Chemnitz model: planning approval for the route on Reichenhainer Straße can begin
Yesterday evening, the Planning, Construction and Environment Committee made a recommendation to the Central Saxony Transport Association (VMS) regarding the route of the Chemnitz Model railway line on Reichenhainer Straße. The VMS will submit this proposal to the planning approval procedure, which is due to begin this year.
Accordingly, variant 2.1 is to be submitted for planning. It envisages the railway line with a green track in the centre. Although the walkable avenue of trees will have to be abandoned, the rows of trees will be completely replaced by new plantings in better locations than before. The routing of motor vehicle and cycle traffic is based on the existing directional arrangement. Sufficiently wide footpaths and parking lanes are provided on the sides. As the new arrangement of traffic flows is expected to generally relieve congestion on Reichenhainer Strasse, the planners assume that separate routing of cycle and motor vehicle traffic is not necessary.
In this variant, rail and bus traffic are linked at the same platform. This is convenient for travellers and eliminates the need for parking facilities for buses. It will be possible to pass stopping vehicles without having to drive along the railway line. All properties along the railway line can still be accessed from the road. In addition, the chosen option offers the greatest possible flexibility when implementing traffic calming measures.
The general route was also decided. Accordingly, the route will run from Bernsdorfer Straße via Turmstraße to Reichenhainer Straße. From Reichenhainer Strasse, the route is to be connected to the existing Deutsche Bahn railway track via the southern Technopark.
New traffic flow regulations
With the realisation of the railway line, a new regulation of traffic flows in the area is also planned. In future, Reichenhainer Straße between Turnstraße and Wartburgstraße will be reserved for local residents, pedestrians and cyclists. Between the canteen and the auditorium centre, the traffic-reducing measures and a corresponding design of the forecourt with integration of the new tram stop will facilitate the coexistence of pedestrians and crossing traffic along Reichenhainer Straße. The aim is to create a high-quality square where pedestrians can move freely.
The calming of Reichenhainer Strasse will be achieved by extending Fraunhofer Strasse, the first construction phase of which has already been realised, as a relief route. To this end, Fraunhofer will be extended to Werner-Seelenbinder-Straße, for which implementation planning is currently underway. The connection to the Südring is already functional with the road through the industrial estate. After the new construction, an efficient alternative route to Reichenhainer Straße will be available - at the same time as the railway line is implemented - which will take over its previous function as a priority road.
Timetable
The planning approval procedure is scheduled to begin this year. The recommendation of the PBUA will conclude the feasibility study and preliminary design phase. The project developer will then begin the design and approval planning in the Reichenhainer Straße section as the next planning steps. The surveying work for this is currently underway.
The developer will submit the completed approval planning for planning approval. The entire process up to the granting of planning approval is expected to take around 1.5 years. Stage 2 of the Chemnitz model is to be submitted for planning approval in several stages.
Once building rights have been granted in the form of planning approval, implementation planning, tendering and awarding of the construction work for the respective sections can begin. The aim is to start construction work on Reichenhainer Straße in around 2016 and complete the work in 2018, with realisation of the route planned from 2016. The first scheduled trains could be running from the end of 2018.
Yesterday's decision was preceded by the in-depth study of variants requested by the committee, which included various traffic routes, cross-sectional positions of the carriageways and a tree survey. The results were presented to the public at the end of March at an information event in the new lecture theatre building at Chemnitz University of Technology and discussed with citizens.
The tree expertise came to the conclusion that the sycamore trees show varying growth and vitality due to local site conditions. Overall, the avenue shows little development compared to similar avenues. The report therefore assumes that the current site conditions are unfavourable even for the growth of the rather undemanding sycamore tree species. If the avenue is replanted under better conditions as part of the construction project, the plane trees could reach their current crown volume in as little as 15 years. In addition, with the chosen variant, there will be more trees in Reichenhainer Strasse after the construction work than at present.
Financing secured until 2018
The financial requirements for stage 2 have been fully met since June 2012. Federal and state funding totalling 90% of the eligible costs for the Chemnitz model, including planning costs, will be provided. The own funds are secured by the ZVMS. The duration of the federal public transport funding programme until 2018 results in an ambitious timeline for implementation. Stage 2 of the Chemnitz model gives the city the opportunity to accompany the transport development with a corresponding urban development and to use the resulting tram infrastructure as the "backbone" of a completely new campus development at Chemnitz University of Technology.