Germany: Deutsche Bahn Closes Gemünden–Aschaffenburg Line for Five Weeks, 9 November – 12 December

From Monday 9 November, the Gemünden–Aschaffenburg line in Bavaria will close completely for five weeks, until Saturday 12 December 2026, for engineering works. Deutsche Bahn’s infrastructure arm, DB InfraGO, is using the shutdown to carry out a bundle of works worth more than €23 million on the Main-Spessart line.

More than 40 kilometres of rail will be renewed between Gemünden and Laufach, and over 500 sleepers will be replaced. New points will be installed at Partenstein and Langenprozelten, engineers will inspect the overhead line on the tunnel section between Heigenbrücken and Laufach, and step-free access will be improved at Laufach and Gemünden stations.

Regional services will be hit hardest. RB 79 and RE 54/55 trains are cancelled on the affected section and replaced by buses: an hourly express bus with a single stop at Lohr, and an hourly bus calling at all stations. Hessische Landesbahn’s RB 58 will run only between Aschaffenburg and Laufach.

Long-distance passengers face longer journeys too. Trains between Hanau and Würzburg will be diverted, adding around 45 minutes to the trip, although hourly long-distance services between Frankfurt and Nuremberg will continue to run.

There is one further complication to note. From 20:00 on Thursday 19 November until 05:00 on Monday 23 November, the RB 58 will be linked with the RB 75 at Kleinostheim, and several stops will be dropped during that period.

This is a planned engineering closure, not a strike, and the works are designed to make the line more reliable in the long term. Even so, five weeks without trains is a major disruption for commuters and travellers in the region, and replacement buses will take considerably longer than the trains they replace.

What to do about the Gemünden–Aschaffenburg line

If you travel on this route, check Deutsche Bahn’s journey planner before you set off, allow plenty of extra time, and check the bus departure points at your station, as replacement buses do not always leave from the usual platform. If you are travelling a long distance between Frankfurt and Nuremberg, expect a diversion and a journey that is around 45 minutes longer than usual. Before you travel, check your trip against the Gemünden–Aschaffenburg line closure dates, 9 November to 12 December. Germany has other disruption too, and the Gemünden–Aschaffenburg line is not the only service affected: see Hanover Buses Stop for the bus strikes on 8 and 9 November.

Source: Deutsche Bahn press release, deutschebahn.com, 25 September 2026.