📋 Tender Overview
On December 14th, the major timetable change will see new and faster connections in local rail passenger transport. In 2026, the rail network will be expanded, renewed and modernized throughout the country. On December 14, 2025, the major timetable change will see new and faster connections in local rail passenger transport (SPNV). Passengers benefit particularly in the Rhine-Neckar region and on the reactivated Hermann Hesse Railway. In 2026, the rail network will continue to be expanded, renewed and modernized throughout the country. More connections, more seats than ever before. Every December, the whole of Europe adjusts its timetables. In 2026, regional trains and S-Bahn trains in Baden-Wurttemberg will run a total of around 103 million train kilometers - a new record. If you only look at the regional trains ordered by the state, the value is 87.8 million train kilometers. In 2025, the country had ordered 87.6 million; 80.3 million train kilometers in 2022. The Transport Minister said: For 2026, the country has ordered more train journeys than ever before - a total of 87.8 million kilometers. With the new timetable, we are offering more direct connections, closer frequency and additional space for passengers. However, we will only be able to implement the major improvements and expansion of services for passengers when Deutsche Bahn provides us with the necessary infrastructure and Stuttgart 21 goes into operation. Construction sites: For the modernization and digitalization of the infrastructure In 2026, rail infrastructure will again be significantly expanded, renewed and modernized throughout the country. This is important. For many years, the rail network was neglected throughout Germany. But public transport will only be robust and reliable in the future if it is built, modernized and renovated. There will continue to be numerous construction sites and therefore restrictions on local transport. The railway companies (RUs) provide information about route-related construction-related changes. Reliability and quality are our top priority. In order for passengers to be able to rely on the timetable, the railway must renew, expand and digitize the rail infrastructure and make up for what has been missed and neglected for decades. For passengers, this may mean that they have to change their everyday life and their commute. I regret that very much. But in the end we all benefit from it. Stuttgart, for example, will even have a pioneering region and the first digital node in the medium term, said the Transport Minister. . The digitization of the Stuttgart network will make rail transport fit for the future and climate protection. With the new digital technology, trains will be able to travel closer together, for example. This means that more trains can travel with more passengers. The new train control technology will also ensure greater quality and punctuality of the trains overall. The state expects all stakeholders involved - the DB, DB InfraGO and the railway companies - to provide comprehensive and early information about the construction sites and reliable replacement transport. The impact on passengers must be kept as low as possible, appealed Transport Minister Hermann. Preliminary operation of the Hermann Hesse Railway At the beginning of 2026, the reactivated Hermann Hesse Railway will resume operations between Calw and Weil der Stadt. Environmentally friendly battery-electric multiple units of the Mireo Plus B type from the manufacturer Siemens start at national intervals, once an hour, between Calw and Weil der Stadt. In Weil der Stadt, passengers then have a connection to the S-Bahn towards Stuttgart. Changes to the Rhine-Neckar S-Bahn Due to adjustments to the long-distance transport timetable, improvements will be made to the S-Bahn network in the Rhine-Neckar region, including direct connections and line changes: The S6 of the Rhine-Neckar S-Bahn will in future run from Mainz to Mannheim and will be connected via Graben-Neudorf to Karlsruhe - this will create, among other things, direct connections between Worms and Schwetzingen and between Hockenheim and Ludwigshafen. The previous section of the S6 from Mannheim to Bensheim will in future run as the S5 from Bensheim via Mannheim to Mainz and back. The previous S5 from Heidelberg to Eppingen will now be called S7. The S51 from Heidelberg to Aglasterhausen becomes the S8. The previous S8 from Mannheim Hbf via Mannheim-Kafertal to Biblis will in future be used by the S10. The S9 can now be permanently connected from Gross-Rohrheim via Mannheim to Karlsruhe. Improved Ermstalbahn frequency The Ermstalbahn between Tubingen and Bad Urach runs every half hour from Monday to Friday after the timetable change. South of Freiburg: Adjustments to long-distance transport lead to more flexibility and more connections From the timetable change, the Rhine Valley south of Freiburg will have an almost continuous half-hour service. Through adaptationIn long-distance transport, the travel times of the regional express (RE) also change. Then the RE 7 regional express and the RB 27 regional train run alternately every half hour - this significantly increases flexibility for commuters. In addition, there will be a capacity offensive at the beginning of 2026, as has already been implemented on the RB lines. There should be more spaces in RE traffic, especially on weekends. Capacity increase on the Europabahn On the weekends during the Strasbourg Christmas market, the trains from Offenburg in the direction of Kehl and Strasbourg, as well as in the opposite direction, are very full. Therefore, additional capacity in the form of more spacious trains will be offered on weekends in December 2025. Since the vehicles used are not registered for France, the capacity increases initially only apply to Kehl. As soon as new vehicles purchased specifically for this purpose by the Region Grand Est have been approved for Germany, all traffic on the entire ro
