Rhein-IJssel-Express

RE 19 Rhein-IJssel-Express
	map of the route
Overview
Locale	North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Technical
Line length	92 km (57 mi)
Route map
	Arnhem Centraal
	(since April 2017)

The Rhein-IJssel-Express is a Regional-Express service in German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the Dutch province of Gelderland, in service as from December 2016 from Düsseldorf to Emmerich am Rhein. The service was extended to Arnhem in April 2017. It is planned to extend it to Bocholt. The line, which is designated as RE 19, is operated by Abellio Rail NRW.

The Rhein-IJssel-Express is part of the Niederrhein-Netz (Lower Rhine Network) of the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr, operations of which were awarded to Abellio Rail NRW at the beginning of 2013. In addition to the RE 19, it also includes the RB 35 (Emscher-Niederrhein-Bahn, a new service, replacing a service formerly operated as part of RB 33–the Rhein-Niers-Bahn) and the RB 32 (Der Bocholter). After the electrification of the Bocholt–Wesel railway, the RB 32 service is expected to be integrated in the RE 19 from December 2018 as a portion worked service coupled and uncoupled in Wesel.^[1]^[2]

There are two other international Regional-Expresses in the region: the Maas-Wupper-Express and the proposed LIMAX (Liège-Maastricht-Aachen-Express).

History

Until December 2016, the service was branded as Regionalbahn line Der Weseler (RB 35) from Duisburg to Wesel and operated towards Emmerich, Düsseldorf or Cologne during the peak in the peak direction. It was launched in 1998 with the introduction of the NRW-Takt (Clock-face timetable). The line was operated with 425/426 class sets and sometimes with locomotive-hauled Silberling carriages by DB Regio NRW.

Except for a test service that ran from December 2005 to June 2006 as Der Arnheimer (RB 34) between Emmerich and Arnhem, there had been no cross-border regional services between Amsterdam and Cologne since the cessation of the Eilzug (regional fast train) service on the Oberhausen–Arnhem railway in the 1980s.^[3] Cross-border journeys have since then only been possible by bus or ICE International services.

In order to again offer an attractive cross-border regional service, the Rhein-IJssel-Express was extended from Emmerich via Zevenaar to Arnhem on 6 April 2017, where it connects to the InterCity, regional sprinter and local train (Stoptrein) services of the Nederlandse Spoorwegen (Dutch Railways). Between Zevenaar and Arnhem, the, RE 19 complements the Dutch Arnhem–Doetinchem–Winterswijk (operated by Arriva) and Arnhem–Doetinchem (operated by Breng) stopping trains.

Rolling stock

Stadler Flirt 3 prepared for the Rhein-IJssel-Express in the Abellio depot, April 2016

Abellio procured nine Stadler Flirt 3 trainsets for use on the Rhein-IJssel-Express. These are three-system capable:

15 kV 16.7 Hz AC (~) for the Düsseldorf–Elten section
25 kV 50 Hz ~ for the Elten–Zevenaar section
1.5 kV DC (=) for the Zevenaar–Arnhem section

A new workshop was built in Duisburg by Abellio to maintain the trainsets.

Route

The Regional-Express runs on the following railways:

Cologne–Duisburg railway from Düsseldorf to Duisburg
Duisburg–Dortmund railway from Duisburg to Oberhausen
Oberhausen–Arnhem railway from Oberhausen to Emmerich, over the whole length from 2017
Bocholt–Wesel railway , over the whole length from 2018.

Hellweg-Express

In the early days of the NRW clock-face timetable, there was another Regional-Express service that was designated as the RE 19. This service, called the Hellweg-Express, was operated by DB Regio NRW on the route from Dortmund via Unna to Warburg from 1998 to 2002. It was replaced at the timetable change on 15 December 2002 by the RB 59 Hellweg-Bahn and the RB 89.^[4]

Notes

↑ "VRR beauftragt Abellio mit dem Betrieb des Niederrhein-Netzes" (Press release) (in German). Abellio Deutschland. 2 April 2013. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
↑ "Abellio Rail NRW baut Bahnbetriebswerk in Duisburg" (in German). newstix.de. 2 December 2015. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
↑ Matthias Oomen. "Grenzüberschreitender Verkehr: Schlechte Verbindungen zwischen Kohle und Tulpen" (PDF). Der Fahrgast (in German). Fahrgastverband Pro Bahn (2/2009): 19. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
↑ Verbundfahrplan Schnellverkehr 2003. Gelsenkirchen: Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr. 2002. p. 6.

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[1] "VRR beauftragt Abellio mit dem Betrieb des Niederrhein-Netzes" (Press release) (in German). Abellio Deutschland. 2 April 2013. Retrieved 3 February 2017.

[2] "Abellio Rail NRW baut Bahnbetriebswerk in Duisburg" (in German). newstix.de. 2 December 2015. Retrieved 3 February 2017.

[3] Matthias Oomen. "Grenzüberschreitender Verkehr: Schlechte Verbindungen zwischen Kohle und Tulpen" (PDF). Der Fahrgast (in German). Fahrgastverband Pro Bahn (2/2009): 19. Retrieved 3 February 2017.

[4] Verbundfahrplan Schnellverkehr 2003. Gelsenkirchen: Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr. 2002. p. 6.