GERMANY: DB Fernverkehr is to relaunch regular inter-city trains to and from Chemnitz Hauptbahnhof in June after a gap of more than 15 years.
Zweckverband Verkehrsverbund Mittelsachsen has awarded DB Fernverkehr a contract to run four of its Berlin – Dresden services per day to and from the city. The cost of running the services is being met by the Land of Sachsen, which will contribute €2·5m annually over a term of 6½ years, with an option to extend the funding annually until June 2032.
Regular services are due to begin on June 12, using double-deck Stadler Kiss Intercity 2 trainsets previously operated by Austrian open access player Westbahn. DB will run two trains every morning from Chemnitz to Berlin, and two trains every evening from Berlin to Chemnitz. Journey times from Chemnitz to Berlin Brandenburg airport are expected to be around 2½ h, taking a further 30 min to reach Berlin Hauptbahnhof.
