Vias (rail company)

"VIAS" redirects here. For Voluntary Industrial Aid for Spain, see Voluntary Industrial Aid for Spain. For other uses, see Vias (disambiguation).
This article is about the German rail company. For the Canadian rail service provider, see Via Rail.
Vias GmbH
Founded2005
Key people
Jochen Auler, Herbert Häner, Sebastian Nießen
ServicesRail services
Number of employees
210 (2016)
Websitewww.vias-online.de

The Vias GmbH (stylized VIAS) is a rail service company based in Frankfurt (Germany). The name of the company was taken from the Latin word via for way and the letter S for service. It operates rail services in the states of Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia.

Owners

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The company was founded in 2005 by Stadtwerke Verkehrsgesellschaft Frankfurt am Main (VGF, the municipal transport company of Frankfurt) and Rurtalbahn GmbH (RTB) of Düren with both companies having equal shareholdings.

In March 2010, Danish State Railways announced that it had taken over VGF's shareholding with the help of its subsidiary DSB Deutschland GmbH.[1]

History

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On 22 October 2010, Düren-based Vias DN2011 GmbH was founded by its shareholders, DSB Deutschland GmbH and R.A.T.H. GmbH with the aim of providing rail services.[2] This company was first registered as Vias Odenwaldbahn GmbH on 19 February 2014[3] and renamed Vias Rail GmbH on 22 June 2015.[4] In the meantime R.A.T.H. GmbH had become its sole shareholder. On 13 December 2015, Vias Rail GmbH took over the public transport services on the Odenwald network from Vias GmbH.[5]

Rail services

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Lines in Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate

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Vias has operated the approximately 210-kilometre-long Odenwald Railway network on behalf of the Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund (RMV) and the state of Baden-Württemberg since 11 December 2005. It has also operated the East Rhine Railway since 12 December 2010 and the Pfungstadt Railway since 10 December 2011. It now operates on the following lines:

Number Route name Route Contract period Rolling stock Comments
RB 10 Rheingau line Frankfurt Hbf – Frankfurt-Höchst – Mainz-Kastel – Wiesbaden Hbf – Eltville – Rüdesheim (Rhein) – Lorch (Rhein) – Lorchhausen – St. Goarshausen – Koblenz Hbf – Neuwied 12.12.2010 – 11.12.2038 FLIRT Runs on the tracks of the Taunus Railway, the Right Rhine Railway, the Lahn Valley Railway and the Neuwied–Koblenz railway
RE 19 Rheingau-Loreley-Express Frankfurt Hbf – Frankfurt-Höchst – Mainz-Kastel – Eltville – Rüdesheim (Rhein) – Lorch (Rhein) – St. Goarshausen – Koblenz Hbf (– Kobern-Gondorf) 14.12.2025 – 11.12.2038 Stadler Flirt 3XL Runs bypassing Wiesbaden Hauptbahnhof on the tracks of the Taunus Railway, the Right Rhine Line, the Lahn Valley Railway and the Moselle Line
RB 66 Pfungstadt Railway Darmstadt Hbf – Darmstadt-Eberstadt – Pfungstadt 10.12.2011 – 11.12.2027 Itino / LINT 54[6] Operated to 2015 by Vias GmbH, since by Vias Rail GmbH
RB 86 Odenwald Railway Hanau Hbf – Seligenstadt (Hess) – Babenhausen (Hess) – Groß-Umstadt Wiebelsbach 12.11.2005 – 12.11.2027
RE 85 Frankfurt Hbf – Offenbach Hbf – Hanau Hbf – Seligenstadt (Hess) – Babenhausen (Hess) – Groß-Umstadt Wiebelsbach (–Höchst (Odenw) – Erbach (Odenw))
RB 82 Frankfurt Hbf – Darmstadt Nord – Reinheim (Odenw) – Groß-Umstadt Wiebelsbach – Höchst (Odenw) – Erbach (Odenw)
RE 80 Darmstadt Hbf – Darmstadt Nord – Reinheim (Odenw) – Groß-Umstadt Wiebelsbach – Höchst (Odenw) – Erbach (Odenw)
RB 81 Darmstadt Hbf – Darmstadt Nord – Reinheim (Odenw) – Groß-Umstadt Wiebelsbach – Höchst (Odenw) – Erbach (Odenw) – Eberbach

The designation of the lines corresponds to the numbering of the RMV.

Vias Itino set in Frankfurter Hauptbahnhof
Vias FLIRT set at the entrance to Mainz-Kastel station

Since the commencement of operations in the Odenwald, 22 brand new Bombardier Itino diesel railcars have been supplied by the Fahrzeugmanagement Region Frankfurt RheinMain GmbH (fahma) for the operations. The maintenance takes place in the workshop of Odenwaldbahn-Infrastruktur GmbH in Michelstadt, which is also the location of the operating centre. Four more sets of the same type were ordered by the RMV in August 2007 due to a lack of capacity and were delivered in the spring of 2010. These are also used on the Pfungstadt Railway, which was restored to operation from the 2011/2012 timetable change.

In addition, Vias also took over the RheingauLinie local service on the East Rhine Railway between Neuwied, Koblenz Hbf (and Stadtmitte), Wiesbaden Hbf and Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof (RMV line 10) at the 2010/2011 timetable change in December 2010. 5 three-car and 14 four-car FLIRT electric multiple units were ordered for its operation.[7][8]

In June 2021, the RMV announced that Vias GmbH would continue to operate the Rheingau route for another 15 years beyond 2023. The RheingauExpress (RE 9) would be put out to tender again in 2026.[9]

After a new tender for the operation of the Railway and the Pfungstadt Railway, Vias Rail GmbH took over these lines with a contract for twelve years from December 2015. The existing Itino vehicles would continue to be used, although capacity adjustments would be made for some journeys were made. In addition to the driver, at least one train attendant is present on all journeys.[10] In August 2019, the RMV announced that passenger demand in the Odenwald network had increased by over 50 percent to 15,000 people since the Vias began operating and the introduction of the improved timetable concept.[11]

On 21 November 2022, VIAS Rail was awarded the contract for the regional express line RE 19 between Frankfurt (Main) Hbf and Koblenz Hbf, which will run every two hours from 2025 and replace RE 9. Some trips are already scheduled to start in Kobern-Gondorf (Mosel). New Stadler FLIRT locomotives are to be purchased.[12]

Lines in North Rhine-Westphalia

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On 26 March 2015, the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr and Nahverkehr Rheinland (Rhineland local transport association) announced that Vias would operate the North Rhine-Westphalia Regionalbahn services RB 34 (Schwalm-Nette-Bahn from Mönchengladbach to Dalheim) and the northern part of the RB 38 service (the Erft-Bahn from Düsseldorf via Grevenbroich to Bedburg) from the timetable change on 10 December 2017.[13] The RB 38 would no longer use its whole former route from the timetable change; instead passengers would have to change in Bedburg. The northern part is operated by Vias and has been renamed the RB 39. The transport association for the Rhineland (Nahverkehr Rheinland—Rhineland local transport) planned to electrify the southern (Bedburg-Cologne) section and operate it as an S-Bahn service, while the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr, which is the transport authority that administers the northern section of the route has rejected the electrification of the line for "transport and economic reasons." Twelve new Alstom Coradia LINT sets (nine LINT 54H and three LINT 41H) are operated on the two lines. The contract for operating the service was signed with the new operator Vias for twelve years on 16 April 2015.[14]

From 1 February 2022, Vias Rail operated line S 7 (Der Müngstener) and the Niederrhein-Netz (lines RE 19 and RB 35) subnetworks as part of an emergency award which were previously operated by the insolvent Abellio Rail NRW.[15][16][17] The transport contract for the Lower Rhine network has now been extended through direct award until December 2025. The S 7 has been operated by RheinRuhrBahn since December 2023.

Since the timetable change in December 2023, Vias has also operated the Ruhr-Sieg network consisting of the lines RE 16 (Essen – Iserlohn), RB 46 (Bochum – Gelsenkirchen) and RB 91 (Hagen – Siegen/Iserlohn). The Stadler Flirt electric multiple units were acquired from the previous operator DB Regio.

Vias therefore operates on the following lines in North Rhine-Westphalia and across borders to the Netherlands (as of 2024):

Number Railway used Route Contract period Rolling stock
RE 16 Ruhr-Lenne-Express Essen – Bochum – Witten – Hagen – Letmathe – Iserlohn 10.12.2023 – 12.12.2034 Stadler Flirt
RE 19 Rhein-IJssel-Express Düsseldorf – Duisburg – Oberhausen – Wesel – Bocholt/ – Emmerich – Arnhem (split/joined in Wesel) 01.02.2022 – 14.12.2025 Stadler Flirt 3 (multi-system)
RB 34 Schwalm-Nette-Bahn Mönchengladbach – Dalheim 10.12.2017 – 09.12.2029 Alstom Lint 41H
RB 35 Emscher-Niederrhein-Bahn Mönchengladbach – Krefeld – Duisburg – Oberhausen – Gelsenkirchen 01.02.2022 – 14.12.2025 Stadler Flirt 3
RB 39 Düssel-Erft-Bahn Düsseldorf – Neuss – Grevenbroich – Bedburg 10.12.2017 – 09.12.2029 Alstom Lint 54H and 41H
RB 46 Glückauf-Bahn Bochum – Wanne-Eickel – Gelsenkirchen 10.12.2023 – 12.12.2026 Stadler Flirt
RB 91 Ruhr-Sieg-Bahn
Ruhr-Sieg-Bahn 		Hagen – Iserlohn-Letmathe (split/joined)
front set: – Siegen
rear set: – Iserlohn 		10.12.2023 – 12.12.2034 Stadler Flirt

Former line:

S7 Der Müngstener Wuppertal – Remscheid – Solingen 01.02.2022 – 09.12.2023 Alstom Lint 41H

References

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  1. ^ "DSB acquires fifty per cent of German train operator" (Press release). DSB. 4 March 2010. Archived from the original on 30 June 2011. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  2. ^ Düren District Court file number: HRB 6597, new entries. Joint register portal of the states, 17 July 2013, accessed 10 September 2015
  3. ^ Düren District Court file number: HRB 6597, new entries. Joint register portal of the states, 5 March 2014, accessed 10 September 2015
  4. ^ Düren District Court file number: HRB 6597, new entries. Joint register portal of the states, 9 July 2015, accessed 10 September 2015
  5. ^ "VIAS". Bahn-Report (in German). 33 (197): 28. 1 September 2015. ISSN 0178-4528.
  6. ^ Eurailpress staff (9 March 2022). "RMV: VIAS setzt 5 neue Lint 54 im Odenwaldnetz ein". Eurailpress. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  7. ^ "Der 500. Flirt für Vias". Eurailpress (in German). 26 September 2008. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017.
  8. ^ "FLIRT der Firma Stadler fährt ab 2010 am Rheinhein" (Press release) (in German). VIAS GmbH. 25 September 2008. Archived from the original on 3 October 2008. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  9. ^ "Rheingau-Linie: Mit bekannter Betreiberin häufiger unterwegs" (Press release) (in German). Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund. 1 June 2021. Archived from the original on 6 December 2021. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  10. ^ "Die alten Betreiber sind auch die neuen Betreiber" (PDF) (Press release) (in German). RMV. 17 December 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 December 2013. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  11. ^ "Odenwaldbahn fit für die Zukunft machen" (in German). Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund. 7 August 2019. Archived from the original on 10 August 2019. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  12. ^ "VIAS betreibt neue Express-Verbindung zwischen Frankfurt, Rheingau und Koblenz" (Press release) (in German). Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund. 21 November 2022. Archived from the original on 22 November 2022. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  13. ^ "VIAS übernimmt Erft-Schwalm-Netz – VRR und NVR vergeben RB 34 und RB 38-Nord (künftig RB 39) an neuen Betreiber" (Press release) (in German). Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr. 26 March 2015. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  14. ^ "VIAS übernimmt Erft-Schwalm-Netz – Verkehrsvertrag über zwölf Jahre mit neuem Betreiber abgeschlossen" (in German). Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr. 18 April 2015. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  15. ^ "Bahn, National Express und Vias übernehmen in NRW". Die Zeit (in German). 9 March 2024. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
  16. ^ "Drei Bahnunternehmen ersetzen Abellio in NRW". Westdeutscher Rundfunk (in German). 9 March 2024. Archived from the original on 10 December 2021. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
  17. ^ "Vias übernimmt S7 und Niederrheinnetz" (Press release) (in German). Vias. 15 December 2021. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
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