The Vogtlandbahn is a private railway company in Germany, which runs diesel trains on regional lines in the states of Saxony, Thuringia, Bavaria, Brandenburg, and Berlin and as well as routes into the Czech Republic. Vogtlandbahn is wholly owned by the Arriva subsidiary Regentalbahn.
The company's most prestigious train is the Vogtland-Express: a daily direct return service connecting Hof with Berlin by way of Plauen, Reichenbach, Zwickau, and Chemnitz.
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After German Reunification in 1990, there was a sharp drop in passenger numbers on the rail network in all the new Bundesländer. Saxony, and thus Vogtland was no exception. The railways had old locomotives rolling stock and couldn't compete with the rapidly improving roads. The Saxony government invested in an attempt to improve the attractiveness of the Zwickau–Falkenstein–Klingenthal line and the Herlasgrün–Falkenstein–Adorf (Kursbuchstrecke 539). The track was relaid to a 80 km/h standard, disabled access was facilitated at all stations and new stations opened. Maintenance and tracks were rationalised. Some platforms were removed, some stations such as Schöneck were restyled as simple halts.
To renew passenger confidence, new trainsets were bought and the timetables changed to allow easier connections between services and operators. In September 1994 it was privatised, going to the Regental-Bahnbetriebs-GmbH, a company from Viechtach, Bavaria. In January 1998 it came under the ownership of the Länderbahn group. So in contrast to their former owners the Deutsche Bahn of the DDR, these invested in the company's future. In 1998, the company built their own workshops in Neumark, which were opened in July 2000. The old sheds in Reichenbach were no longer needed.
A further success is the extension of the network into Zwickau town centre. Following the example set by the Karlsruhe Stadtbahn, the lines extend from Zwickau Hauptbahnhof ("Main Railway Station") to the central markets. As most of the Vogtland network has not been electrified, the train-trams do not use current from the tramwires (as in Karlsruhe) but are driven by diesel engines. Between the Hauptbahnhof and Stadthall there was a link that could be reactivated. From there to Zentrum the train and the tram use the same tracks. To do this, dual-gauge track has been laid; there are three rails, the tram uses metre gauge (1000 mm), and the Vogtlandbahn uses standard gauge (1435 mm). An extra rail was laid next to the tram line so that they share one rail and each use one of the others as appropriate.
In the years that followed the Vogtlandbahn had many opportunities to bid for further routes to expand its network. From their core routes in the Vogtland they moved over into Bavaria and Thuringia, with lines to Hof, Schleiz and Gera. When the Czech Republic became a candidate for European Union membership a new market opened. In 2000, after a 55-year gap, the Zwickau–Klingenthal line was reconnected to Kraslice (Graslitz). In 2003 it connected to Sokolov (Falkenau) on the Czech Egertalbahn.
On 14 December 2003 the Vogtlandbahn secured an agreement with DB Regio AG to use the Gera–Weida–Zeulenroda–Mehltheuer line and thus started a general traffic service on the Elstertalbahn between Gera, Greiz and Weischlitz, which previously had required a change.
Following the extension of the Zwickau–Plauen–Bad Brambach line over the Czech border to Cheb (Eger) and thus Marktredwitz in Bavaria, the Plauen-Hof service was extended through Marktredwitz and Weiden (10 June 2001) to Regensburg (15 December 2002).
In the timetable changes of 8 December 2006 the Vogtlandbahn lost the Schönberg Schleiz route in Thuringia. An agreement with DB Regio Oberfranken in December 2006 allowed the Vogtlandbahn to run (Hof–) Münchberg-Helmbrechts and Lichtenfels–Neuenmarkt-Wirsberg, alongside the Deutsche Bahn, providing the regional services.[1]
Finally, in autumn 2004 Bavaria sold its final stake in the Länderbahn to the British-owned Arriva group, who already owned the Prignitz railway in Brandenburg. This made them the second largest railway company in Germany.
The following routes were published in the 2008 timetable.
| Line | Route | Distance | Stations | Startdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex1 | München Hbf–Landshut Hbf–Regensburg Hbf–Schwandorf– –Weiden–Marktredwitz–Hof Hbf –Furth im Wald–Plzeň hl.n.–Praha hl.n. |
318 443 km | 16/16 | 9. December 2007 |
| Alex2 | München Hbf–Buchloe–Kempten Hbf–Immenstadt– bOberstdorf –Hergatz–Lindau Hbf |
172 221 km | 17/14 | 9. December 2007 |
| VB 1 | Zwickau Zentrum–Zwickau Hbf–Lengenfeld–Auerbach –Falkenstein–Zwotental–Klingenthal–Kraslice |
73 km | 23 | Zwickau Hbf–Klingenthal: 23. November 1997 Zwickau Zentrum–Zwickau Hbf: 28. May 1999 Klingenthal–Kraslice: 28. May 2000 |
| VB 2 | Zwickau Zentrum Zwickau Hbf–Reichenbach ob Bf–Plauen ob Bf–Weischlitz–Adorf Bad Brambach–Cheb–Mariánské Lázně |
158 km | 34 | Zwickau Hbf–Bad Brambach: 13. October 1996 Bad Brambach–Cheb: 28. May 2000 Cheb–Mariánské Lázně: 14. December 2003 |
| VB 3 | Hof Hbf–Marktredwitz–Wiesau–Neustadt (Waldnaab)–Weiden –Nabburg–Schwandorf–Regensburg Hbf |
180 km | 25 | Hof Hbf–Weiden: 10. June 2001 Weiden–Regensburg Hbf: 15. December 2002 |
| VB 4 | Gera Hbf–Greiz–Elsterberg–Plauen unt Bf–Weischlitz (Elstertalbahn) | 62 km | 19 | Partially: 1. July 2002 Fully: 14. December 2003 |
| VB 5 | Hof Hbf–Mehltheuer–Plauen ob Bf–Herlasgrün–Auerbach –Falkenstein–Zwotental–Adorf |
121 km | 28 | Plauen ob Bf–Adorf: 23. November 1997 Hof Hbf–Plauen ob Bf: 28. May 2000 |
| VB 8 | Marktredwitz–Schirnding–Cheb | 27 km | 5 | 28. Mai 2000 |
| RB | (Hof Hbf–) Schwarzenbach (Saale)–Münchberg–Helmbrechts Run by DB Regio Oberfranken |
34 km | 10 | 8. December 2006 |
| RB | Lichtenfels–Kulmbach–Neuenmarkt-Wirsberg Run by DB Regio Oberfranken |
42 km | 10 | 8. December 2006 |
The trains on the Lines VB 1 und VB 5 from Zwickau and Hof-Plauen meet at Falkenstein station where they are coupled together to make one train. They travel coupled to Zwotental, where they are separated and continue their journey to Kraslice and Adorf respectively. This is said to give twice as much capacity on the popular Falkenstein–Zwotental section. There is also a cost saving.
Half the trainsets on Line VB 2, those that terminate at Adorf, are of the "RegioSprinter" type. They are light enough to run as tram-trains into Zwickau town centre. The trains from Zwickau to Mariánské Lázně (Marienbad) are the heavier "Desiro" train sets, not suitable to be used on the tram tracks through Zwickau town centre; so they start and terminate at the Hauptbahnhof. Consequently, since 12 December 2004, there has been an hourly service on the core route between Zwickauer Hauptbahnhof and Adorf, and a two-hourly service on the extended route from Zwickau Zentrum to Adorf, and a two-hourly service from Zwickau Hbf to Mariánské Lázně.
The company decided in the beginning to use RegioSprinter class of light train from Duewag that had already been ordered from the Dürener Kreisbahn. Firstly this was a series of 6 and then a further series of 10. Between 1998 and 1999, the seconcond series were rebuilt so they could be used on the Zwickau train-tram lines, for example: brakelights, indicators and warning bells were needed. They needed switch equipment to activate the traffic lights to ensure a safe uninterrupted passage. In January 2004 the rest were converted. RegioSprinters were only suilable for short journeys, they had thinly uppolstered seats in a 2+3 formation and no toilets, their top speed was 100 km/h, though later all the trains crossing the Czech border were refitted to a higher standard. RegioSprinters were used on VB 1, VB 5, VB 2 and until December 2006 VB 7, the line from Schönberg to Schleiz. Two of these trains were lent on a long term basis to the Prignitzer Eisenbahn for use around Oberhausen.
As the network expanded and trains were needed for longer journeys, 9 trains of the Desiro Classic class were bought in 2000 from Siemens Transportation Systems. These ran on the Deutsche Bahn route DBAG 642. These were comfortable trains with good upholstery with seat in a 2+2 formation, in the first class compartment the seats were in a 1+2 formation. Desiros were fitted with on-board ticket machines and ski racks. A second series of 15 were ordered in 2002. The first series were fitted with two 275 kW motors and the second series had two 315 kW motors and wheelchair friendly access. Desiros are used on VB 3, VB 3, VB 4 und VB 5 and on the Vogtland Express.
From 12. June 2005 Vogtlandbahn started their first long distance service. Once a day a train runs from Plauen to Berlin and back.
The Vogtland-Express started early in the morning in Plauen and passed through Reichenbach, Werdau, Altenburg, Leipzig Hbf and Berlin Schönefeld Airport to its terminus, Berlin-Lichtenberg. In the evening it returned to Plauen. Travel time was about three and a half hours of which half an hour is needed to pass through the Berlin suburbs. Then in autumn 2005 the route was extended to Hof, giving a connection to north east Bayern.
The train routes through Berlin on the Berliner Stadtbahn have been subject to much modernisation, so the Vogtland Express moved it Berlin stations in summer 2006. In 2007, engineering works at Leipzig meant a change of route through Zwickau, Chemnitz and Riesa. The train no longer operates to Berlin-Lichtenberg or Hof. Its southern terminus is generally Adorf (or Plauen for some weekend services).
This service is pitched for business travellers and day trippers. It leaves a period of about eight hours in Berlin between arrival and departure. The ticket price is 30% lower than on Deutsche Bahn though a lot slower. Tickets can only be bought on the train. Desiro, trains with service staff and a catering system are used.[3]
Since 10 January 2011 Vogtland-Express services have been replaced by a bus service, due to a shortage of Desiro diesel multiple units. The ETS bus runs from Reichenbach (Vogtland) via Zwickau (Sachs) Hbf, Chemnitz Hbf and Berlin-Schönefeld Flughafen to Berlin Zoologischer Garten. This may continue to June 2011.[4]
In 2005 the Bayerische Eisenbahngesellschaft gained the franchise for the Länderbahn. This was to be a regional express service with a 2-hour frequency from Munich through Regensburg to Schwandorf. There the trains would alternate on a four hour frequency to Hof or Furth im Wald. The Länderbahn ran a new service: Munich – Kempten – Oberstdorf Lindau. This ran in partnership with the Swiss SBB under the brand name of the Allgäu Express.
The Vogtlandbahn bought 90 used carriages, for this service, and had them modernised by the Ausbesserungswerk at Weiden. They were hauled by eleven new diesel locomotives of the EuroRunner class of Siemens Transportation Systems, that were leased from Angel Trains. For the electrified section from Munich –Regensburg four EuroSprinter class locomotives were leased from Siemens Dispolok.
The Vogtlandbahn and the Zweckverband ÖPNV Vogtland are planning to run trains from Munich to Berlin want to use the Plauen and Leipzig line to Berlin. The Vogtland Express through Chemnitz and Riesa will be maintained.