Siemens had already delivered 38 Mireo railcars (class DB 463) by the December 2020 timetable change for use on the Rhine-Neckar S-Bahn lines on the right bank of the Rhine. Another 19 are now being followed for the S6 from Mainz to Mannheim ( and some on Bensheim).
The Mireo is superior to the previously used 425 series railcars in terms of performance and top speed (speed 160 instead of 140 for the 425). It looks more modern inside and out, but it doesn’t just have benefits. Probably the biggest drawback is the fewer doors, which is especially important in an S-Bahn vehicle. Train destination indicators are also significantly worse.
The timetable on the S6 remains essentially unchanged, the most important improvement being the introduction of a daily service every half hour in 2018 when S-Bahn operations began. The 425 series railcars that were replaced on the S6, renovated only a few years ago and adapted to the comfort level of the other S-Bahn vehicles, remain in the Rhine-Neckar region and are partly used to increase capacity on the trains others increase the lines. In the future, they will occasionally drive the S6 as well.
New trains from Frankenthal and Germersheim
On the S6 a morning train will be introduced from Worms (from 4:27) via Frankenthal (from 4:35) to Mannheim. Also new is a train from Germersheim (from 5:14 am) via Speyer to Mannheim. The first morning train to Mannheim will leave Germersheim a few minutes earlier at 4:09 instead of the previous 4:15.
The situation is similar for the first early train from Kaiserslautern, which in the future will leave at 4:00 instead of 4:09 earlier. Instead of going to Mannheim, the train will go to BASF in the future. This is an improvement for BASF commuters, but a serious deterioration for those who want to go to Mannheim. In the future, you will need to change trains at Ludwigshafen Hauptbahnhof, which will take you a long way (from platform 10 to platform 2 with a transfer time of seven minutes). There are also some changes in commuter traffic to BASF two hours later. The direct morning train from Landau to BASF is no longer necessary. BASF commuters from southern Palatinate will have to change trains in Neustadt in the future. However, the travel time will be less than eight minutes with the new connection.
The direct train from Landau to BASF is no longer necessary
So far, the train leaves Landau at 5:54 am and reaches the Ludwigshafen BASF Nord terminal station at 7:06 am as scheduled. In the future there will be a train at 6.01 from Landau, which arrives in Neustadt at 6.22. There is a connection there at 6:29 am with an S-Bahn to BASF (scheduled arrival at Ludwigshafen BASF North at 7:05 am). The change in Neustadt is not on the same track, because an S-Bahn runs from platform 4 at 6:32 am in Mannheim (and then in Heidelberg via Heidelberg). The S-Bahn for BASF, nicknamed S44, leaves from platform 3 in Neustadt at 6:29 am. The separate operation of two trains from Neustadt, which previously traveled together to Ludwigshafen-Mundenheim, avoids capacity problems and complications when the train is split at Ludwigshafen-Mundenheim. The S-Bahn train at 6:32 am from Neustadt will in future run as a triple unit to Mannheim. This avoids the use of a diesel railcar on the electrified route from Neustadt to BASF (and back). Trains continue with diesel powered railcars in the morning from Ramsen to BASF and in the afternoon from BASF via Monsheim to Bingen.
When the schedule changes, the new Stadtbahn tunnel in the center of Karlsruhe comes into operation. This also has some effects on the Stadtbahn operation in the southern Palatinate. Among other things, the S-52 journey will be extended at 5:50 am from Germersheim via Karlsruhe Albtalbahnhof and will run through the main station forecourt to the market square.
In the future also on Saturdays by train to Eiswoog
On the regional railway line from Frankenthal via Freinsheim, Grünstadt and Eisenberg to Ramsen, trains will in future run on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays to Eiswoog station and back. So far, trains have arrived at the Eiswoog on Sundays, public holidays and Wednesdays. Although Wednesday is often used for excursions in the Palatinate, there are deviations from the regular timetable for school transport on the Eistalbahn, which does not allow continuous service to the Eiswoog stop.
Fast to Münster at two hour intervals
In long-distance traffic, the most important improvement in the offer for the Mannheim ICE hub is that ICE line 42 trains from Munich via Manheim to Dortmund now continue to Hamburg. This means that there is a fast direct connection from Mannheim to Münster, Osnabrück and Bremen every two hours. The new 13-part ICE 4 is used on the line, for which the semi-official designation XXL-ICE was established.
However, while it is just a matter of changing routes, DB is introducing a completely new Intercity 34 line in Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia from Frankfurt via Wetzlar and the Ruhr-Sieg route to Dortmund or Münster. This is a modified return of an earlier Interregio line. One of the most important innovations of the timetable change is the start of electric operation on the route from Ulm via Friedrichshafen to Lindau. The Rhine-Neckar region will benefit, inter alia, through the introduction of a new Railjet from Frankfurt via Lindau and the Arlberg route to Innsbruck with a stopover in Heidelberg (from 6:52 am).
Tariff increases due to time change
In long-distance transport, DB increases its fares by an average of 1.9 percent as the timetable changes. In regional transport outside transport associations (for the Palatinate, for example, relevant for routes such as from Ludwigshafen to Mainz), prices also rise on average by 1.7 percent with the change in timetable. The Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Neckar (VRN) will increase its fares on average by around 3% at the end of the year.
More XXL ICE passes through Mannheim
