tunnels of line 5919 (VDE 8.1) between Unterleiterbach and Erfurt Hbf. It identifies the train type automatically from the ETCS on-board unit, operations control systems and timetable data; this makes mixed operation possible on the high-speed line, where aerodynamic effects in the single-bore tunnels had so far meant that only passenger or only freight trains could run, and additional freight trains can now run especially in the shoulder hours and at night. For this, railway undertakings must accept path offers even in short-notice ad-hoc traffic; the reports give no investment cost. (LOK Report, 7 Aug and 17 Aug 2026)