The time has come: preliminary planning for the Regiotram from Aachen to Baesweiler has begun. The three companies Obermeyer Infrastruktur GmbH und Co KG, Schüßler-Plan Ingenieurgesellschaft mbH and Bernard Gruppe ZT GmbH have been awarded the contract for the basic evaluation and preliminary planning of the Regiotram.

The renowned planning offices have already successfully developed other streetcar projects such as the extension of Line 5 in Cologne or the new Alexanderplatz - Potsdamer Platz streetcar line in Berlin.

"A great opportunity for the Aachen city region to strengthen the environmental network, a comprehensive, exciting task that we are very happy to take on with our experience," says Matthias Hermann, overall project manager of the bidding consortium, on the award of the contract for further planning.

70,000 commuter journeys per day
At the moment, the roads between Aachen and the north of the city region are heavily congested with around 70,000 commuter journeys per day: Traffic jams, noise and lots of air pollutants are the result. The environmentally friendly Regiotram could transport the majority of commuters comfortably, quickly and reliably.

It is a joint project of the city and StädteRegion Aachen with Würselen, Alsdorf and Baesweiler as well as the Aachener Verkehrsverbund (AVV), which is responsible for the project management for the basic evaluation and preliminary planning.

Reactions to the award
"We are delighted that the award of the preliminary planning has now been completed. With these three experienced planning offices, we are taking the next step towards realizing the Regiotram," says a delighted Hans-Peter Geulen, Managing Director of AVV.

Lord Mayor Sibylle Keupen also welcomes the new development: "We are delighted that things are now moving forward and that we can continue with the planning. This brings us another big step closer to the Regiotram for the region. We want to involve citizens intensively in this process. Because we are building the Regiotram for them."

"The start of the next planning phase is a good signal for our region," says city region councillor Dr. Tim Grüttemeier, "because a streetcar is faster, more reliable and more comfortable than a bus, it relieves the roads and thus ensures less congestion and noise, reduces pollutants in the air and is therefore a plus for climate protection." The Regiotram will not only bring the majority of commuters between Aachen, Würselen, Alsdorf and Baesweiler from the region to the city and back much more comfortably than before, but will also connect the Merzbrück research airfield and create a link to Übach-Palenberg on the main Aachen-Mönchengladbach line.

Feasibility study comes to a positive conclusion
A feasibility study has already assessed the Regiotram as technically and operationally feasible as well as economically viable. The route from Aachen via Würselen and the center of Alsdorf to Baesweiler emerged as the favorite. With this variant, bus services, the Euregiobahn and the Regiotram are optimally linked at Alsdorf-Annapark station.

What happens in the next planning phase?
Preliminary planning Preliminary planning is now being carried out for this route with regard to traffic planning aspects, road and rail facilities, necessary new structures and operating technology. The first step is to examine whether - and where exactly - there will be sections without overhead lines.

This is followed by a detailed examination and planning of the approximately 20-kilometre route, with critical and technically difficult points such as the Annapark in Alsdorf and Aachen's city center being examined first. In the next step, the planning of engineering structures such as bridges will be examined in depth.

The planning process will be accompanied by an intensive dialog with the public. The initial results of the preliminary planning will be presented and discussed at an information market on December 2, 2025. From next year, there will be planning workshops in which citizens can participate.

This is followed by a review of the operating concept and adjustments to the stop planning. Finally, the costs are determined and the economic viability is re-examined.

As a result of around two years of preliminary planning, a defined route and a determined road layout will be available. The location and equipment of the stops, a concrete cost framework for the construction as well as findings on the power supply and freedom from overhead lines should also be determined by mid-2027.

Financing and a look into the future
The preliminary planning is being financed by the STARK program (funding guideline for strengthening the transformation dynamics and new beginnings in the coal mining areas and at the coal-fired power plant sites). The federal government is covering 70 percent of the costs, while the state of NRW is contributing 20 percent. The remaining ten percent is shared between the StädteRegion and the City of Aachen.

The subsequent planning and construction phases will take around ten years, meaning that the Regiotram could be running through the city and StädteRegion Aachen in the 2030s.

The total construction costs of the Regiotram project amount to around 330 million euros. The infrastructure is to be financed via the Municipal Transport Financing Act (GVFG) with up to 95 percent of the funding from the state and federal government.

Further information at www.regiotram-aachen.de