Buschtunnel, Westportal, Aachen Travel Guide

The Buschtunnel, West Portal, marks the entrance to a fascinating piece of Aachen's history. These parallel railway tunnels, an old and a new one, pierce through the Aachener Wald (Aachen Forest) near the German-Belgian border. The older tunnel, inaugurated in 1843, stands as Germany's oldest operating railway tunnel.The tunnel's construction addressed the need to overcome the Aachener Wald's terrain when building the railway line between Aachen and Liège. The original tunnel stretches 691 meters, with a maximum overburden of approximately 51 meters. A smaller, 150-meter tunnel once connected to it towards Liège.Over the years, the Buschtunnel has undergone several renovations. Issues with water seepage led to the construction of longitudinal and transverse adits shortly after its opening. During WWII, explosions damaged the tunnel vault, halting rail traffic until 1949. The line's electrification in the 1960s brought further construction, and subsequent repairs involved reinforced shotcrete to seal the masonry. A new, 711-meter tunnel was constructed between 2004 and 2007 to increase speed and safety. The old tunnel was renovated and reopened in 2011. Today, the Buschtunnel is primarily used by passenger trains, including high-speed connections.