Traffic - Pro Bahn disappointed by timetable change: little improvement
The passenger association Pro Bahn is disappointed with Deutsche Bahn's 2024 annual timetable for Lower Saxony and Bremen, which comes into force on December 10. Although there are individual improvements, rail transport in the north-west will essentially remain the status quo, criticized Pro Bahn regional head Malte Diehl on Sunday. This is far too little for the desired doubling of passenger numbers by 2030, he said.
The only positive and forward-looking aspect according to the association was the adjustments and increased frequency on the east-west axis from Amsterdam and Rhine/Ruhr to Berlin. This would result in an approximate half-hourly frequency from Hanover to Berlin for the first time. Bielefeld will also be reached at least twice an hour with long-distance trains from Hanover. According to Pro Bahn, there will also be more connections to destinations to the west. However, the punctuality of the trains will remain poor due to the constant congestion on this route.
On the other hand, the passenger association criticized that hardly anything is happening in long-distance transport on the main routes from Hamburg via Bremen and Osnabrück to the Ruhr region or via Hanover and Göttingen to southern Germany.
There are also only a few improved regional services, such as on the Hildesheim - Braunschweig - Wolfsburg route. After the completion of the double-track Weddel loop in March 2024, a half-hourly service will be offered on the Hildesheim - Braunschweig section during peak times from Monday to Friday. In the eastern section to Wolfsburg, trains will then run every half hour every day.
There will also be improvements on the Rheine - Osnabrück - Löhne route, where an additional two-hourly regional express line (RE 62) will be introduced with up to nine daily train pairs. On many other routes, however, virtually nothing is happening.
Specifically, the passenger association is calling for a half-hourly regional service as standard on all important connections and a daily hourly service on all routes as an absolute minimum. In long-distance transport, concrete steps must be taken to realize the Deutschlandtakt, i.e. coordinated, fast and reliable connections.
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Source: www.stern.de
