rail traffic - Regional train operators face increasing costs
Potsdam (dpa/bb) – Delays, train disruptions, and other issues are costing the three operators of the Brandenburg Regional Transport on the so-called Anhalter Bahn line significant sums of money. The cuts in agreed services for the fourth quarter of 2023 and the first quarter of this year amount to approximately 1.3 million Euros, according to an answer from the Transport Ministry in Potsdam to an inquiry from SPD Landtagsabgeordnete Helmut Barthel.
Operators of the Regional Transport on the Anhalter Bahn line between the Brandenburg border with Berlin at Teltow and the Brandenburg border with Sachsen-Anhalt at Blönsdorf are DB Regio, Ostdeutsche Eisenbahn GmbH (ODEG), and Niederbarnimer Eisenbahn (NEB), who operate a joint network. The Brandenburg section of the Anhalter Bahn will mainly be served by the Regional trains RE3 and RE4, according to the ministry.
Delays in the first quarter of 2024 more frequent
Both RE-lines reached a punctuality rate of only 73% in the fourth quarter of 2023, which worsened to 71% in the first quarter of this year, according to the ministry's response about a month ago to a previous inquiry from Barthel.
The Land Brandenburg orders services from the railway companies that are billed in train-kilometers. In the last year, there were defects on the ordered 392,200 train-kilometers of the lines RE3 and RE4 in the fourth quarter, mainly due to construction work. Defects in the first quarter of this year amounted to approximately 57,300 train-kilometers. Strike-related defects were most frequent, resulting in a bus replacement service.
Regular discussions about punctuality
The cancelled train journeys are deducted from the payments made by the Land to the railway companies. For train delays or other quality issues, the Land reduces its payments. According to the ministry, regular negotiations about the performance of services between the railway companies and the Transport Association Berlin-Brandenburg (VBB) on behalf of the Land take place. Additionally, since the beginning of this year, monthly discussions have been held with the companies about the causes of delays.
Answers to inquiries Answer to an inquiry
- The Transport Ministry in Potsdam, in response to an inquiry from SPD Landtagsabgeordnete Helmut Barthel, revealed that delays and disruptions on the Anhalter Bahn line are causing significant financial losses for the operators.
- The operators of the Regional Transport on the Anhalter Bahn line, including DB Regio, Ostdeutsche Eisenbahn GmbH (ODEG), and Niederbarnimer Eisenbahn (NEB), are based in Saxony-Anhalt and Berlin.
- The brand new railway line connecting Berlin and Potsdam, known as the Anhalter Bahn, is facing frequent delays in the first quarter of 2024, as revealed by the Transport Ministry's response to a previous inquiry from Barthel.
- In the last year, there were defects on the ordered train-kilometers of the lines RE3 and RE4, mainly due to construction work, resulting in a decrease in punctuality and an increase in bus replacement services.
- Both REG3 and REG4 lines, which mostly serve the Brandenburg section of the Anhalter Bahn, had a punctuality rate of only 73% in the fourth quarter of 2023, which worsened to 71% in the first quarter of 2024.
- The Transport Ministry is actively engaging in regular negotiations with the railway companies and the Transport Association Berlin-Brandenburg (VBB) to address issues related to punctuality and quality in the rail transport sector.
- The failure to meet agreed service levels against the backdrop of railway traffic issues has led to reduced payments from the Land Brandenburg to the railway companies, as per the ministry's response to Barthel's latest inquiry concerning deteriorating train services on the Anhalter Bahn line.
