Lock Closure at Regensburg

[steamboats]

A freight ship collided with a bridge over the lock at Regensburg yesterday morning. This caused a gas line to break followed by an explosion and fire. The steel inside the bridge more or less melted. As for now the bridge has to be torn down. The lock is closed until further notice. This will affect all cruises between Nuremberg - Passau - Vienna - Budapest.

 

In addition to that all locks on the Main river, the Canal and the Danube river including Straubing will be closed starting mid April for 4 - 16 days (depending on the lock). This is an announced maintenance closure. The locks on the Canal are the ones which have the shortest closure time. This also affects all cruises from Nuremberg - Passau. It also affects cruises from Amsterdam - Vienna/Budapest.

 

steamboats

[Abarb]

Can someone please substantiate the report re the accident at the Regensburg Lock.

I have googled for news but can find nothing.

[steamboats]

Abarb,

 

I can give you links to German newspapers or the website of the administration responsible for the German waterways but that´s in German too.

 

Here´s the local newspaper of Regensburg

 

http://www.mittelbayerische.de/nachrichten/region/regensburg/online/artikel/grossbrand_muss_regensburger_b/210486/grossbrand_muss_regensburger_b.html

 

including a short video.

 

And here are the latest news by the administration

 

http://www.elwis.de/NfB/nfb_start.php?target=3&source=2&ws_id=0361/2008

 

saying that the power supply for the locks has been damaged too. They are now trying to reinstall the power and secure the bridge. The bridge will be torn down during the already scheduled maintenance closure in April (which is scheduled for Apr 14 - 26, 2008 for this lock). They do hope that they can reopen the lock on March 18th.

 

Here are the dates for the maintenance closure in April

 

http://www.elwis.de/NfB/Schleusensperrungen/wsd-sued/index.html

 

steamboats

[letsgo39]

Can someone please substantiate the report re the accident at the Regensburg Lock.

I have googled for news but can find nothing.

 

 

ABARB,

I can assure you that if Steamboats has relayed this story it is accurate.

[cole]

Steamboat:

Does this have any impact of the cruise from Nuremberg to Amsterdam beginning April 5?

Bitzy Cole

[webfoot]

Steamboats,

 

Thanks as always for your updates. Your wealth of information has really helped me in our trip planning.

 

I'm so sorry to hear about the lock closure at Regensburg. How awful. I was able to project out the date when our cruise is supposed to be in Regensburg and see that it is May 5th, so hopefully everything will be fixed by then.

[steamboats]

Cole,

 

You should be fine. The closures start on Apr 11 at Nuremberg. On the Main river they start on Apr 15.

 

Webfoot,

 

Where is your cruise starting and when? The closure at Nuremberg end on Apr 27, the one at Regensburg Apr 26. May 5 sounds good.

 

steamboats

[Abarb]

Hi Steamboat, Thank you for your prompt reply and for posting the links to the news items. Also to Letsgo39 for you reassurance of the validity of the post.

The bridge closure doesn't affect me personally as we re doing the cruise in 2009, but my next door neighbours are only about 6 weeks away from their cruise so it may have some impact on them.

Regards

[roothy123]

OK, I guess I'll call Viking tomorrow to see if they can give me any information. But in the mean time, or if they can't, could you please advise:

We are scheduled to leave Budapest April 14, arrive in Vienna April 15 , Melk/Linz 16th, Passau 17th, Regensburg and Kelheim April 18th, Main/Danube Canal to Nuremberg the 19th. So what might happen? This sounds like it's during a double whammy of maintenance closures and repair work, so will anything be moving, do you think? Are there multiple locks or what? I'm getting a bit depressed, since being bussed from one town to another would just not be the same as river cruising. Thanks for any info or speculation you can provide - I know a little German, but probably not enough to understand the information in the links.

[steamboats]

roothy123,

 

The first lock you have to pass through in Germany and which is included in the closures is Straubing. This is downriver of Regensburg but upriver of Passau. This lock closes on Apr 15th. Check this link again

 

http://www.elwis.de/NfB/Schleusensperrungen/wsd-sued/index.html

 

Go to the bottom of the list and there you´ll see the closure dates.

 

Looking on that list I´d say that your cruise might end in Passau and you´ll be bussed to Nuremberg. I can´t see a way how you might get through this series of lock closures. There is unfortunately also no chance to send down another ship and change ships somewhere.

 

Better call and check with Viking. But I´m not sure if they´re going to tell you anything. The US booking agent might not even know about the closures at all.

 

steamboats

[steamboats]

Latest news: the lock at Regenburg reopens at 6 pm (German time, which is in 30 min right now).

 

steamboats

[steamboats]

And we have another accident in a lock. This time it´s Jochenstein, which is close to Passau and the border to Austria. Fortunately this lock has two chambers. But as one will be closed for app. 4 weeks there will be sort of a traffic jam and delays.

 

BTW it was the Deilmann´s MOZART which didn´t lower her stacks properly and hit something at the lock on Wednesday evening. The MS MOZART sustained a damage of app. 20,000 Euro. According to the schedule her first cruise started yesterday (March 20). So I assume she was chartered for a short trip on Wednesday. It shouldn´t affect any cruises. The same thing happened last August in Vienna when the stacks hit a railroad bridge.

 

steamboats

[orchestrapal]

Steamboats!

Wouldn't you think after all these years the captains of these boats would be aware of their height, relative to the water depth? :confused:

[steamboats]

orchestrapal,

 

I´m definitely sure they do know :D ! But if you miss to lower you stacks that knowledge doesn´t help.

 

I remember in the pilothouse of the Mississippi Queen there´s a hughe sign saying "Lower Stacks!!" They once hit a bridge and never done it since. The stacks on the Mississippi Queen are behind the pilothouse and you can´t see them from the pilothouse. Now they also send out a watchman to check if they´re down.

 

Maybe the MS Mozart should do that too :rolleyes: . It does cost them a lot of money. The damage to the ship is minor but the damage to the bridge and now the lock is pretty high.

 

steamboats

[roothy123]

We just got the dreaded letter from Viking, informing us of the changes of dates for lock changes, and letting us know how it would affect our trip, which is coming up April 13th. The ship can (apparently) get from Budapest (the start) to Vienna, Passau, etc. and as far as Deggendorf (not sure where that is, but I'll look it up!!), but then we are bussed to Regensburg. We can then continue on the bus to Kelheim and the Danube Gorge boat excursion or return to the ship for free time to Deggendorf. The next day we are bussed to Nuremberg, tour there, eat lunch at a local restaurant, and spend the night in a 4 star hotel instead of the ship. I'm telling myself it could be worse (as it certainly could be!) and that a local lunch and hotel won't be so bad.....

[steamboats]

roothy123,

 

I´m sorry for shortening your trip. But that´s what I said. The first closed lock which you are to hit is Straubing which is a bit upriver of Deggendorf.

 

 

Depending on the weather definintely go for the Danube Gorge boat excursion. Weltenburg abbey has a great beergarden brewing its own beer. Kehlheim is also a pretty historic town. And Nuremberg has pretty good restaurants for brats. And the ship wouldn´t dock close to the downtown center. With a hotel you might have a better chance to explore the town on your own than from the ship!

 

Have a great trip!!

 

steamboats

[roothy123]

Yep, at least I think I'll see plenty of Nurnberg, and it will make getting to a rental car location easier as well after the cruise. I wasn't crazy about cabbing it from the dock to downtown or to the airport. Too bad the location at the train station is closed on Sundays - the hotel is right next to the station!

 

Thanks for the map - helpful. And yes, I definitely plan to go on the boat trip through the Danube Gorge (and Kelheim of course).

[jgnova]

J went looking around and found something to supplement Steamboats' information (Hi, Steamboats!). Check out the photos at the March 15 post (scroll down a bit to it) here: http://post-canadian.blogspot.com/

 

S

[MVPinBoynton]

I have not heard about the Danube Gorge. Since it is on the Danube and we will be going from Budapest to Prague, I am assuming that we will have to go through it. Do river cruises normally do this section of the cruise during the day when everyone is on the boat rather than at night

[steamboats]

Jgnova,

 

Great pics of the burned bridge at Regensburg!

 

Mike,

 

No, the river cruise ships do not pass through the Danube Gorge. The part of the Danube river which can be navigated by commercial vessels ends at Kehlheim where the Canal is meeting the Danube river. If you have a look on the map the Danube Gorge is right upriver of Kehlheim.

 

Actually even excursion boat traffic is limited because it´s a nature landmark.

 

This is a link to the brewery of Weltenburg Abbey

 

http://www.weltenburger.de/

 

Although it´s not available in English have a look on the photo at the top of this website.

 

And here´s the restaurant and beergarden (available in English)

 

http://www.klosterschenke-weltenburg.de/

 

And this is a photo of the Danube Gorge (parts of it)

 

 

The Hall of Liberation is the signature landmark of Kehlheim

 

http://www.schloesser.bayern.de/englisch/palace/objects/kelheim.htm

 

So definitely go to Kehlheim (and don´t spoil your time at Deggendorf).

 

steamboats

[G.M.T.]

The locks on the Main- Danube Canal, Main, Donau, will also be closed for all ship movements for maintenance from

 

9th. April til 29th. 2009

Here is the offical annoucement in German:

Schifffahrtssperre im April 2009 (Stand: 06. Februar 2008)

Die im Jahr 2009 für die Bundeswasserstraßen Main, Main-Donau-Kanal und Donau vorgesehene planmäßige Schifffahrtssperre zur Durchführung von Unterhaltungsmaßnahmen an den Schiffsschleusenanlagen wird voraussichtlich in der Zeit vom

21.04.2009, 6:00 Uhr bis 29.04.2009, 6:00 Uhr

durchgeführt werden.

Ein durchgehender Schiffsverkehr wird in dieser Zeit nicht möglich sein. Die zu den entsprechenden Änderungen der Schleusenbetriebszeiten erforderlichen Regelungen mit Angabe der betroffenen Schiffsschleusenanlagen werden rechtzeitig vor Beginn der Sperre bekannt gegeben.

Schifffahrtssperre im April 2010 (Stand: 06. Februar 2008)

Die im Jahr 2010 für die Bundeswasserstraßen Main, Main-Donau-Kanal und Donau vorgesehene planmäßige Schifffahrtssperre zur Durchführung von Unterhaltungsmaßnahmen an den Schiffsschleusenanlagen wird voraussichtlich wie folgt durchgeführt werden:

Main-Donau-Kanal

• Schleusen Bamberg bis Hilpoltstein: 09.04.2010, 6:00 Uhr bis 25.04.2010, 6:00 Uhr
  
• Die Sperrung der übrigen Schleusen im Main-Donau-Kanal steht derzeit noch nicht fest, wird aber im gleichen Zeitraum liegen.

Main und Donau

• Der exakte Zeitraum der Sperrung von Schleusen an Main und Donau liegt derzeit noch nicht genau fest, wird sich jedoch innerhalb des Zeitraums der Sperrung des Main-Donau-Kanals bewegen und zeitlich kürzer sein.

Ein durchgehender Schiffsverkehr wird in dieser Zeit nicht möglich sein. Die zu den entsprechenden Änderungen der Schleusenbetriebszeiten erforderlichen Regelungen mit Angabe der betroffenen Schiffsschleusenanlagen werden rechtzeitig vor Beginn der Sperre bekannt gegeben.

[MVPinBoynton]

Since I have not been into river cruising before, I had not heard or thought of lock closures. Is this a normal maintenance thing along canals?

[MVPinBoynton]

Steamboats,

Thank you so much for the very good info. Rather than hijacking this important thread relating to the lock closure, I will start another thread relating to the Danube Gorge

[steamboats]

Blu*Donau,

 

You mixed it up a bit.

 

2009: the locks on the Canal are closed April 21 - 29

 

2010: the locks on the Canal from Bamberg to Hilpoltstein are closed April 9 - 25 (no date announced yet for the other locks on the Canal)

 

Lock closures for the Main and Danube rivers aren´t published yet for 2009 and 2010. But they will be in April too.

 

These are annual closures for maintenance. All cruise companies do know about them (at least the navigational staff on the ships, not necessary the office people).

 

steamboats

[MVPinBoynton]

It appears that these closures are in April. Is this before the start of the heavy tourist season? Would it be too risky to do this maintenance in Feb or March due to weather conditions?