We are building the StUB

The Stadt-Umland-Bahn (StUB) is the extension of the Nuremberg streetcar without changing trains to Erlangen and Herzogenaurach. It runs from the "Am Wegfeld" stop in the north of Nuremberg through Erlangen and on to Herzogenaurach.

The route runs through Erlangen city center to the train station and on to Herzogenaurach, through residential areas in the south of Erlangen, in Alterlangen and in Büchenbach, to the major locations of the Friedrich-Alexander University (FAU): Südgelände, Himbeerpalast, the future lecture hall center in Henkestraße, to the Siemens Campus including the extension of the Faculty of Engineering and the Herzogenaurach companies adidas, Puma and Schaeffler.

In the long term, the east with the Röthelheimpark and Siemens Healthineers could also be connected to the streetcar via the east branch to Eckental.

Erlangen is a successful city. Around 120,000 people now live here and there are 115,000 jobs. Siemens, Friedrich-Alexander University and other companies are investing enormous sums in Erlangen. More and more people are traveling in the city and between cities. They depend on attractive, efficient local transportation. As a streetcar, the StUB can transport significantly more people than a bus. It runs every 10 minutes, brings people reliably to their destination and shortens travel times. It is an additional sustainable transport option, reduces CO2 emissions in traffic and shifts car traffic to local public transport.

The StUB crosses the Regnitzgrund via a new bridge at the Wöhrmühle.

• Only streetcars, buses and emergency vehicles are allowed on the bridge. Private cars cannot use the bridge.
• The bridge creates a much faster connection for buses and streetcars between all districts in the west and the city center and, according to forecasts, reduces traffic on the Büchenbacher and Dechsendorfer Damm.
• The bridge will enable improvements to the entire bus network and relieve Goethestrasse and Hauptstrasse in the city center from bus traffic by rerouting the buses
• The bridge will be built in such a way that it has as little impact as possible on the environment and nature. The valuable biotope areas (sea holes) will be bypassed by optimizing the planning.

Streetcars, cars, buses, pedestrians and cyclists are coordinated. There are changes to the traffic routing. They lead to restrictions or partial closures for car traffic and extended footpaths and cycle paths. In particular, this affects

• a section of the B4
• Nürnberger Straße between the south junction and Memelstraße
• Sieboldstraße
• the area in front of the arcades and
• the Adenauerring.

The aim is to improve the overall flow of city traffic. Road users are to be distributed across more modes of transport and motorized commuter traffic is to be reduced. This will also result in improvements for car traffic and the accessibility of the city center.

An improved parking situation will be achieved through park-and-ride (P+R) facilities: transfer facilities will be created around the city area and the city center in Reutles, at the Europakanal, in Haundorf and in Regniztstadt. Existing multi-storey parking lots in the city center will be retained. They will be supplemented by district parking garages and linked by an adapted and intelligent guidance system. The parking supply will be better bundled and significantly improved overall. The planned changes to the B4 are expected to reduce congestion on this important route into the city according to forecasts from an external traffic study.

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

Thanks to the new Wöhrmühl crossing, Goethestraße can be relieved by rerouting buses to and from the west of Erlangen. At the same time, the west of Erlangen will be linked to the city center and the train station much faster, more directly and without detours via the bridge. The bus network will be relieved, especially in the city center area, so that improvements can be created such as a

• new bus connection from Anger / Bruck in the direction of the city center / Burgberg
• a new bus connection via Karl-Zucker-Straße to the city center and Burgberg,
• as a supplementary option, a ring bus route between Sieglitzhof, Burgberg and Martin-Luther-Platz

Several mobility hubs are planned in the urban area. These are transfer points for local public transport, but also for cyclists and e-scooter users, for example. As part of the Siemens Campus and the FAU developments in the south, the mobility hub on Freyeslebenstraße is intended to improve accessibility to the south. In the west, the current Lindnerstraße bus hub will be connected to the city center and the workplaces in Herzogenaurach by the StUB in just a few minutes. Another mobility hub is located in the Regnitzstadt district. This is where the connection to the train station and bus lines is established.

More than 50,000 people living in Erlangen will benefit directly from the StUB and the improvements to the bus network even without the StUB east branch. With the east branch, this figure will rise to more than 63,000 people.

Erlangen is a cycling city. By utilizing synergy effects, cycling can be strengthened in the future:

• The east-west commuter route for bicycle traffic between Herzogenaurach and Uttenreuth will be strengthened and will receive the urgently needed gap closure between Arcaden and Regnitzgrund
• The new Wöhrmühl bridge will provide an illuminated and covered route for cycle traffic between Wöhrmühle and Kosbacher Stutzen below the StUB. With the StUB and pedestrian/cycle traffic crossing underneath the A73, the city center can be directly and conveniently connected to the Wiesengrund
• The Gerbereitunnel can be relieved as there is a second crossing option for the railroad line and the A73
• The cycle paths in front of the arcades and in the goods hall underpass will be improved
• Along Äußere Nürnberger Straße, Erlangen can be conveniently connected to Nuremberg and the city center to Tennenlohe thanks to the direct routing of the high-speed cycle link.

By relieving bus traffic on Goethestrasse, an efficient north-south axis for cycling through the city center can be created.

The Stadt-Umland-Bahn will reorganize and redesign traffic areas. By shifting journeys to the StUB, there will be scope for non-motorized traffic and for recreational and green areas. This not only contributes to a more attractive cityscape, but also offers residents improved noise protection and reduces harmful emissions, which contributes to an overall improved quality of life.

Striking examples are the redesign possibilities in the inner city area:

• By reorganizing bus traffic, Goethestraße and Hugenottenplatz can be relieved and upgraded
• The pedestrian zone can be extended towards Martin-Luther-Platz and Hugenottenplatz can be redesigned
• A new recreational area can be created at the central bus stop in Güterhallenstraße in front of the arcades
• The division of the pedestrian zone into two sections will be abolished and an arrival point created.

Between Himbeerpalast and Langemarckplatz, the railroad will help shape the axis of science. The StUB stop on Freyeslebenstrasse will also create an entrance for the Siemens campus and the future FAU site.

Environmental and nature conservation experts have been involved in the planning from the outset. Sensitive areas along the route, such as the Brucker Lache, should not be affected. Valuable trees, for example in Tennenlohe and Nürnberger Straße, will be largely preserved. The tramway offers the opportunity to green areas, for example with grass tracks.

• The planning approval procedure is set to begin in summer 2026
• Construction in Nuremberg "Am Wegfeld" is to start in 2028 and take place in sections. This should reduce local disruption. From 2031, the urban-regional railroad is to go into operation in stages.
• The project should be completed by 2034.

The Stadt-Umland-Bahn (StUB) is an infrastructure project that plays a central role for Erlangen and the region as a business and science location. Especially in financially difficult times for the city, it is important to further strengthen the location. The StUB is intended to relieve commuter traffic in the Erlangen, Nuremberg and Herzogenaurach area and, in the long term, the communities in the east of the Erlangen-Höchstadt district and improve the accessibility of the city.

In 2016, the cities of Nuremberg, Erlangen and Herzogenaurach founded a special-purpose association for the planning and construction of the Stadt-Umland-Bahn. Special-purpose associations are established by municipalities to tackle a common task. They are therefore set up for the long term and can therefore only be terminated in exceptional cases ("for good cause") in accordance with the law on municipal cooperation. At the beginning of the planning process, the question of federal and state funding for the Stadt-Umland-Bahn had not yet been clarified. It was therefore not clear whether the cities would ultimately be able to finance the project. For this reason, the three cities agreed in 2016 - primarily at the insistence of the city of Erlangen - to a unilateral right of termination in the special-purpose association in addition to the regular termination option.

In the meantime, the financial framework conditions are clear: the federal and state governments will bear 90% of the costs for the planning and construction of the StUB. The planning for the project has largely been completed, and 52.4% of Erlangen residents voted in favor of building the Stadt-Umland-Bahn in the referendum on June 9, 2024. For these reasons, the city councils in Nuremberg, Erlangen and Herzogenaurach decided in June to remove the unilateral right of termination from the statutes. The classic termination option still exists. However, according to established case law, a temporarily difficult budgetary situation is not to be considered "good cause". In principle, the fulfillment of the joint task takes precedence over the individual interests of a member.

Due to the budget situation, the departments of the city administration are continuously working to reduce the burden on the city budget through savings. This also applies to the Stadt-Umland-Bahn special-purpose association.

The current planning costs are EUR 95 million, the investment costs EUR 635 million (price level 2022 including risk buffer of 20 %). Funding has been promised. A current calculation has confirmed that the construction of the StUB will be funded in 2023. 90% of the costs will be paid by the federal and state governments. That is over 500 million euros.

Erlangen will pay 82 million euros over several years for planning and construction. 15.7 million euros of this has already been paid. There will be costs for operation and maintenance. This will be offset by additional fare revenue. According to a rough estimate, the annual costs for city transport will increase by around 10% (approx. 1.2 million euros) as a result of the StUB and the improvements to the bus network.

Yes, the special purpose association regularly invites you to events. The dates can be found here.

... you can contact the Zweckverband Stadt-Umland-Bahn.