S-Bahn and light rail complement each other well in Hanover. While the light rail system primarily ensures public transport mobility in an urban context, the focus of the S-Bahn has so far been on urban and suburban transport. This means that, unlike in Berlin or Hamburg, for example, the S-Bahn in Hanover is not yet primarily a tool for the transport transition in the city. However, there is great potential here. The speeds and capacities of the S-Bahn vehicles are higher than those of the light rail system. In addition, interchanges between light rail and S-Bahn have already been set up in many places.
This already very good status quo is taken as the basis for creating a ring S-Bahn around the city centre of Hanover. What is special about this concept is that no new track infrastructure needs to be created by using the freight bypass railway. Only two new stops in Ahlem/Limmer and Badenstedt would have to be created as required. An S-Bahn ring would create new and attractive connections in Hanover's public transport system, relieving the burden on the city centre and the tunnel routes there. The districts of Ahlem, Limmer and Badenstedt will also be completely reconnected to the S-Bahn network.
Based on calculations from the award-winning competition entry, an average of 906 g of greenhouse gases can be saved in Hanover for every journey made by public transport instead of by car thanks to the Ringbahn. A real contribution to climate protection and the transport revolution.
Jonas Lamberg, a member of the Spatial Planning and Regional Development working group at the Institute for Environmental Planning, impressed the high-calibre jury led by Lord Mayor Belit Onay and Regional President Steffen Krach with his concept for a ring suburban railway for Hanover. We congratulate him on his success!
