Feasibility study: Line 10 could run via Travniker Straße to Wahren S-Bahn station

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Public transport users need patience. And as a rule, they are well practised in this, not just on hot days. This also applies when waiting for new tram routes and extensions to the tram network. After all, the City Council approved this back in 2020 and again in 2021 as part of the ‘Mobility Strategy 2030’. Three extensions are set out in the strategy. But the feasibility study alone is taking years. By 2024, it should actually already be clear whether it is worth extending Line 10 to the Wahren S-Bahn station.

That made sense even back then. The question that remained, of course, was which route the tram should take – directly via Linkelstraße or via a different route? And it is precisely this alternative route that has now proved to be the more cost-effective option, according to the Department of Urban Development and Construction. The option via Travniker Straße is better suited to improving public transport links to the Wahren district and the industrial estates in the north of Leipzig.

Extension for Auenseestraße

A feasibility study commissioned by the Free State of Saxony, the city and Leipziger Verkehrsbetriebe examined three possible route options for the tram line to Wahren S-Bahn station. The study recommends the construction of a double-track line via the extended Auenseestraße/Travniker Straße to a new turning loop and a possible new tram depot near the Leipzig-Wahren S-Bahn station.

The city’s leadership has now been informed of the findings of the study, and the city council is to decide on the preferred option and further planning.

The preferred option for public transport would have the advantage of eliminating the need for the existing turning loop at Pater-Aurelius-Platz. This would allow the area around Wahren Town Hall to be made more attractive.

As part of the urban development plan for transport and public spaces, the study also examined whether and how a new road link between Gustav-Esche-Straße and Travniker Straße would be sensible and suitable for improving traffic conditions in Wahren. As a result, the study proposes a new road running parallel to the tram line between Georg-Schumann-Straße and Travniker Straße.

Estimated costs of 35 million euros

The estimated total cost of road and track construction works for the proposed preferred option amounts to around 35 million euros. The Planning Department emphasizes that the extent to which and when the construction project can be implemented depends on the budgetary situation, available funding and the priorities set by the City Council. Nevertheless, the selection of the preferred option should at least be finalized now, so that the project can continue as seamlessly as possible once the necessary funds are available.

In October 2020, the City Council approved the start of planning for three network extensions—in addition to the connection to Wahren S-Bahn station; these include the so-called ‘Südsehne’ (southern branch), including the access roads, and the connection to Thekla-Süd.

Further information on the network extension in Wahren can be found here.