GERMANY: Following a competitive tender, Rhein-Main and Nordhessen transport authorities RMV and NVV have awarded incumbent DB Regio the next contract to operate Kinzigtal services RE50 Frankfurt – Wächtersbach – Fulda – Bebra and RB51 Frankfurt – Wächtersbach from December 14 2025.
Planned changes to long-distance services on the route will require a new timetable for the regional services. This will cut 8 min from the RE50 journey time between Frankfurt and Fulda, while services will be extended beyond Fulda to Bebra every 2 h throughout the day and hourly in the peaks. There will be additional peak services on both routes. Departures from Frankfurt Hbf will be roughly every 30 min; this is better spaced than the current service which sees the two trains per hour leaving 15 min apart.
The two routes will be operated with a fleet of 29 Alstom Coradia Stream HC electric multiple-units, increasing the capacity of RE50 services from 720 to 840 seats. The trains will offer step-free boarding, more cycle spaces and free onboard wi-fi.
‘The improvements in services between Frankfurt, Fulda and Nordhessen reflect our goal of significantly increasing the number of passengers’, said RMV Managing Director Prof Knut Ringat on February 11, adding that improvements ‘are an example of how local public transport can become even more attractive if the financial scope allows it.’
