RheinNeckar S-Bahn

The S-Bahn RheinNeckar forms the backbone of the urban rail transport network of the Rhine Neckar Area, including the cities of Mannheim, Heidelberg and Ludwigshafen.

The S-Bahn operates over 290 km of route in the states of Rheinland-Pfalz, Baden-Württemberg, the Saarland and part of Hesse around Neckarsteinach and Hirschhorn that is only accessible by rail from Baden-Württemberg. The network's trains operate about 6 million kilometres per year. 77 stations are served by 40 new Electric multiple units of Class 425.2.

Network

Four trains per hour operate on the core route (Schifferstadt – Ludwigshafen – Mannheim – Heidelberg) one for each of the four lines during core times.

Lines S1/S2

Lines S1 and S2 provide a half hourly service over the core route between Kaiserslautern and Eberbach in core times:

*Line S1 operates once an hour between Homburg (Saar) and Osterburken (non-stop between Limburgerhof and Ludwigshafen Hbf).

*Line S2 operates once an hour on the alternative half hour between Kaiserslautern and Eberbach (extended to Mosbach on Saturday afternoons, but terminated at Heidelberg on Sundays).

Lines S3/S4

Lines S3 and S4 provide a half hourly service over the core route between Germersheim and Bruchsal in core times:

*Line S3 operates once an hour between Germersheim and Karlsruhe (non-stop between Limburgerhof and Ludwigshafen Hbf and between Mannheim Hbf and Mannheim-Friedrichsfeld-Süd). In addition, it is integrated into the numbering system of the Stadtbahn Karlsruhe.

*Line S4 operates once an hour on the alternative half hour between between Germersheim and Bruchsal (terminated at Heidelberg on Saturday afternoons and Sunday).

Departures from regular interval services

Although some services operate between 5:00 a.m. to 01:30 a.m., regular interval services operate only between about 8:00 a.m. and 21:00 p.m.

History

On 14 December 2003, the Rhine-Neckar area became the last large densely-populated area in Germany to receive an S-Bahn system - planning lasted decades involving the co-ordination of the of the states of Baden-Wuerttemberg, Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate. Following European-wide advertising for tenders, the operation of the Rhine Neckar S-Bahn for 12 years until 2015 was awarded to DB Regio.

First stage of development

Beginning in 2001, the lines and stations were prepared for S-Bahn operations. € 260 million was invested for construction and € 190 millions for the acquisition of new vehicles. An extra bridge was built over the Rhine between Mannheim and Ludwigshafen, urgently required to increase capacity, along with a by-pass of Schifferstadt station for long-distance traffic and the new Ludwigshafen-Mitte S-Bahn station in Berliner Platz. A new S-Bahn workshop was established for the maintenance of the regions lines near the Ludwigshafen Hauptbahnhof (central station).

It was considered important to provide a large amount of uniform equipment at the stations. The platforms were raised to 76 cm and made accessible by the disabled, partly via elevators. In addition they received new platform equipment, such as waiting room and seating.

The platforms at Mannheim-Seckenheim, Mannheim- Rangierbahnhof, Ludwigshafen-Mundenheim and Ludwigshafen-Rheingönheim were raised temporarily using wooden planks, since no decision had been made on the final configuration of the track or the future position of the platforms.

Extension to Germersheim

The first stage of development of the S-Bahn RheinNeckar was completed at the end of 2006 with the extension of the route from Homburg to Kaiserslautern and the extension of the Mannheim-Speyer route to Germersheim. The Speyer route required electrification south of Schifferstadt and modification of three stations. A new station is being built at Speyer Süd. A further extension from Germersheim to Graben-Neudorf to Bruchsal is planned, as is an extension of line S5 of the Karlsruhe Stadtbahn from Wörth am Rhein to Germersheim.

Extension to Homburg (Saar)

The extension of the Mannheim- Kaiserslautern line (Pfälzische Ludwigsbahn) to Homburg was carried out as an urgent project in preparation for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. However, it was not, in fact finished in time for the World Cup and services commenced in December 2006 instead. Only line S1 runs to Homburg; S2 continues to terminate in Kaiserslautern.

Planned expansion

The Rhein-Neckar S-Bahn was intended from the outset to have a second stage of development, in order to integrate additional cities and regions into the S-Bahn network. The schedule set out in the "Realisierungsprogramm 2010" for the second stage to be completed between 2008 and 2010, was rejected in 2006. Planning is continuing, however, and the additional lines may be completed in the 2010-2015 period.

S2 (new): Germersheim–Graben-Neudorf–Bruchsal

The Bruhrainbahn (Germersheim–Graben-Neudorf–Bruchsal) would be extended from Germersheim to Bruchsal. This requires considerable modernisation and electrification between Graben-Neudorf and Germersheim. Commencement of services is proposed for 2010.

S3 (new): Mannheim–Schwetzingen–Karlsruhe

This proposed would create a new "S3" service (included in both the RheinNeckar S-Bahn and the Karlsruhe Stadtbahn), using the line on the right (east) bank of the Rhine, Mannheim–Schwetzingen–Graben-Neudorf–Karlsruhe. The alignment depends on the decision over the proposed Rhein/Main–Rhein/Neckar high-speed rail line – a bypass solution with a new ICE station would favour an alignment via Mannheim-Seckenheim over Mannheim-Rheinau.

S4: Mainz–Worms–Mannheim–Sinsheim–Eppingen/Aglasterhausen

The Mainz–Ludwigshafen line would be integrated as part of a new "S4" service, with development proposed to start in 2009. Changes would be made to existing platforms and new stations are planned at Dienheim, Worms-Süd and Frankenthal-Süd. In the meantime the Regionalbahn services on the Mainz–Worms–Mannheim line have been operating S-Bahn services since the beginning of 2006.

South of Mannheim it would operate non-stop to Heidelberg and continue with branches along the Elsenz and Schwarzbach valleys. Services would alternate on the Elsenztalbahn and the Steinsfurt–Eppingen line between Neckargemünd, Sinsheim and Eppingen as well as the Meckesheim branch (Schwarzbachtalbahn) to Aglasterhausen. In Sinsheim and Eppingen there would be connections to the Stadtbahn Heilbronn. The line is planned to go into service in 2009.

S5 (new): South Hesse

Another new S-Bahn service is planned to connect Mannheim to the Hessian marshes and the Bergstraße. Two sections, Biblis–Mannheim (Riedbahn) and Mannheim-Weinheim–Darmstadt (Main-Neckar line), are to be combined to minimise traffic conflicts at Mannheim Hauptbahnhof, in order not to exacerbate limited capacity there.

New stations are planned in Bensheim-Süd, Weinheim-Süd and Neckarhausen and possibly at Pfungstadt-Süd and Weinheim-Sulzbach.

The creation of this new S-Bahn service faces is problematic:
* Both the Riedbahn and the Main-Neckar line carry long-distance, regional and goods traffic and the lines are at the limit of their capacity. Since the opening of the Cologne-Frankfurt high-speed line, in particular, traffic on the double-line Riedbahn has increased further and causes substantial problems for regional traffic. While, a proposal to convert the Riedbahn to four lines was rejected many years ago, it is currently proposed to construct a new Rhine/Main-Rhein/Neckar high speed line. This project was once planned to be completed in 2007, but an agreement about the route has only recently been achieved.
* The planned connection of the two branches to Biblis and Darmstadt in Mannheim (creating a U-shaped curve) is intended to reduce traffic conflicts, not to cater for traffic demand, and will force most passengers to transfer, if not bound for stations between Ludwigshafen Hbf and Mannheim Seckenheim. An improvement to capacity of Mannheim (as now planned in connection with the new high speed line) would allow better connections, which are still under discussion.
* Integration with the Hesse and/or RMV services at Biblis (in addition to Darmstadt) has not been agreed. The use of the S-Bahn to Biblis would clearly be higher, if a connection could be made with the Rhine-Main S-Bahn line "S7". An extension of the S7 from Riedstadt Goddelau to Biblis (and possibly Worms) was previously discussed, but an isolated cost-benefit analysis produced an unfavourable result, but a comprehensive investigation on the effect of linking the two S-Bahn systems at Biblis has not been carried out.

References

* Werner Schreiner: "... an einem Strang". Ludwigshafen am Rhein 2004, ISBN 3934845177 de icon