Rhein-Erft-Express

RE 8: Rhein-Erft-Express
Overview
Locale	North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Service
Route number	465
Technical
Line length	156 km (97 mi)
Route map 0 Mönchengladbach Main Station ICE, IC 4 Mönchengladbach–Rheydt Central Station IC 7 Mönchengladbach–Odenkirchen 12 Jüchen–Hochneukirch 15 Jüchen 22 Grevenbroich 33 Rommerskirchen 38 Pulheim–Stommeln 42 Pulheim 52 Cologne–Ehrenfeld 55 Cologne Main Sation THA, ICE, IC 57 Cologne Trade fair–Deutz ICE 71 Cologne/Bonn Airport ICE Cologne–Porz (until June 2004) 75 Cologne–Wahn (until June 2004) 82 Troisdorf 87 Menden (Rhineland) 92 Bonn–Beul 95 Bonn–Oberkassel 98 Königswinter–Niederdollendorf 100 Königswinter 102 Bad Honnef (Rhineland) – Röhndorf 104 Bad Honnef (Rhineland) 109 Unkel 115 Linz (Rhineland) 121 Bad Hönningen 137 Neuwied 142 Neuwied–Engers 148 Vallendar 152 Koblenz–Ehrenbreitstein 156 Koblenz Main Station ICE, IC Source: German railway atlas

The Rhein-Erft-Express is a Regional-Express service in the German states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate. It is numbered as line RE 8 and connects the cities of Mönchengladbach, Cologne, Bonn and Koblenz Hauptbahnhof with each other and their surroundings, running hourly. From Monday to Friday it is complemented by a Regionalbahn stopping service, the Rhein-Erft-Bahn (RB 27), running between Rommerskirchen (in the rush hour Mönchengladbach Hauptbahnhof) and Koblenz Hauptbahnhof. On weekends it stops at some additional stations between Cologne Hbf and Koblenz Hbf.

Route

RE 8 near Unkel

The Rhine-Erft-Express runs from Mönchengladbach via the Cologne–Mönchengladbach line to Cologne, where it stops, despite its classification as a Regional-Express, at all stations. Near Grevenbroich it crosses the Erft river. In Cologne, it crosses the Rhine on the Hohenzollern Bridge and runs on the eastern bank via the airport loop to Troisdorf, where it runs on to the Right Rhine line. Between Menden and Unkel it stops at all stations. Trains cross the Horchheim Railway Bridge over the Rhine to Koblenz Hauptbahnhof.

Syndicates and fares

The Rhine-Erft Express is funded jointly by three transport associations: the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr (Rhine-Ruhr transport association, VRR), which includes the Mönchengladbach–Rommerskirchen section, the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Sieg (Rhine-Sieg transport association, VRS), which includes the Stommeln–Bad Honnef section and the Rhineland-Palatinate Zweckverband SPNV-Nord (regional rail transport “purpose association” North).

VRR fares apply between Mönchengladbach and Rommerskirchen. Between Unkel and Koblenz the fares of the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Mosel (Rhine-Moselle transport association, VRM) apply. Due to extensive overlap of rules VRS fares apply between Grevenbroich and Engers.

History

From 1998 to 2002 there was a Rhein-Erft-Express service numbered RE 18. Line number RE 8 applied to the Rhein-Holland-Express, which operated over the Venlo–Mönchengladbach–Cologne–Koblenz route. With the introduction of the second stage of the North Rhine-Westphalia integrated timetable in 2002, the VRR sought a transfer-free connection from Düsseldorf to Venlo, which meant that the Rhein-Erft-Express was cut back to Mönchengladbach and renumbered as RE 8. The section of the route from Moenchengladbach to Venlo became part of the new Maas-Wupper-Express, RE 13.

From December 2002, RE 8 ran largely to today's route with push–pull trains consisting of class 143 locomotives and five Silberling carriages. A change of the service to double-deck coaches was planned and vehicles had already been ordered. After the opening of the Cologne/Bonn Airport station on 13 June 2004, the Rhine-Erft Express was diverted to run through it. As travel through the airport tunnel required vehicles with the modern German emergency brake system (German: Notbremsüberbrückung), the line was operated with new class 425 electric multiple units in double sets.

See also

• List of regional rail lines in North Rhine-Westphalia
• List of scheduled railway routes in Germany

External links

• "Rhein-Erft-Express". NRW rail archive (in German). André Joost. Retrieved 12 August 2011.
• "Photographs of Rhein-Erft-Express" (in German). Retrieved 12 August 2011.