Lower Saxony state government and Greater Braunschweig Regional Association have already made €5m available for planning. The German federal government has agreed to provide €114m from the 2021-2024 budget which will be voted on by the German parliament in December.
Work to add a second track to the 18.3km single-track line known as the Weddel Loop should start in spring 2021 and be completed by the December 2023 timetable change. This will allow the introduction of a half-hourly local service between Braunschweig and Wolfsburg and provide additional capacity for freight and long-distance services.
The line opened in September 1998 to provide a connection between Braunschweig and the Hannover - Wolfsburg - Berlin high-speed line, although planning approval, which is still valid, was given for a double-track line. The new line incorporated a 12km section at the northern end which was rebuilt in the mid-1990s to modern standards. This line was extended 8.4km south to Weddel east of Braunschweig to form the new line.
