Germany publishes new rail strategy

[U-Bahnfreund]

The German Federal Ministry for Transport and Digital Infrastructure published its new very ambitious rail strategy today. It consists of various documents (all in German) with important-sounding names like "Rail pact", "Master plan rail transport" and "Germany takt", which will -- according to Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer (CSU) -- transform Germany's railways into the mode of transport of the 21st century. Goals include doubling the passenger numbers by 2030 as well as increasing the market share of freight rail to 25%. You can find the gist in this press release.

For two years, the "Zukunftbündnis Schiene" (Alliance for the Future of Rail), an alliance of the Ministry, DB, other transport companies, passenger unions, staff unions and other industries have worked together to produce a rail pact, the two "master plans" for rail transport in general and freight transport in specific:
- Rail pact (2 pages)
- Final report of the Zukunftsbündnis's task forces (81 pages)
- Master plan rail transport (80 pages)
- Master plan rail freight transport (44 pages)

In addition, the Ministry worked together with SMA (a Swiss consulting firm renowned for its Takt concepts) and some unis to create a concept for the "Germany Takt", which is supposed to be a vision for how a Takt timetable for all of Germany is to be implemented, so that infrastructure can be planned and built accordingly. It can be found here:
- presentation of the Deutschland-Takt (32 pages)
- Deutschland-Takt first phase concept (17 pages)
- the various Deutschland-Takt maps (Netzgrafiken)
- and lastly, a report on how doubling the passenger numbers by 2030 using the Deutschland-Takt can be achieved (I can't copy the file link, it's the first pdf in here)

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I personally haven't read all of this yet, and it is a lot to take in, but at least the railways seems to take a more important position in the transport ministry. I have a few doubts if all of these visions will eventually exist, since a lot of things aren't financed yet and also many of these ideas have to be implemented by someone else, for example the German states. However, since the Ministey worked together with a lot of the shareholders involved, these plans will probably have some effect.

For those reading here, if you aren't that much into German transport politics, the various Netzgrafiken showing the planned lines and times might be the most interesting. However, these planned services aren't set in stone and are just supposed to be guidance for "we want to have this many trains per hour here, that shall go there by this time, so now we know where and how to built news railway lines or increase capacity on existing ones". The 32-page presentation lists a few key ideas and infrastructure needs of the "Deutschland-Takt", so that would be good checking out.

Edit: link to the Netzgrafiken updated

 

[JonathanP]

There have been detailed drafts out for quite some time so it's not a massive surprise. - you can already search the proposed timeable here.

I think it's a good to have a strategy to guide investment, but we shouldn't take it literally that it will actually happen.

As just one example, the Taktfahrplan assumes that all trains will operated by rolling stock capable of reaching the maximum speed the route permits, wheras in fact Deutsch Bahn have already decided the mainstay of their fleet for the next few decades will be the 250km/h "budget" ICE4 and not the 330km/h ICE3.

 

[gordonthemoron]

What I have always found odd in Germany, is that none of their Inter City services (includes ICE & EC) run more frequently than one per hour. Granted on some sections there may be more than that but that is due to combining different routes over a shortish section, e.g. Munich-Nuremburg and Frankfurt-Cologne. Whereas the UK has 3 IC trains per hour London-Birmingham, 3 London-Manchester, 2 London-Leeds, 2 London-Edinburgh etc.

 

[Bletchleyite]

What I have always found odd in Germany, is that none of their Inter City services (includes ICE & EC) run more frequently than one per hour. Granted on some sections there may be more than that but that is due to combining different routes over a shortish section, e.g. Munich-Nuremburg and Frankfurt-Cologne. Whereas the UK has 3 IC trains per hour London-Birmingham, 3 London-Manchester, 2 London-Leeds, 2 London-Edinburgh etc.

Germany has long been a "long trains, low frequencies" operation - this is how the operation differs from the UK as they are otherwise quite similar.

 

[30907]

What I have always found odd in Germany, is that none of their Inter City services (includes ICE & EC) run more frequently than one per hour. Granted on some sections there may be more than that but that is due to combining different routes over a shortish section, e.g. Munich-Nuremburg and Frankfurt-Cologne. Whereas the UK has 3 IC trains per hour London-Birmingham, 3 London-Manchester, 2 London-Leeds, 2 London-Edinburgh etc.

I suppose that reflects very different patterns of population and working compared with the UK, not to mention actual distances: the area from Bonn/Cologne to Dortmund has a population similar to Greater London, but is nothing like so central politically/culturally/economically.

 

[edwin_m]

Also Germany is polycentric with a more uniform distribution of population and employment across the main cities. So the capital isn't as dominant as a destination as it is in Britain or France.

 

[gordonthemoron]

Also Germany is polycentric with a more uniform distribution of population and employment across the main cities. So the capital isn't as dominant as a destination as it is in Britain or France.

True, however this leads to the Munich-Nuremburg-Erfurt-Halle-Berlin high speed line being under utilised

 

[30907]

True, however this leads to the Munich-Nuremburg-Erfurt-Halle-Berlin high speed line being under utilised

That's true of all the HSLs, certainly by comparison with Paris-Lyon: Erfurt-Halle, Stuttgart-Mannheim and Frankfurt-Cologne are all basically 3tph, Berlin-Hannover is 2.5, only Fulda-Goettingen gets up to 4 (and Ingolstadt-Nuremberg with a 200km/h RE).

 

[Jamesrob637]

That's true of all the HSLs, certainly by comparison with Paris-Lyon: Erfurt-Halle, Stuttgart-Mannheim and Frankfurt-Cologne are all basically 3tph, Berlin-Hannover is 2.5, only Fulda-Goettingen gets up to 4 (and Ingolstadt-Nuremberg with a 200km/h RE).

Is there any news on the new trains for that last one you mentioned, the 200kph Regio Nürnberg-München? Their delay makes most if not all British stock look good...

 

[paul_munich]

Is there any news on the new trains for that last one you mentioned, the 200kph Regio Nürnberg-München?

These six new 190kph Dosto trains were ordered in 2013, but there is still no certification...
Not a glorious chapter for Skoda at all...

 

[U-Bahnfreund]

There have been detailed drafts out for quite some time so it's not a massive surprise. - you can already search the proposed timeable here.

Yeah, but it has been revised. As far as I know, the Grahnert/Fernbahn page is based upon the consultant's 2nd report, whereas now the 3rd report has been published.

 

[Peter Kelford]

What I have always found odd in Germany, is that none of their Inter City services (includes ICE & EC) run more frequently than one per hour. Granted on some sections there may be more than that but that is due to combining different routes over a shortish section, e.g. Munich-Nuremburg and Frankfurt-Cologne. Whereas the UK has 3 IC trains per hour London-Birmingham, 3 London-Manchester, 2 London-Leeds, 2 London-Edinburgh etc.

Population density calculations:

UK: 370 inhabitants/km squared.
Germany: 234
France: 117

 

[dutchflyer]

Also Germany is polycentric with a more uniform distribution of population and employment across the main cities. So the capital isn't as dominant as a destination as it is in Britain or France.

In fact the current again capital (B for short) is due to its history-isolated and split from 1948-1989) not at all the business magnet compared to the likes of London. F=Frankfurt (aka as Bankfurt or Mainhattan) and also M=München on the Bavarian south and HH=Hansestadt Hamburg in the north also vie for it.
Long but far fewer long-dist. trains is even much more so the case in France, which does have a one-and-only true capital. And look at italy or Spain.
Dot nor forget that for shorter stretches, that however attract far, far more pax, like K-D-E-DO (=Cologne-Düsseldorf-Dortmund) there are also 3-4 local RE trains at much lower fares that transport the bulk of the masses. In its highest peak yr DB on its Fernnetz (the IC and ICE) in ´19 had 150 mln.pax-= just under 2 trips/person for every German. But billions in total on all trains.

 

[sarahj]

Is there any news on the new trains for that last one you mentioned, the 200kph Regio Nürnberg-München? Their delay makes most if not all British stock look good...

I went on that service last October and the Ex IC coaches were fine. I've no complaints about delayed stock. Mind also good was the IC I travelled on from Frankurt to Cologne using ex Apmz as 2nd class. Nice!!!

 

[43096]

These six new 190kph Dosto trains were ordered in 2013, but there is still no certification...
Not a glorious chapter for Skoda at all...

If I was DB I'd be cancelling the order and coming up with Plan B. DB Regio already have 230km/h locos of their own, so just stock to sort.

 

[Jamesrob637]

I went on that service last October and the Ex IC coaches were fine. I've no complaints about delayed stock. Mind also good was the IC I travelled on from Frankurt to Cologne using ex Apmz as 2nd class. Nice!!!

For dummies such as myself, were you in a declassified First Class carriage? Thameslink does that your way off-peak in the rear section (I see you're in Brighton).