The transport minister speaks of one of the largest increases in performance in local rail passenger transport for years. One question, however, is whether there are sufficient routes, trains and staff available for the desired expansion.
Schwerin (dpa / mv) – According to Transport Minister Reinhard Meyer (SPD), Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is planning a significant expansion of local rail transport in the coming year. The 2024 draft timetable envisages one of the largest performance increases in local rail passenger transport in the history of the Verkehrsgesellschaft Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (VMV), which was founded in 1995, said Meyer on Friday. “Together with the Deutschland-Ticket, we offer all the options for a climate-friendly alternative to the car.”
According to a VMV spokeswoman, it is still unclear whether the routes are available to the required extent and whether the companies have sufficient train material and staff. The finished annual timetable for 2024 is to be presented in autumn.
According to the state’s plans, for example, the RE1 between Schwerin and Hamburg will also run every hour on weekends in the future. The local trains should also run every hour on the Neustrelitz-Rostock route, as well as during the week between Pasewalk, Anklam, Greifswald and Stralsund.
According to the information, the introduction of a new express S-Bahn service is planned between Rostock and Güstrow. In the future, the S1 will also run every 30 minutes between Rostock and Warnemünde at night on weekends.
Two additional trips a day are planned between Ludwigslust and Hagenow during the week. From 2025 it is planned to expand this and the offer of the regional train line RB13 Rehna – Parchim to an hourly cycle. According to the information, improvements are also planned on the routes RB12 Rostock – Graal-Müritz, RB15 Malchow – Waren, RB16 Neustrelitz – Mirow and RB26 Bergen – Lauterbach Mole. No information was initially given about the costs of the planned improvements.
According to Meyer, local rail transport should also be prepared for the expected higher demand from the Germany ticket with the additional offers. VMV Managing Director Daniel Bischof said it was also important to coordinate the timetables with those of the bus companies in order to be able to offer customers a continuous travel chain.
The Pro Bahn passenger association praised the project. They are a step in the right direction, said state chairman Marcel Drews. At the same time, he appealed that large-scale train cancellations due to staff shortages, such as during and after the Corona pandemic, should not occur again in MV.
According to the ministry, Deutsche Bahn is planning major construction work in 2024, which will also affect routes in MV. The Schwerin – Hamburg route is expected to be completely closed between Hagenow Land and Hamburg Bergedorf from mid-August to mid-November 2024. On the route between Karstädt and Wittenberge, a closure is planned from August 16, 2024 to December 12, 2024, which will have an impact on the offer. Total closures on the RE5 between Neustrelitz and Neubrandenburg are planned from March 25, 2024 to May 25, 2024. The ongoing construction work would continue at the Rostock Hauptbahnhof hub, which would particularly affect lines S1/2/3, RB11, RB12.
