Main-Sieg-Express
| RE 98 / RE 99: Main-Sieg-Express | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 HLB Flirt railcar in Giessen station
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 Route map
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| Course book section (DB) : | 445, 630 or 620 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Route length: | 139 km | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Top speed: | 160 km / h | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Traffic Company | Hessian state railway | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Federal states (D): |
North Rhine-Westphalia , Hesse |
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The Main-Sieg-Express , also called Main-Lahn-Sieg-Express , is a regional express line in the local traffic of the states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Hesse from Siegen via Gießen to Frankfurt am Main . It is operated by the Hessische Landesbahn (HLB).
history
On June 25, 2008, the Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund (RMV) and the Zweckverband Nahverkehr Westfalen-Lippe (NWL) announced in a joint press release that the Hessische Landesbahn (HLB) had won the Europe-wide tender and thus from December 12th 2010 will take over operations on the line for 13 years. Until the 2010/2011 timetable change in December 2010, DB Regio Hessen was the operator of this line, which was initially set up as an Interregio-Express after long-distance traffic between Siegen-Weidenau and Frankfurt was discontinued in 2001 . Due to capacity problems on the Main-Weser-Bahn , the line was marked by a significantly longer travel time compared to the Interregio in the first few years . Travel connections with a change in Gießen were up to 20 minutes faster than the direct connection. In the past, the RE 30 Frankfurt – Kassel line alternated hourly with the IC line 26, which could not be used with RMV tickets. The Main-Sieg-Express, then still known as RE 40, operated outside of this RE / IC cycle, with additional stops to Frankfurt, which resulted in the longer travel time mentioned.
It was not until December 2009 that IC line 26 was moved between Giessen and Frankfurt that the Main-Sieg-Express had short travel times again, almost like in interregional times. The IC line, which was converted into an ICE line in 2018 , has been running every hour since then with the fast Mittelhessen Express connections between Giessen and Frankfurt.
Before the change of operator in 2010, the two-hour short run Siegen-Gießen were integrated into the Rhein-Sieg-Express of the DB Regio NRW with connected trains from Aachen via Cologne and Siegen to Gießen. The RE-Sprinter, which was already in existence at the time and operated in the evenings (see service offer ) from Frankfurt in the direction of Siegen without stopping in Gießen, as well as another train that regularly runs in the evenings from Frankfurt to the north, was from Siegen in the corridor of the Rhein-Sieg-Express from Frankfurt Tied through to Cologne. These were the only ever existing regional trains that ran from Frankfurt to Cologne. In the opposite direction, however, there were no through trains from Cologne to Frankfurt.
Train run
The train runs as RE 99 from Siegen Hbf via the Dill line to Gießen with stops in Haiger, Dillenburg, Herborn and Wetzlar. In Giessen, it is coupled with a wing train from Kassel Hbf under the name RE 98 and, after changing direction, continues on the Main-Weser-Bahn to Frankfurt (Main) Hauptbahnhof with a stop in Friedberg.
vehicles
Motor vehicles of the Stadler Flirt type are used. A five-part vehicle drives between Siegen and Gießen and between Kassel and Gießen. From Giessen there is then a double traction to Frankfurt. Up until December 2010, the Siegen – Frankfurt route was operated for many years with class 111 locomotives and five or six double-decker cars each, or alternatively with six n-wagons pulled by a class 110 locomotive .
Service offer
On the Siegen – Gießen section, the train runs almost every hour during the day, a continuous journey between Siegen and Frankfurt is offered every two hours, and several hourly continuous journeys, including the sprinters mentioned below, during rush hour on working days. In the outskirts of the day there are individual trips that stop everywhere between Dillenburg and Gießen. On the wing route to and from Kassel, the train to Kirchhain usually stops everywhere. Exceptions are the stations in Kassel-Oberzwehren and Baunatal-Rengershausen, which have only been served at certain times since December 2018 (mostly on the edge of the day).
A fast, hourly regional express is available every day between Giessen and Frankfurt, together with the RE 30 line. Otherwise, both lines only stop in Friedberg (Hessen) and occasionally in Frankfurt-West
There is also a fast connection for commuters from the Dill route to Frankfurt. On weekdays, except Saturdays, there is a RE-Sprinter in each direction , which drives the Dutenhofen – Gießen-Bergwald connection, which is otherwise only used by freight trains. This eliminates the need to stop and the time-consuming change of direction in Gießen. A noticeable reduction in travel time can currently only be seen on the evening train in the direction of Siegen. The morning train in the direction of Frankfurt uses the saved time to Frankfurt Hbf with additional stops in Ostheim and Bad Vilbel, which are not served on the sprinter's return journey. The RE-Sprinter are the only two passenger trains on the Main-Weser-Bahn that do not stop in Friedberg as planned.
connections
With the change of operator in December 2010, all through trains between Cologne and Giessen have been canceled. You have to change trains in Siegen Hbf. There are connections to the Rhein-Sieg-Express ( RE 9 ) from and to Siegburg / Cologne / Aachen and to the Ruhr-Sieg-Express ( RE 16 ) from and to Hagen / Bochum / Essen. Trains with the Siegen – Gießen route always have a connection in Gießen to the RMV line RE 30 in the direction of Frankfurt and Kassel. At Frankfurt main station there are very timely connections to the ICE lines to Munich, optionally via Nuremberg or Stuttgart (line 41 or 11) and to the ICE line 20 in the direction of Basel.
In Marburg, the Kassel wing train has a connection to the Burgwaldbahn (RB 42) to Frankenberg (Eder) / Brilon Stadt and at Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe station to the ICE line 26 towards Hanover.
In Gießen you can change from Siegen to the wing train to Kassel and vice versa every two hours.