New winter timetable German Rail begins with new winter schedule
Bonn · From Sunday, December 11, the new winter timetable of the Deutsche Bahn will be in effect. The changes affect commuter trains in Bonn and Rhine-Sieg.
The start of the winter season should bring advantages for travelers on Deutsche Bahn (German Rail - DB) in Bonn and the region. DB’s new winter timetable goes into effect on Sunday, December 11 and this should reinforce local public transport offers while at the same time relieving commuter traffic in the Rhineland. For customers, it means they will need to get used to some changes in departure times and scheduling intervals.
Deutsche Bahn transports about a million passengers a day in regional transportation throughout North Rhine Westphalia (NRW). Its market share of around 70 percent will presumably decline slightly in the coming year, when the new Rhine-Ruhr-Express between the Ruhr area and Düsseldorf begins operations.
RE 6
A new long distance connection will affect the Bonn region because of the extension of the RE 6 to the Rhine-Weser-Express. On the popular route from Frankfurt via Cologne and Aachen to Brussels, the ICE will now be running six to seven times a day, almost every two hours.
There are also more express trains to and from Amsterdam. The early connection with a 9:30 am arrival time in Amsterdam is being brought back on the schedule. On the way to the Netherlands, all trains on this line will make stops in Cologne, Düsseldorf, Duisburg and Oberhausen.
The Regional express from Minden will no longer end in Düsseldorf, but instead will run as the “Rhein-Weser-Express” over Neuss and Cologne to the Cologne/Bonn airport. It replaces the RE 6a. DB promises there will be about 50 percent more capacity between Düsseldorf and the Cologne/Bonn airport. There will be double decker trains, increasing the number of places from about 400 to 600.
RE 5
The direct connection from Koblenz to Emmerich will stop. The train will end in Wesel and whoever wants to continue must change to the RE 19.
RB 25
It is the most important connection between the Rhine and the Sauerland and is popular among students of the universities in Bonn and Cologne. Passengers can now look forward to hourly connections on Sundays by because of the addition of two trains from Cologne Hansaring at 8.21 am and 9.21 am.
The train that left Cologne Hansaring at 8:51 am is cancelled.
RB 39
Changes here will be noticed mainly by Saturday early morning commuters on the stretch between Ahrbrück, Dernau and Remagen. On Saturdays, there will be an extra train from Remagen at 5:11 am, stopping in Dernau at 5:36 am. The Saturday train from Kreuzberg at 5:28 to Dernau is cancelled.
Modernization work to be completed in March 2017
“Already 175 wagons have undergone modernization,” reported the Deutsche Bahn. Most of the work on the remaining double decker wagons should be completed by March of 2017. Each wagon is receiving a thorough cleaning. Some will receive a new paint job in 2017. In the interiors, each unit will be outfitted with new upholstery and damaged armrests and grips will be replaced. Windows will be freed of ugly scratches.
More information about specific routes in English: bahn.de
