Locomore
 | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Main Country(s) | Germany |
| Fleet size | 14 carriages (one train) |
| Stations called at | 12 |
| Parent company | Locomore GmbH & Co. KG |
| Website | www.locomore.com |
Locomore (identifier LOC) was a German higher-speed inter-city rail service between four of the most populous German metropolitan areas; i.e. the Stuttgart Metropolitan Region, Rhine-Neckar, Frankfurt Rhine-Main and Berlin-Brandenburg. The train called at 12 railway stations, including the major German cities of Stuttgart, Frankfurt, Hanover and Berlin. It operates at a top speed of 200 km/h (124 mph).
The financially self-sufficient Locomore passenger rail service was run by its parent company, Locomore GmbH & Co. KG (called Locomore), a german private railway passenger company headquartered in Berlin. Locomore competes with express coach operators and the state-owned German passenger train operator, Deutsche Bahn, for passengers.
Locomore was considered a low-cost passenger rail service provider. It claims to always sell its tickets at less than half the price required for standard fare Deutsche Bahn tickets.
Concept
On 14 December 2016, Locomore began running a daily service between Stuttgart and Berlin. Travel time between Stuttgart Hbf and Berlin Hbf was 6:26 southbound, and 6:47 northbound. The majority of the route runs on existing German high speed lines where the service travels up to 200 km/h. In order to compete against the Deutsche Bahn's quasi-monopoly over long-distance travel in Germany, Locomore's prices were similar to those of long distance buses, and they aim to provide a high-standard of in-seat service. The Locomore service also runs entirely on green energy.[1]
Tickets were available for purchase online, via a smartphone app, by phone and were also available for purchase in the train. As is also the case for other private operators in Germany such as Hamburg-Köln-Express, InterConnex and Thalys, tickets were unavailable through Deutsche Bahn points of sale. Early bookers paid lower prices and could choose between multiple service levels, and all tickets were nominative and included seat reservations. Space was provided on board for pushchairs and bikes. There were themed sections for families with children; children could travel for free until the age of 14.
Network
The cities Vaihingen an der Enz, Heidelberg, Darmstadt, Frankfurt am Main, Hanau, Fulda, Kassel, Göttingen, Hannover and Wolfsburg were connected with Stuttgart and Berlin. While the train only stopped at the main station in Stuttgart, the train stopped in Zoo, Hbf, Ostbf and Lichtenberg railway stations in Berlin.[2]
Three new connections were planned for 2017: Frankfurt-Stuttgart-Augsburg-München, Berlin-Hannover-Dortmund-Düsseldorf-Köln-Bonn and Berlin-Prenzlau-Stralsund-Binz.[3]
Vehicles
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Bm235 type UIC passenger coach types with 12 passenger compartments are used. The coaches were used in the Netherlands up until 2009. All carriages had free Wi-Fi.
There are three passenger carriage variants:
- Bmz 1: Air conditioned with a main open seating area and seven compartments
- Bmz 2: Utility wagon (bikes, pushchairs, family section, children's play area, wheelchair section, food preparation)
- Bmz 3: Compartment coach with 12 passenger compartments. Not air conditioned.
The wagons are certified for a top speed of 200 km/h. They were leased from owner SRI Rail Invest GmBH.[4][5] The locomotives and drivers are provided by Hector Rail. A Siemens ES64U2 with a top speed of 230 km/h was used.[6][7]
Food
An in-seat trolley service of snacks, hot and cold drinks, and small meals (salads, sandwiches) was available. Refreshment choices were Fair Trade and organic where possible.[6]
Financing
Since June 2015, Locomore has raised funds through a crowdfunding campaign, allowing private individuals to invest in the company via pledges and donations. As of 6 December 2016, Locomore had received €608.761 in investments, largely exceeding their funding goal of €460,000. Investors can choose between receiving interest payments on their donation of 3.5% per annum and receiving travel vouchers for use on the service. On 26 January 2016 the company announced that they had successfully raised the capital necessary to launch the train service.[8]
History
Locomore GmbH & Co. KG was founded in 2007 and in 2009 was a founding member of the Hamburg-Köln-Express GmbH, which launched the Hamburg-Köln-Express in 2012 in direct competition with the Deutsche Bahn between Hamburg and Cologne. In 2012 Locomore sold its holdings in Hamburg-Köln-Express GmbH to concentrate on launching its own rail service in competition with Deutsche Bahn.
Insolvency
On May 11, 2017, Locomore announced that it had filed for insolvency in district court. Service is expected to be terminated as new investors could not be found to keep the railroad company operational.[9]
References
- ↑ Fahrstrom: Locomore fährt mit 100% Ökostrom, Pressemitteilung Naturstrom AG, abgerufen am 8. Dezember 2016
- ↑ Fahrplan 2016 – locomore.com
- ↑ locomore.com: Weitere Strecken in Planung
- ↑ Locomore startet mit neun Wagen zwischen Stuttgart und Berlin, eurailpress.de, 23. September 2016
- ↑ Locomore Reisezugwagen Bmz auf der Internetseite der InnoTrans
- 1 2 FAQ, Stand: 12.7.2016 14:00 auf der Internetseite von Locomore
- ↑ Hector Rail Lokomotivklasse 242 For test runs on 6.12.2016 a Hector Rail locomotive Siemens ES64U2 (Taurus) designated 242.517 Fitzgerald was used.
- ↑ State of crowdfunding – locomore.com, accessed on 15th December 2016
- ↑ Crowd-funded open access operator Locomore files for insolvency - RailwayGazette.com, accessed on 12 May 2017
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Locomore. |