We're building the StUB

The City-Suburban Railway (StUB) is an extension of the Nuremberg tram line that provides direct service to Erlangen and Herzogenaurach. It runs from the “Am Wegfeld” stop in northern Nuremberg through Erlangen and on to Herzogenaurach.

The route runs through downtown Erlangen to the train station and on to Herzogenaurach, passing through residential areas in southern Erlangen, in Alterlangen and Büchenbach, and to the major campuses of Friedrich-Alexander University (FAU): the South Campus, Himbeerpalast, the future lecture hall center on Henkestraße, the Siemens Campus—including the expansion of the Faculty of Engineering—and the Herzogenaurach-based companies adidas, Puma, and Schaeffler.

In the long term, the eastern part of the city—including Röthelheimpark and Siemens Healthineers—could also be connected to the tram line via the eastern branch to Eckental.

Erlangen is a thriving city. It is now home to about 120,000 people and offers 115,000 jobs. Siemens, Friedrich-Alexander University, and other companies are investing enormous sums in Erlangen. More and more people are traveling within the city and between cities. To do so, they rely on an attractive, efficient public transit system. As a streetcar, the StUB can transport significantly more people than a bus. It runs every 10 minutes, reliably takes people to their destinations, and shortens travel times. It is an additional sustainable transportation option that reduces CO2 emissions from traffic and shifts car traffic to public transit.

The StUB crosses the Regnitz Valley via a new bridge at the Wöhrmühle.

• Only trams, buses, and emergency vehicles are permitted on the bridge. Private cars may not use the bridge.
• The bridge provides a significantly faster connection for buses and the streetcar between all neighborhoods in the west and the city center and, according to projections, will reduce traffic on Büchenbacher Damm and Dechsendorfer Damm.
• The bridge will enable improvements to the entire bus network and relieve bus traffic on Goethestraße and Hauptstraße in the city center by rerouting buses.
• The bridge will be constructed in a way that minimizes its impact on the environment and nature. The valuable biotope areas (Seelöcher) will be bypassed through optimized planning.

Trams, car traffic, buses, and pedestrian and bicycle traffic are coordinated. There are changes to traffic routing. These changes result in restrictions or partial closures for car traffic and in expanded pedestrian and bicycle paths. In particular, this affects

• a section of the B4
• Nürnberger Straße between the southern intersection and Memelstraße
• Sieboldstraße
• the area in front of the Arcaden, and
• Adenauerring.

The goal is to improve the overall flow of city traffic. The aim is to distribute road users across a wider range of transportation modes and reduce motorized commuter traffic. This will also result in improvements for car traffic and access to the city center.

An improved parking situation will be achieved through Park-and-Ride (P+R) facilities: Transfer options are being created around the city and in the downtown area—in Reutles, along the Europakanal, in Haundorf, and in Regniztstadt. Existing parking garages in the downtown area will remain in place. These will be supplemented by neighborhood parking garages and linked by an adapted and intelligent guidance system. Parking capacity will be better consolidated and will improve significantly overall. Based on the planned changes to the B4, forecasts from an externally conducted traffic study predict less congestion on this important route into the city.

Visualization of the Park & Ride facility in Reutles, Nuremberg (Claus Hirche – ZV Stadt-Umland-Bahn)

Thanks to the new Wöhrmühl crossing, traffic on Goethestraße can be alleviated by rerouting buses to and from western Erlangen. At the same time, western Erlangen will be connected to the city center and the train station much more quickly and directly, without detours over the bridge. The bus network will be relieved of congestion, particularly in the downtown area, allowing for improvements such as a

• new bus route from the Anger/Bruck area toward downtown and Burgberg
• a new bus route via Karl-Zucker-Straße to the city center and Burgberg,
• and, as a supplementary option, a circular bus route between Sieglitzhof, Burgberg, and Martin-Luther-Platz

Several mobility hubs are planned within the city limits. These serve as transfer points for public transit, but also for cyclists and e-scooter users, for example. As part of the Siemens Campus and FAU developments in the south, the mobility hub on Freyeslebenstraße is intended to improve access to the southern part of the city. In the west, the StUB will connect the existing Lindnerstraße bus transfer point to the city center and workplaces in Herzogenaurach in just a few minutes. Another mobility hub is located in Regnitzstadt, where connections to the train station and bus routes will be established.

Even without the StUB East Branch, more than 50,000 people living in Erlangen will benefit directly from the StUB and improvements to the bus network. With the East Branch, that number rises to more than 63,000 people.

Erlangen is a bicycle-friendly city. By leveraging synergies, bicycle traffic can be further strengthened in the future:

• The east-west commuter route for cyclists between Herzogenaurach and Uttenreuth will be enhanced and will close the urgently needed gap between Arcaden and Regnitzgrund
• The new Wöhrmühl Bridge will provide a lighted and covered route for cyclists between Wöhrmühle and Kosbacher Stutzen beneath the StUB. With the shared underpass beneath the A73 for both the StUB and pedestrian/bicycle traffic, the downtown area can be directly and conveniently connected to Wiesengrund
• Traffic on the Gerbe Tunnel can be reduced, as there is now a second option for crossing the railroad tracks and the A73
• The bike path routing in front of the Arcaden and in the Güterhalle underpass will be improved
• Along Äußere Nürnberger Straße, the direct routing of the bicycle expressway will provide convenient access between Erlangen and Nuremberg, as well as between the city center and Tennenlohe.

By reducing bus traffic on Goethestraße, an efficient north-south axis for bicycle traffic through the city center can be created.

The City-Suburban Railway (StUB) is reorganizing and redesigning traffic areas. Shifting traffic to the StUB creates space for non-motorized transportation, recreational areas, and green spaces. This not only contributes to a more attractive urban landscape but also provides residents with improved noise protection and reduces harmful emissions, which collectively contribute to a higher quality of life.

Notable examples include the redevelopment opportunities in the downtown area:

• By reorganizing bus traffic, Goethestraße and Hugenottenplatz can be relieved of traffic and revitalized
• The pedestrian zone can be extended toward Martin-Luther-Platz, and Hugenottenplatz can be redesigned
• A new gathering area can be created at the central bus stop on Güterhallenstraße in front of the Arcaden
• The division of the pedestrian zone into two parts will be eliminated, creating a destination.

Between Himbeerpalast and Langemarckplatz, the railway is helping to shape the “Axis of Science.” On Freyeslebenstraße, the StUB stop will also serve as an entrance to the Siemens Campus and the future FAU campus.

Experts in environmental protection and nature conservation have been involved in the planning from the very beginning. Sensitive areas along the route, such as the Brucker Lache, are not to be affected. Valuable trees, for example in Tennenlohe and on Nürnberger Straße, will largely be preserved. The tram offers an opportunity to green the area, for example through grass-covered tracks.

• The planning approval process is scheduled to begin in the summer of 2026
• Construction in Nuremberg’s “Am Wegfeld” district is scheduled to begin in 2028 and will proceed in phases. This is intended to minimize local disruptions. The city-suburban rail line is scheduled to begin operations in phases starting in 2031.
• The project is scheduled to be completed by 2034.

The City-Suburban Railway (StUB) is an infrastructure project that plays a central role for Erlangen as a hub for business and science, as well as for the region. Especially during times of financial difficulty for the city, it is important to further strengthen the area’s position. The StUB is intended to alleviate commuter traffic in the Erlangen, Nuremberg, and Herzogenaurach area—and, in the future, also in the municipalities in the eastern part of the Erlangen-Höchstadt district—and improve access to the city.

In 2016, the cities of Nuremberg, Erlangen, and Herzogenaurach established a special-purpose association for the planning and construction of the City-Suburban Railway. Municipalities form special-purpose associations to tackle a common task. They are therefore designed to be permanent, and under the Law on Municipal Cooperation, termination is only possible in exceptional cases (“for good cause”). At the start of planning, the question of federal and state funding for the City-Suburban Railway had not yet been resolved. It was therefore unclear whether the cities would ultimately be able to finance the project. Consequently, in 2016—primarily at the urging of the city of Erlangen—the three cities agreed to include a unilateral right of termination within the special-purpose association in addition to the regular termination option.

In the meantime, the financial framework has been clarified: the federal and state governments will cover 90% of the costs for planning and construction of the StUB. Planning for the project is largely complete; in the referendum held on June 9, 2024, 52.4% of Erlangen residents voted in favor of building the City-Suburban Railway. For these reasons, the city councils in Nuremberg, Erlangen, and Herzogenaurach decided in June to remove the unilateral right of termination from the bylaws. The standard termination provision remains in effect. However, according to established case law, a temporary budgetary hardship is generally not considered “good cause.” The fulfillment of the joint mission generally takes precedence over the individual interests of a member.

Due to the budgetary situation, city administration departments are continuously working to alleviate pressure on the municipal budget through cost-saving measures. This also applies to the Stadt-Umland-Bahn Special-Purpose Association.

The current planning costs amount to 95 million euros, and the investment costs to 635 million euros (at 2022 price levels, including a 20% risk buffer). Funding has been secured. A recent calculation in 2023 confirmed that the construction of the StUB will receive subsidies. 90% of the costs will be covered by the federal and state governments. That amounts to over 500 million euros.

Erlangen will pay 82 million euros for planning and construction, spread over several years. 15.7 million euros of this amount have already been paid. Operating and maintenance costs will be incurred. These will be offset by additional fare revenue. According to a rough estimate, the annual costs for city transit will increase by about 10% (approximately 1.2 million euros) due to the StUB and improvements to the bus network.

Yes. The special-purpose association regularly hosts events. You can find the dates here.

... you can contact the Stadt-Umland-Bahn Special-Purpose Association.