Overview
- Four boreholes up to 100 meters deep are underway at Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof, each taking about three weeks, with Track 3 closed until the winter timetable begins on 14 December.
- Around 150 drilling sites are planned along the proposed alignment through 2026 to sample soils, rock layers, groundwater conditions and subsurface temperatures.
- Results will determine excavation methods and the depth and location of the future underground long-distance platforms.
- Deutsche Bahn is assessing three station variants (box in high position, deep position or west position) with a preferred option expected by autumn 2026, and it plans to build a single tunnel tube initially.
- The project is budgeted at about €3.6 billion with service targeted for the early 2040s, and roughly 100 boreholes will remain as long-term groundwater monitoring wells with data shared with the Hessian geology office.