The
Rhine-Neckar S-Bahn forms the backbone of the urban rail transport network of the
Rhine Neckar AreaThe Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region , often referred to as Rhein-Neckar-Triangle is a polycentric metropolitan region located in south western Germany, between the Frankfurt/Rhine-Main region to the North and the Stuttgart Region to the South-East.Rhine-Neckar has a population of some 2.4 million...
, including the cities of
MannheimMannheim is a city in southwestern Germany. With about 315,000 inhabitants, Mannheim is the second-largest city in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, following the capital city of Stuttgart....
,
Heidelberg-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
and
LudwigshafenLudwigshafen am Rhein is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Ludwigshafen is located on the Rhine opposite Mannheim. Together with Mannheim, Heidelberg and the surrounding region, it forms the Rhine Neckar Area....
.
The
S-BahnS-Bahn refers to an often combined city center and suburban railway system metro in Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Denmark...
operates over 290 km of route in the states of
Rhineland-PalatinateRhineland-Palatinate is one of the 16 states of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has an area of and about four million inhabitants. The capital is Mainz. English speakers also commonly refer to the state by its German name, Rheinland-Pfalz ....
and
Baden-WürttembergBaden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
, and in small sections in
SaarlandSaarland is one of the sixteen states of Germany. The capital is Saarbrücken. It has an area of 2570 km² and 1,045,000 inhabitants. In both area and population, it is the smallest state in Germany other than the city-states...
and
HesseHesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
. The network's trains operate about 6 million kilometres per year. 77 stations are served by 40
Class 425.2The Classes 425 and 426 EMUs are a class of electric multiple units built by a consortium of Siemens, Bombardier and DWA and operated by DB Regio in Germany...
Electric multiple unitAn electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages, using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number of the carriages...
s.
Network
The network of the Rhine Neckar S-Bahn is about 290 km long and is one of the largest S-Bahn networks in Germany. The core area is located in the
statesGermany is made up of sixteen which are partly sovereign constituent states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Land literally translates as "country", and constitutionally speaking, they are constituent countries...
of Rhineland-Palatinate and Baden-Württemberg. At
Homburg (Saar)of the city of Homburg in the German state of Saarland. It is a through station with four platforms and seven platform tracks and is classified by Deutsche Bahn as a station of category 3. It is located at the junction of the Homburg–Neunkirchen line and the Mannheim–Saarbrücken line...
, it touches the Saarland and it has three stations in Hesse between
NeckarsteinachThe four-castle town of Neckarsteinach lies on the Neckar in the Bergstraße district in the southernmost part of Hesse, Germany, 15 km east of Heidelberg.-Location:...
and
HirschhornHirschhorn is a small town in the Bergstraße district of Hesse, Germany, and is known as "The Pearl of the Neckar valley”. Hirschhorn is a climatic health resort situated in the Geo-Naturpark Bergstraße-Odenwald.- Location :...
. Four of the five lines run together on the
SchifferstadtSchifferstadt is a town in the Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.It is situated approx. 12 km southwest of Ludwigshafen and 6 km northwest of Speyer.- History :...
–Ludwigshafen–
Mannheimis the central railway station of Mannheim in Germany. It is the second largest traffic hub in southwestern Germany after Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof, with 658 trains a day, including 238 long-distance trains. 100,000 passengers embark, disembark or transfer between trains at the station each day...
–
Heidelbergis the central station for Heidelberg. In 2005 it was used by 30,472 passengers daily and is one of the largest passenger stations in Baden-Wurttemberg. The main station entrance opened in 1955 in Willy-Brandt-Platz in the western district of Heidelberg, on the edge of the district. Diagonally...
section. From this core section trains run on five branches with termini in Homburg,
OsterburkenOsterburken is a town in the Neckar-Odenwald district, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated 28 km southwest of Tauberbischofsheim, 50 km northeast of Heilbronn, 90 km east of Heidelberg, 60 km southwest of Würzburg and 30 km east of Mosbach...
,
Karlsruheis the central railway station in the German city of Karlsruhe. The station is classified as one of the major Category 1 stations in Germany, due to its function as a hub connecting several railway lines with each other.- History :...
,
GermersheimGermersheim is a town in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, of around 20,000 inhabitants. It is also the seat of the Germersheim district. The neighboring towns and cities are Speyer, Landau, Philippsburg, Karlsruhe and Wörth.-Coat of arms:...
and
EppingenEppingen is a town in the district of Heilbronn in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The town has the second-largest population in the district....
.
Services on the Rhine Neckar S-Bahn operate on weekdays at intervals of 30 or 60 minutes. The
class 425The Classes 425 and 426 EMUs are a class of electric multiple units built by a consortium of Siemens, Bombardier and DWA and operated by DB Regio in Germany...
electric multiple units are equipped with a toilet and a have fewer doors than
class 423The Class 423 EMU is a light-weight articulated electric railcar for S-Bahn commuter networks in Germany. The train has similar dimensions to its predecessor, the Class 420 EMU, but is significantly lighter and has one large passenger compartment, while that of the 420 is divided into three parts...
s. They have a floor height of 780 mm. The S-Bahn lines are shared with the other passenger and freight traffic. Services operate at regular intervals and the stations have been consistently upgraded for barrier-free access.
Line-
number | Route | Length | Stations | Railway lines |
| |
Homburg (Saar) of the city of Homburg in the German state of Saarland. It is a through station with four platforms and seven platform tracks and is classified by Deutsche Bahn as a station of category 3. It is located at the junction of the Homburg–Neunkirchen line and the Mannheim–Saarbrücken line...
– Osterburken
Homburg (Saar) – Kaiserslauternis a through station in the German city of Kaiserslautern and one of seven stations in the city.It is a stop on the Rhine-Neckar S-Bahn and Deutsche Bahn’s Intercity-Express network and a hub for all the regional trains of the western Palatinate...
– Neustadt (Weinstraße) – SchifferstadtSchifferstadt is a town in the Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.It is situated approx. 12 km southwest of Ludwigshafen and 6 km northwest of Speyer.- History :...
– Ludwigshafen (Rhein)is a combination of a wedge shaped station and a two-level interchange station in Ludwigshafen am Rhein in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. The station is at the junction on the lines from Mainz and Neustadt an der Weinstrasse to Mannheim. It is classified by Deutsche Bahn as a category 2...
– Mannheimis the central railway station of Mannheim in Germany. It is the second largest traffic hub in southwestern Germany after Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof, with 658 trains a day, including 238 long-distance trains. 100,000 passengers embark, disembark or transfer between trains at the station each day...
– Heidelbergis the central station for Heidelberg. In 2005 it was used by 30,472 passengers daily and is one of the largest passenger stations in Baden-Wurttemberg. The main station entrance opened in 1955 in Willy-Brandt-Platz in the western district of Heidelberg, on the edge of the district. Diagonally...
– NeckargemündNeckargemünd is a town in Germany, in the district of Rhein-Neckar-Kreis, state of Baden-Württemberg. It lies on the Neckar, 10 km upriver from Heidelberg at the confluence with the river Elsenz. This confluence of the two rivers is the origin of the name, as Neckargemünd means confluence of...
– EberbachEberbach can refer to:* Eberbach , city on the river Neckar in Baden-Württemberg, Germany* Eberbach Abbey, Cistercian monastery in Germany* Eberbach-Seltz, commune of the Bas-Rhin département in FrancePeople:...
– Mosbach (Baden)Mosbach is the capital of the Neckar-Odenwald district in the north of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about 58 km east of Heidelberg. Its geographical position is 49.21'N 9.9'E....
– Osterburken |
200 km |
51 |
Palatine Ludwig Railway, Rhine Valley Railway, Neckar Valley Railway The Neckar Valley Railway, or Neckar Valley Main Line is a railway line from Heidelberg via Eberbach and Mosbach to Bad Friedrichshall-Jagstfeld in southwestern Germany...
, Neckarelz–Osterburken line |
| |
Kaiserslautern – Eberbach (– Mosbach (Baden))
Kaiserslautern – Neustadt (Weinstraße) – Schifferstadt – Ludwigshafen (Rhein) – Mannheim – Heidelberg – Neckargemünd – Eberbach (– Mosbach (Baden)) |
110 km (133 km) |
31 (36) |
| |
Germersheim – Karlsruhe
GermersheimGermersheim station is a junction station in the south of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. It is classified by Deutsche Bahn as a category 5 station. It is the terminus of lines S3 and S4 of the Rhine-Neckar S-Bahn and the terminus of lines S51 and S52 of the Karlsruhe Stadtbahn...
– Speyeris a transit station and the more important of the two stations in the city of Speyer in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate.-Location :The station is on the Schifferstadt–Wörth line and is a stop for Regional-Express services from Mainz to Karlsruhe and S-Bahn lines S3 and S4 of the...
– Schifferstadt – Ludwigshafen (Rhein) – Mannheim – Heidelberg – Wiesloch-Walldorf – BruchsalBruchsal station is the centre of the rail transport in the city of Bruchsal in the German state of Baden-Württemberg.-History :The original station of the baroque town of Bruchsal opened on 10 April 1843 as part of the Karlsruhe–Heidelberg section of the old Baden main line, which eventually...
– Karlsruheis the central railway station in the German city of Karlsruhe. The station is classified as one of the major Category 1 stations in Germany, due to its function as a hub connecting several railway lines with each other.- History :...
|
104 km |
25 |
Wörth–Schifferstadt, Palatine Ludwig Railway, Rhine Valley Railway |
| |
Germersheim – Bruchsal
Germersheim – Speyer – Schifferstadt – Ludwigshafen (Rhein) – Mannheim – Heidelberg – Wiesloch-Walldorf – Bruchsal |
83 km |
27 |
| |
Heidelberg – EppingenEppingen is a town in the district of Heilbronn in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The town has the second-largest population in the district....
Heidelberg – Neckargemünd – MeckesheimMeckesheim is a village in south western Germany. It is located between Heidelberg and Sinsheim in the Rhein-Neckar district in the state of Baden-Württemberg.-History:...
– Sinsheim (Elsenz) – Eppingen |
43 km |
17 |
Elsenz Valley Railway The Elsenz Valley Railway is a partly double-tracked main line from Heidelberg via Sinsheim to Bad Friedrichshall-Jagstfeld, that, for part of its course, follows the Elsenz river that gives it its name. The crossing stations on the single-tracked sections are still controlled by mechanical signal...
, Steinsfurt–Eppingen line |
| |
(Heidelberg –) Meckesheim – Aglasterhausen
(Heidelberg – Neckargemünd –) Meckesheim – AglasterhausenAglasterhausen is a municipality in the district of Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.-History:Aglasterhausen is first mentioned in the records of the Bishop of Worms in 1143...
|
19 km (39 km) |
7 (14) |
(Elsenz Valley Railway,) Meckesheim–Neckarelz lineThe Meckesheim–Neckarelz railway is a branch line in northern Baden between Meckesheim and Aglasterhausen that used to run to Neckarelz. It was part of the former Baden Oldenwald Railway from Heidelberg to Würzburg, and thus a main line, which is why its trackbed was built for two tracks...
|
Operating pattern
All six lines of the Rhine Neckar S-Bahn operate on a 60-minute basic frequency. As a result of largely overlapping alignments in the core area services run at half-hourly frequency. On the core line between Schifferstadt and Heidelberg four lines run, each at hourly intervals, but due to problems of coordination may not provide a pure 15-minute interval schedule. In addition, the stations of Ludwigshafen-Rheingönheim and Ludwigshafen-Mundenheim are not usually served by lines S1 and S3. Line S1 usually serves stations Mannheim Rangierbahnhof and Mannheim-Seckenheim. On Saturday afternoons and Sundays, S2 services from Kaiserslautern terminate early in Heidelberg and S4 services run only between Germersheim and Mannheim.
Although the lines run from 05:00 until 01:30, regular interval operations usually run only between about 08:00 and 21:00.
History
On 14 December 2003, the Rhine-Neckar area became the last large densely-populated area in Germany to receive an
S-BahnS-Bahn refers to an often combined city center and suburban railway system metro in Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Denmark...
system - planning lasted decades involving the co-ordination of the
statesGermany is made up of sixteen which are partly sovereign constituent states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Land literally translates as "country", and constitutionally speaking, they are constituent countries...
of
Baden-WurttembergBaden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
,
HesseHesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
and
Rhineland-PalatinateRhineland-Palatinate is one of the 16 states of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has an area of and about four million inhabitants. The capital is Mainz. English speakers also commonly refer to the state by its German name, Rheinland-Pfalz ....
. Following European-wide advertising for tenders, the operation of the Rhine Neckar S-Bahn for 12 years until 2015 was awarded to
DB RegioDB Regio AG is a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn which operates short and medium distance passenger train services in Germany, and operates light and heavy rail infrastructure in the United Kingdom.-Germany:...
.
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
SchifferstadtSchifferstadt is a town in the Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.It is situated approx. 12 km southwest of Ludwigshafen and 6 km northwest of Speyer.- History :...
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 roomA waiting room is a building, or more commonly a part of a building where people sit or stand until the event they are waiting for occurs.There are generally two types of waiting room. One is where individuals leave one at a time, for instance at a doctor's office or a hospital, or outside a school...
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 Rhine-Neckar S-Bahn was completed at the end of 2006 with the extension of the route from Homburg to Kaiserslautern and the extension of the Mannheim-
SpeyerSpeyer is a city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany with approximately 50,000 inhabitants. Located beside the river Rhine, Speyer is 25 km south of Ludwigshafen and Mannheim. Founded by the Romans, it is one of Germany's oldest cities...
route to
GermersheimGermersheim is a town in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, of around 20,000 inhabitants. It is also the seat of the Germersheim district. The neighboring towns and cities are Speyer, Landau, Philippsburg, Karlsruhe and Wörth.-Coat of arms:...
. The Speyer route required electrification south of Schifferstadt and modification of three stations. A new station is under construction at Speyer Süd, but its opening has been delayed. A further extension from Germersheim to
Graben-NeudorfGraben-Neudorf is a town in Northern Karlsruhe County in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.-Early history:The village of Graben was probably created between the 5th and 7th Century, though this isn't entirely certain. An ancient Roman road connecting Kehl, Mühlburg, Heidelberg, and Neuenheim runs...
to
BruchsalBruchsal is a city at the western edge of the Kraichgau, approximately 20 km northeast of Karlsruhe in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany...
is planned, as is an extension of line S5 of the Karlsruhe Stadtbahn from
Wörth am RheinWörth am Rhein is a municipality in the southernmost part of the district of Germersheim, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the left bank of the Rhine, approx. 10 km west of the city center of Karlsruhe and just north of the German-French border....
to Germersheim.
Extension to Homburg (Saar)
The extension of the Mannheim-Kaiserslautern line (
Palatine Ludwig Railway) to
HomburgHomburg is a town in Saarland, Germany, the administrative seat of the Saarpfalz district. With a population of c. 44,000 inhabitants, is the third city in its federal state. The medical department of the University of Saarland is situated here. The city is also home to the Karlsberg beer brewery...
was carried out as an urgent project in preparation for the
2006 FIFA World CupThe 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
. 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.
Second stage
Since December 2009 the new S 5 line runs from Heidelberg on the
Elsenz Valley RailwayThe Elsenz Valley Railway is a partly double-tracked main line from Heidelberg via Sinsheim to Bad Friedrichshall-Jagstfeld, that, for part of its course, follows the Elsenz river that gives it its name. The crossing stations on the single-tracked sections are still controlled by mechanical signal...
to
SinsheimSinsheim is a town in southwestern Germany, in the Rhine Neckar Area of the state Baden-Württemberg about 22 kilometers southeast of Heidelberg and about 28 kilometers northwest of Heilbronn in the district Rhein-Neckar. It consists of a city center and 11 suburbs with a total population of 35,605...
and hourly on the
Steinsfurt–Eppingen line to
EppingenEppingen is a town in the district of Heilbronn in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The town has the second-largest population in the district....
. Trains only occasional stop at the two Heidelberg stations of Schlierbach/Ziegelhausen and Orthopädie for scheduling reasons. In June 2010 line S 51 was established, running from
MeckesheimMeckesheim is a village in south western Germany. It is located between Heidelberg and Sinsheim in the Rhein-Neckar district in the state of Baden-Württemberg.-History:...
via the Schwarzbach Valley Railway every hour to
AglasterhausenAglasterhausen is a municipality in the district of Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.-History:Aglasterhausen is first mentioned in the records of the Bishop of Worms in 1143...
.
Planned expansion
The Rhine-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.
Expansion of the Rhine Valley Railway
Due to the high utilisation on the Rhine Valley line on the Bruchsal–Heidelberg section it is planned to extend the platforms from 140 to 210 metres, so that longer trains can run.
Germersheim–Graben-Neudorf–Bruchsal
The
Bruhrain RailwayThe Bruhrain Railway is a railway line running from Bruchsal to Germersheim in the German states of Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate...
(Germersheim–
Graben-NeudorfGraben-Neudorf is a town in Northern Karlsruhe County in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.-Early history:The village of Graben was probably created between the 5th and 7th Century, though this isn't entirely certain. An ancient Roman road connecting Kehl, Mühlburg, Heidelberg, and Neuenheim runs...
–Bruchsal) would be extended from Germersheim to Bruchsal. This requires considerable modernisation and electrification between Graben-Neudorf and Germersheim. The total cost of new infrastructure is expected to amount to € 31.7 million. The upgrade began in early July 2010 and is expected to be completed for the December 2011 timetable change.
Mannheim–Schwetzingen–Karlsruhe
This proposed would create a new
S3 service (included in both the RheinNeckar S-Bahn and the Karlsruhe Stadtbahn), using the
Rhine line, which runs on the Mannheim–
SchwetzingenSchwetzingen is a German town situated in the northwest of Baden-Württemberg, around southwest of Heidelberg and southeast of Mannheim.Schwetzingen is one of the 5 biggest cities of the Rhein-Neckar-Kreis district and it is a medium-sized centre including the cities and municipalities of...
–Graben-Neudorf–Karlsruhe route on the right (east) bank of the Rhine. The alignment depends on the decision over the proposed
Frankfurt–Mannheim high-speed railway – a bypass solution with a new ICE station would favour an alignment via Mannheim-Seckenheim over Mannheim-Rheinau.
Mainz–Worms–Mannheim–Sinsheim–Eppingen/Aglasterhausen
In the southern section of electrification and reconstruction of platforms is complete. Since December 2009, S-Bahn services run from Heidelberg on the
Elsenz Valley RailwayThe Elsenz Valley Railway is a partly double-tracked main line from Heidelberg via Sinsheim to Bad Friedrichshall-Jagstfeld, that, for part of its course, follows the Elsenz river that gives it its name. The crossing stations on the single-tracked sections are still controlled by mechanical signal...
to
SinsheimSinsheim is a town in southwestern Germany, in the Rhine Neckar Area of the state Baden-Württemberg about 22 kilometers southeast of Heidelberg and about 28 kilometers northwest of Heilbronn in the district Rhein-Neckar. It consists of a city center and 11 suburbs with a total population of 35,605...
or hourly on
Steinsfurt–Eppingen line to
EppingenEppingen is a town in the district of Heilbronn in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The town has the second-largest population in the district....
(line S5). Since June 2010, the S51 line runs on the
Schwarzbach Valley RailwayThe Meckesheim–Neckarelz railway is a branch line in northern Baden between Meckesheim and Aglasterhausen that used to run to Neckarelz. It was part of the former Baden Oldenwald Railway from Heidelberg to Würzburg, and thus a main line, which is why its trackbed was built for two tracks...
to
AglasterhausenAglasterhausen is a municipality in the district of Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.-History:Aglasterhausen is first mentioned in the records of the Bishop of Worms in 1143...
. In Eppingen there is a connection to the Karlsruhe Stadtbahn. Services will connect in Sinsheim with the Heilbronn Stadtbahn to Heilbronn, which is planned to open in 2012.
In 2015, the two new S-Bahn lines are planned to be extended from Heidelberg to Mannheim, running non-stop between Heidelberg Hauptbahnhof and Mannheim Hauptbahnhof.
South Hesse
Another new S-Bahn service is planned to connect Mannheim to the Hessian marshes and the
BergstraßeBergstraße is the name of a mountainous theme route, and the area around it, stretching across the western edge of the Odenwald in southern Hesse and northern Baden-Württemberg, Germany....
. Two sections,
BiblisBiblis is a community in the Bergstraße district in southern Hesse, Germany.- Location :The community lies in the Rhine rift west of the Odenwald between Darmstadt to the north and Mannheim to the south; it also lies north of Bürstadt...
–Mannheim (Ried Railway, German:
Riedbahn) and Mannheim-
WeinheimWeinheim is a town in the north west of the state of Baden-Württemberg in Germany with 43 000 inhabitants, approximately 15 km north of Heidelberg and 10 km northeast of Mannheim. Together with these cities, it makes up the Rhine-Neckar triangle...
–
DarmstadtDarmstadt is a city in the Bundesland of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Rhine Main Area.The sandy soils in the Darmstadt area, ill-suited for agriculture in times before industrial fertilisation, prevented any larger settlement from developing, until the city became the seat...
(
Main-Neckar lineThe Main-Neckar Railway is a main line railway west of the Odenwald in the Upper Rhine Plain of Germany that connects Frankfurt am Main to Heidelberg via Darmstadt, Bensheim and Weinheim...
), are to be combined to minimise traffic conflicts at Mannheim Hauptbahnhof, in order not to exacerbate limited capacity there.
New stations are planned in
BensheimBensheim is a town in the Bergstraße district in southern Hesse, Germany. Bensheim lies on the Bergstraße and at the edge of the Odenwald mountains while at the same time having an open view over the Rhine plain...
-Süd,
WeinheimWeinheim is a town in the north west of the state of Baden-Württemberg in Germany with 43 000 inhabitants, approximately 15 km north of Heidelberg and 10 km northeast of Mannheim. Together with these cities, it makes up the Rhine-Neckar triangle...
-Süd and
NeckarhausenEdingen-Neckarhausen is a municipality in the district of Rhein-Neckar-Kreis, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated on the left bank of the Neckar.- Geography :...
and possibly at Pfungstadt-Süd and Weinheim-Sulzbach.
The creation of this new S-Bahn service is problematic:
- Both the Ried Railway 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 Ried Railway 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
The Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund is an organised transport network in the German state of Hesse, centred around the city of Frankfurt am Main. Its head office is located in Hofheim im Taunus...
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-BahnThe Rhine-Main S-Bahn system is an integrated rapid transit and commuter transport system for the Frankfurt/Rhine-Main region, which includes the cities Frankfurt am Main, Wiesbaden, Mainz, Offenbach am Main, Hanau and Darmstadt...
line S7. An extension of the S7 from Riedstadt GoddelauRiedstadt, with its municipal area of 73.76 km² is Groß-Gerau district's biggest town by land area. It lies in Hesse, Germany, about 12 km southwest of Darmstadt.-Location:...
to Biblis (and possibly Worms) was previously discussed, but an isolated cost-benefit analysisCost–benefit analysis , sometimes called benefit–cost analysis , is a systematic process for calculating and comparing benefits and costs of a project for two purposes: to determine if it is a sound investment , to see how it compares with alternate projects...
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.