DB completes breakthrough at Cornberg tunnel, trains from end-2028

At the new Cornberg tunnel between Bebra and Sontra, the 681 m bore has broken through after about five months of excavation. The shell is due to be finished by the end of 2027, with rail systems installed from 2028, and trains on the Frankfurt–Göttingen line are to run through the new double-track tunnel from the end of 2028. The more than 150-year-old existing tunnel can no longer be refurbished economically; it is kept as a heritage structure and will be backfilled. Two bridges dating from 1875, at Cornberg and Bebra-Rautenhausen, are also being renewed and almost 4 km of track rebuilt. The date is a placeholder for the end of 2028 (LOK Report, 30 Sep 2026).