Railways serve as significant job providers.
The Rhine Valley and Middle Rhine Railways are set to undergo some significant changes in the coming months, as Deutsche Bahn and the Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund (RMV) work to address increased demand on these popular routes.
One of the key changes is the introduction of additional Regional Express (RE2) trains on weekends, running from Mainz via Ingelheim and Bingen Stadt to Bingen Hauptbahnhof, as of August 9, 2025. These additional services are coordinated with the RE17 services, aiming to improve the overall service and better handle the increased demand on the Middle Rhine Railway between Mainz and Cologne.
Another significant change is the revised timetable for the Rhine Valley Express (RE36), which now offers a direct connection between Karlsruhe and Koblenz on weekends. However, it's important to note that there will no longer be two direct connections between Karlsruhe and Bingen under the new timetable. The changes to the RE36 timetable are part of the measures to better cope with increased demand on the Middle Rhine Railway.
The new RE36 timetable is also intended to relieve heavily used routes, particularly the RE2 and RB26 lines. In the long term, the RB26 is planned to run every 30 minutes between Mainz and Bingen on weekends, a goal that remains unchanged despite the recent changes.
A timetable change is planned for December 10, 2025, which will be associated with additional construction sites in the region affecting services and potentially causing delays. This timetable change may ultimately lead to improvements and increased punctuality after the construction work.
The Rhine Valley Railway area is part of the broader Rhine Corridor where modern railway control technologies like ETCS (European Train Control System) are being tested and implemented, which may progressively enhance reliability. However, this is a technical infrastructure upgrade rather than a schedule change related to demand.
As the December 2025 timetable change approaches, passengers are encouraged to monitor official announcements from Deutsche Bahn or Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund (RMV) for line-specific updates. The changes discussed here are part of the plans by the Rhineland-Palatinate Ministry of Transport and the responsible association to better cope with the increased demand.
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