(rmv/kus) The timetable change on Sunday, 10 December, holds a large number of improvements in store for passengers in the RMV area. In the Rhine-Main area, the S-Bahn night service will start, which will be completed in a second step in summer 2018 after the ongoing construction work in the Frankfurt S-Bahn tunnel is finished. Night services on five S-Bahn lines, night owl trips in the region and the new Main-Neckar-Ried Express from Frankfurt to the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region will start as early as the timetable change.
"Frankfurt is undisputedly the center of nightlife in all of Hesse. With the night service, visitors can now get home comfortably and safely not only within the S-Bahn network, but even to more distant destinations such as Limburg, Wetzlar or Fulda," says Peter Feldmann, Chairman of the RMV Supervisory Board and Lord Mayor of Frankfurt.
There will also be an improved service on the successful Odenwaldbahn (Frankfurt/Darmstadt/Hanau - Groß-Umstadt - Erbach - Eberbach), whose vehicle fleet will be expanded with four new railcars by the end of January 2018, so that the increased passenger demand will be better met with more space, especially during rush hour.
"13,000 passengers on weekdays and thus 40 percent more than in 2005 make the Odenwaldbahn one of the most successful routes in the RMV area," says Ulrich Krebs, RMV Supervisory Board member and District Administrator of the Hochtaunuskreis. "Whereas there were once discussions about closing regional rail lines such as in the Odenwald or the Taunusbahn in the Usinger Land, the new concepts show the potential of these regional rail lines."
New vehicles of the "Twindexx" construction type will be used on the lines from Frankfurt via Darmstadt as well as via Groß-Gerau Dornberg to the Rhine-Neckar region in the course of 2018. Not only will there be more trains than before, but the new vehicles will also provide up to 20 percent more space. The result will be up to 800 seats per train during rush hour. "For the first time in the entire RMV area, there will be free WLAN on the new Main-Neckar-Ried-Express trains," underlines Knut Ringat, RMV Managing Director.
The express buses in the Rhine-Main region have also proved to be a very successful concept. On seven lines around the conurbation, the timetable is being extended or even completely new direct connections are being introduced. There will also be more express bus lines in the region, including the X38 between Marburg and Gladenbach, which will run every hour from Monday to Friday in addition to the existing regional bus line 383.
"Rarely have we been able to present our passengers with such an extensive expansion of services as we have this year," says Ringat. "This is possible because the state of Hesse, through increased funding, enables us to meet both the wishes of our passengers and the ever-increasing demand for additional trains. It remains to be seen here that our rail transport companies will also put these services on the rails as punctually as possible."
The main timetable changes in the regions in detail:
Rhine-Main
Continuous S-Bahn night service on Friday/Saturday, Saturday/Sunday party nights and before public holidays. Due to ongoing construction work in the Frankfurt S-Bahn tunnel, no trips are possible via the inner city line until August 2018.
S1: Hourly Wiesbaden - Ober-Roden and return (detour between Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof and Offenbach Ost via Südbahnhof and Offenbach Hauptbahnhof)
S3: Hourly between Darmstadt and Frankfurt Südbahnhof
S4: Hourly between Kronberg and Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof
S5: Hourly between Friedrichsdorf and Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof
S7: Two additional night trains (one trip each direction)
S8: Hourly Wiesbaden - Hanau and back (rerouted between Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof and Offenbach Ost via Südbahnhof and Offenbach Hauptbahnhof)
After the end of construction work in the Frankfurt S-Bahn tunnel from August 2018, the night S-Bahns will run the usual routes, i.e. via stations such as Konstablerwache or Offenbach-Marktplatz. The S-Bahn lines S2 and S3 will then run hourly on the complete route during the party nights.
Thanks to additional early morning trips on the S2 from Niedernhausen, S3 from Darmstadt, S4 from Kronberg, S5 from Friedrichsdorf, S7 from Riedstadt-Goddelau and S9 from Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof, it is possible to be at Frankfurt Airport as early as 5 a.m. - an important improvement especially for those working there.
Additional fast connections from Hanau to Frankfurt Airport are offered with the RE59, which now runs continuously every 2 hours from Monday to Friday.
Night trips to the region
Night trains on party nights from Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof um:
· 00:42 h RB51 via Offenbach and Hanau to Fulda
· 00:46 hrs RB41 (runs a diversion route via Hanau due to nightly construction work on the direct route from Frankfurt to Friedberg) via Gießen (with connection to RB40 to Dillenburg) to Marburg
· 01:03 hrs RB82 via Darmstadt Hauptbahnhof to Erbach
· 01:42 hrs RB51 via Offenbach and Hanau to Wächtersbach
· 01: 52 hrs RE70 via Groß-Gerau Dornberg to Biblis
· 02:06 hrs RB67 via Darmstadt to Mannheim
· 02:08 hrs RB41 (runs a diversionary route via Hanau due to night-time construction work on the direct route from Frankfurt to Friedberg) via Gießen to Marburg
· 02:16 hrs RB22 via Niedernhausen to Limburg
· 02:55 hrs RB40 (runs a diversion route via Hanau due to nightly construction work on the direct route from Frankfurt to Friedberg) to Giessen
· 04:06 h RB67 via Darmstadt to Mannheim
The express bus network is extended again:
X17: Is extended from Hofheim via Frankfurt Airport to Neu-Isenburg. Buses will run every 30 minutes instead of 60 on Mondays to Fridays, as well as earlier and later in the morning. Also on Sundays and public holidays and thus daily.
X19 (Frankfurt Airport - Obertshausen): The 30-minute interval on Mondays to Fridays is extended into the evening hours and extended to weekends.
X26 (Wiesbaden - Hofheim - Bad Homburg): In response to high road congestion, adjusted travel times and route for higher punctuality. Regional bus route
262 resumes half-hourly service from Hofheim to Wiesbaden.
X57 (Hanau - Frankfurt-Enkheim): Fast connection from Hanau to Frankfurt-Enkheim with connection to the underground there.
X64 (Obertshausen - Hanau Hbf - Hanau Freiheitsplatz): The line is extended to Hanau city centre and runs every 60 minutes between 6am and 9pm - also on Saturdays.
X83 (Offenbach - Neu-Isenburg - Langen): Acceleration of previous regional bus line
X97: New direct line between Bad Vilbel and Offenbach with trips Monday to Saturday. A 30-minute interval is offered.
South Hesse
RE70 "Riedbahn" Frankfurt - Groß-Gerau Dornberg - Mannheim
· All trains stop in Walldorf and Mörfelden
· Daily always every hour, thus on Sundays and holidays about twice as many trips
· From Biblis hourly connections to Worms
· In the future use of brand-new, comfortable with free WLAN equipped vehicles of the type "Twindexx", which will be gradually put into operation in 2018 and replace the previous vehicles.
RE60, RB67/68 "Main-Neckar-Bahn" Frankfurt - Darmstadt - Heidelberg/Mannheim
· Monday to Saturday approximately every half hour between Frankfurt and Darmstadt
· RegionalExpress also on weekends in addition to RB trains
· New night services on weekend nights from Frankfurt at 02.06 o'clock and 04.06 to Mannheim and in the opposite direction from Mannheim at 0:22 and 2:23
· Future use of brand-new, comfortable "Twindexx" vehicles equipped with free WLAN, which will be gradually put into service in 2018 and replace the previous vehicles.
· 20 percent more seats per trip, meaning up to 800 seats per trip during rush hour after deployment of all new double-decker railcars on Riedbahn and Main-Neckar-Bahn.
Odenwald- und Pfungstadtbahn
· Increase in vehicle fleet with four brand new Lint54 vehicles. Thus more space especially during rush hour
· Additional morning trip Monday to Friday on Pfungstadtbahn
<x>.Ampersand</x>middot; New frequency on Pfungstadtbahn with connections to RegionalExpress to and from Frankfurt
· Late trips on weekend nights at 01:03 (RB82) via Darmstadt Hauptbahnhof to Erbach, and on the RB86 between Groß-Umstadt Wiebelsbach and Hanau (in Hanau around 1).
· Daily late trip RB81 from Wiebelsbach to Darmstadt Hbf (arrival 21:18) to match the start of shift company Merck (arrival 21:12 h at Darmstadt Nord station)
Dreieichbahn
· New late trip from Frankfurt at 21:15 pm to Dieburg
Mittelhessen
· The existing two night services of the RB 41 from Frankfurt via Giessen to Marburg have to be rerouted due to construction works. The new departure times in Frankfurt are 00:46 and 02:08. Completely new is the night trip at 02:55 (RB 40) to Giessen.
· Newly offered is a night trip between Giessen and Dillenburg. The train departs Giessen at 2:10 a.m. on weekend nights. It connects with the train that departs Frankfurt at 0:46.
Construction work for the S-Bahn extension to Bad Vilbel begins:
· Due to construction work for the construction of own S-Bahn tracks between Frankfurt and Friedberg therefore closed at night all year round. Regional trains are diverted via Hanau during these times.
· Replacement for S6 at night: night bus n96, which starts at Konstablerwache.
· In Easter and summer holidays only one track available - construction schedule partly with diversion of trains via Hanau
You can find all other changes and info at: <link http: www.rmv.de _blank>www.rmv.de
