Aiming steadfastly towards the objective
In the heart of North Rhine-Westphalia, the Rheinbahn is striving to become the first choice for mobility in Düsseldorf and its surrounding areas. However, the journey towards this goal is not without its challenges.
Christian Rütz, the Chairman of the CDU Lierenfeld and candidate for the city council in Alt Eller/Vennhausen Süd, has highlighted the importance of consistent implementation of the hygiene concept and monitoring of the mask requirement, as well as the close observation of the capacities of the Rheinbahn. Rütz's party colleague and transport spokesman of the city council, Andreas Hartnigk, has emphasised that the Rheinbahn will have to prove itself in the coming days as students and many professionals return to their places of work.
The Rheinbahn aims to make its services more punctual, reliable, and clean. To this end, they have introduced a new express bus line, SB53, in cooperation with the Neuss city works. This line connects the Neuss districts of Reuschenberg, Hoisten, and Allerheiligen with the university and the south park in Düsseldorf.
However, not all changes have been met with positive reception. Rütz criticises the lack of progress in the renovation of train stations, citing examples such as those on Schlesische Straße in Lierenfeld and Gumbertstraße in Eller, which have seen little improvement in the past six years.
Moreover, the Rheinbahn has not yet made the punctuality promise in the VRR, a commitment that could provide more schedule stability and give Düsseldorf Rheinbahn users a claim to a fare refund in case of delays.
Regarding service frequency and lines, ongoing timetable adjustments due to staff shortages and limited vehicle availability are causing restrictions. These challenges affect regional express and S-Bahn lines such as RE 1, RE 6, RE 11, RE 16, RE 41, and S 1, S 2.
Criticisms also revolve around service fluctuations tied to staff and vehicle shortages plus ongoing infrastructure works affecting line frequencies and reliability. The removal of multiple ticket types may inconvenience regular customers familiar with the previous options, and some app users have reported initial problems, although these have been promptly resolved by Rheinbahn.
Despite these challenges, the Rheinbahn is exploring innovative transport modes, such as autonomous buses, aiming to enhance future service quality and passenger experience.
In the evenings, many lines run at closer intervals. On weekdays, buses and trains run as frequently as during the day until 9 pm. On Saturdays, all train lines and some bus lines run more frequently between 9 am and 8 pm, almost as often as on a weekday. Increased offerings on express bus lines ensure good connections to neighbouring cities.
If there are overcrowded buses and trains, Hartnigk suggests that the company must immediately react and run reinforcement trips during peak times. The Rheinbahn has improved over 70 lines, which is more than half of its network.
In summary, the key changes in Rheinbahn’s improved timetable focus on fare simplification and maintaining service amid operational constraints, while criticisms revolve around service fluctuations tied to staff and vehicle shortages plus ongoing infrastructure works affecting line frequencies and reliability.
- Financing for the renovation of train stations, such as those on Schlesische Straße in Lierenfeld and Gumbertstraße in Eller, needs immediate attention in the public-transit industry to ensure a reliable and comfortable transportation experience for commuters.
- To keep up with the increasing demand for transportation due to students and professionals returning to work, the finance sector may need to support the Rheinbahn for procuring more vehicles and increasing staff for a more punctual and dependable service in the industry of transportation.
