Metronom Eisenbahngesellschaft

Metronom Eisenbahngesellschaft

Type	GmbH
Industry	Rail transport
Headquarters	Uelzen, Lower Saxony, Germany
Key people	Wolfgang Birlin
Products	transport
Net income	€ 163.2 million (2009)
Owner(s)	NiedersachsenBahn (69,9%) BeNex (25,1%) Bremer Straßenbahn AG (5,0%)
Employees	320
Website	www.der-metronom.de

Metronom Eisenbahngesellschaft mbH is a non State-owned railway company based in Uelzen, Lower Saxony, the largest since December 2005. The company is exclusively for passenger and operates on behalf of the public transportation trains on the lines Hamburg-Bremen, Hannover and Hamburg-Uelzen-Hanover-Göttingen, Hamburg and Cuxhaven. These trains also carry the name or metronome metronome regionally and abbreviated officially with ME or MEr. The company brand is often rendered in lower case as metronom.

History

At the end of 1990´s the three participating States of Germany Lower Saxony Hamburg and Bremen made the agreement no longer have to order the Regional Express services on the routes between Hamburg and Bremen and Hamburg-Uelzen from DB Regio but to start their own railway company for the accomplishment of the traffic. The change of operator should be used simultaneously for a better service and the provision of longer trains.

The company was founded in February 2002. The ownership structure has remained unchanged and consists of three companies that represent the individual states and were based almost exclusively in the public domain. Specifically, these are the NiedersachsenBahn GmbH (69.9%), the BeNEX GmbH (25.1%) and the Bremer Straßenbahn AG (5.0%). The NiedersachsenBahn GmbH acts as an operating company and is an union of the railways Osthannoverschen AG (OHE) (60%), based in Celle and the railways and transport companies Elbe-Weser GmbH (Eisenbahnen und Verkehrsbetriebe Elbe-Weser) (40%) of Zeven.

In autumn 2003 the company was renamed after a dispute with Metro AG in their current name and the logo modified. For the 14th December 2003 the operation was established on the lines Hamburg-Bremen and Hamburg-Uelzen.

In April 2007 the majority of the OHE was sold, by the state of Lower Saxony, Germany and the DB Regio AG, after a bidding process to the British transport company [Arriva]] Bachstein GmbH, in which the Arriva Germany GmbH is involved with 86%. As a result Arriva indirectly controls 30.7% of the capital of the Metronom Eisenbahngesellschaft and so is its largest shareholder.

The Metronom Eisenbahngesellschaf company doesn't own vehicles or maintenance resources. All locomotives and railway carriages are rented by the state transport company Landesnahverkehrsgesellschaft Niedersachsen(LNVG) and are maintained in the depot of OHE Uelzen by personnel of the manufacturer Bombardier Inc. and the OHE. This depot was built specifically for the maintenance of the metronome-trains and is located in the north of Uelzen, in the so-called Dannenberger Bogen. The maintenance of the trains by the Eisenbahnen und Verkehrsbetriebe Elbe-Weser for the Lower Elbe Railway takes place in Bremervörde, for this the trains are transferred through partly of the route of the former Buxtehude Harsefelder Eisenbahn and partly through the section of the Stade-Bremervörde Moor Express, at the latter three complete units coupled together.

With the monitoring and disposal of its trains, the railway company metronome has also mandated the OHE. From Celle the OHE staff controls around the clock the entire company operations and initiates appropiate measures to stop irregularities (eg delays, road closures, personnel failures, vehicle interference).

Names of Metronom locomotives

"Bad Bevensen" at Bremen Hauptbahnhof

• ME 146-01 (146 501) – Scheeßel + 60 Jahre Niedersachsen
• ME 146-02 (146 502) – Lüneburg
• ME 146-03 (146 503) – Bienenbüttel
• ME 146-04 (146 504) – Buchholz in der Nordheide
• ME 146-05 (146 505) – Rotenburg (Wümme)
• ME 146-06 (146 506) – Winsen (Luhe)
• ME 146-07 (146 507) – Lauenbrück
• ME 146-08 (146 508) – Uelzen
• ME 146-09 (146 509) – Tostedt
• ME 146-10 (146 510) – Bad Bevensen
• ME 146-11 (146 511) – Einbeck
• ME 146-12 (146 512) – Burgdorf
• ME 146-13 (146 513) – Alfeld (Leine)
• ME 146-14 (146 514) – Sarstedt
• ME 146-15 (146 515) – Elze
• ME 146-16 (146 516) – Celle
• ME 146-17 (146 517) – Langenhagen
• ME 146-18 (146 518) – Großburgwedel + 60 Jahre Niedersachsen
• 91 80 6146 531-9 D-ME (146 531) - Seevetal-Maschen
• 91 80 6146 532-7 D-ME (146 532) - Seevetal-Meckelfeld
• 91 80 6146 533-5 D-ME (146 533) - Bardowick
• 91 80 6146 534-3 D-ME (146 534) - Seevetal-Hittfeld
• 91 80 6146 537-7 D-ME (146 537) - Stelle
• 92 80 1246 002-0 D-BTK (246 002-0) - Buxtehude
• 92 80 1246 003-8 D-BTK (246 003-8) - Cuxhaven
• 92 80 1246 004-6 D-BTK (246 004-6) - Stade
• 92 80 1246 005-3 D-BTK (246 005-3) - Horneburg
• 92 80 1246 006-1 D-BTK (246 006-1) - Otterndorf
• 92 80 1246 007-9 D-BTK (246 007-9) - Himmelpforten

Overview of current lines

New since December 2008 from Hamburg to Cuxhaven over Buxtehude - Stade. Slow Trains Metronom regional between Hamburg and Tostedt with stops in Sprötze, Klecken and Hittfeld on the kb 120 Line. From 2010 Metronom will run the slow trains from Hamburg to Bremen.

Bremen–Hamburg (KBS 120) Stations and stops km Bremen Hauptbahnhof 0.0 Rotenburg (Wümme) 42.8 Scheeßel 52.2 Lauenbrück 57.9 Tostedt 72.0 Buchholz in der Nordheide 83.5 Hamburg-Harburg 103.6 Hamburg Hauptbahnhof 115.6 Hamburg Dammtor 117.0 Hamburg-Altona 122.1

Hamburg–Uelzen–Hannover (KBS 110) Stations and stops km Hamburg Hauptbahnhof 0.0 Hamburg-Harburg 12.3 Winsen (Luhe) 31.2 Lüneburg 50.1 Bienenbüttel 63.1 Bad Bevensen 72.5 Uelzen 85.3 Suderburg 96.2 Unterlüß 108.5 Eschede 120.0 Celle 137.7 Großburgwedel 157.0 Isernhagen 161.4 Langenhagen Mitte 169.0 Hannover Hauptbahnhof 178.9

Hanover–Göttingen (KBS 350) Stations and stops km Hannover Hauptbahnhof 0.0 Hannover Bismarckstraße 3.1 Hannover Messe/Laatzen 8.0 Rethen (Leine) 11.9 Sarstedt 18.4 Barnten 22.9 Nordstemmen 26.5 Elze (Han) 32.9 Banteln 39.0 Alfeld (Leine) 50.0 Freden (Leine) 58.7 Kreiensen 68.8 Einbeck Salzderhelden 76.8 Northeim (Han) 88.6 Nörten-Hardenberg 97.8 Göttingen 108.1

External links

• Official web site
• fan site (German)
• Pictures of rolling stock (German)
• 360º Virtual Reality View of Metronom Car