Timetable changes from 8 April

Düsseldorf, 19 March 2024 - From Monday, 8 April, there will be new timetables for the eurobahn lines in the Ostwestfalen-Lippe-Netz and Teutoburger-Wald-Netz. The aim of this change is to offer all passengers and partners a reliable and predictable service. The background to this change process is the challenges posed by the shortage of skilled labour and the increased sickness rates, which have a significant impact on operational performance at times. "Over the past few weeks, we have intensively examined and analysed how we can offer our passengers the reliability and timetable stability they need in view of the difficult conditions in the industry. With the timetable adjustments, we are taking account of these issues as well as our employee welfare," says Karsten Schulz, Technical Managing Director of eurobahn. The timetable changes are valid until the summer holidays, when the situation will be re-evaluated.

An overview of the timetable changes:

Line RB 65 "Ems-Bahn"
The RB 65 runs every half hour for passengers from Monday to Friday; from 8 April, a third of the train services will be cancelled during periods of high demand.

Line RB 66 "Teuto-Bahn"
From Monday 8 April, the Teuto-Bahn will run every two hours (previously hourly). The Regional-Express RE 2 running in parallel can still be used between Münster and Osnabrück in both directions.

Line RB 67 "Der Warendorfer"
There is no train service between Rheda-Wiedenbrück and Bielefeld, so please refer to lines RB 69 and RE 6. The section between Gütersloh and Isselhorst-Avenwedde will be served by a rail replacement service.

RE 78 "Porta-Express"line
We will be cancelling all services on this line between Nienburg and Minden. Alternatively, we will be organising a rail replacement service with buses in order to maintain an adequate service for our passengers.

Line RE 82 "Der Leineweber"
The service offered by the Leineweber will be placed on the parallel services of lines RB 72 and RB 73. The Bielefeld - Altenbeken section of the route will be served by the RE 82 up to and including Sunday, 7 April; from 8 April, there will be no service on the RE 82 line.

The timetable updates will be available to all passengers from 20 March at eurobahn.de/fahrplaene and zuginfo.nrw. In addition, all passengers can call the free service hotline 00800 387 622 46 for more information.
 

North Rhine-Westphalia is making a strong case for the railway industry and counteracting the shortage of skilled labour

The industry figures are clear. By the end of 2024 alone, there will be a shortage of around 500 employees in various occupational groups on NRW's local transport railways. More than 600 train drivers will retire by 2027. With a large-scale employment campaign launched in September 2023 by the Ministry of Transport and the Environment of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, the political and railway industry players have intensified and continued their commitment to recruiting skilled workers. A total of 6 million euros will be made available for this purpose. In figures, this means that in 2024, 650 places will be offered in North Rhine-Westphalia for lateral entry train drivers, which means that the number of courses on offer has been increased by 50%.
Source: Fokus Bahn

Furthermore, the collective bargaining developments of the trade unions, such as the reduction in working hours, must be taken into account, the additional requirements of which are not yet included here. eurobahn is one of the partners of Fokus Bahn, which is also an active player in facing up to the challenges facing the industry and, above all, helping to shape the mobility transition in the interests of all passengers, partners and employees. In addition to industry activities to attract new employees, eurobahn invests in training and further development. Around 20 participants are currently undergoing training to become train drivers, as well as a dozen in the "Driving under supervision" training programme. Further qualification courses and measures will start in the second quarter. The company is also a training company for the traditional three-and-a-half-year vocational training programme for railway workers in operational service. "In autumn 2023, we also launched an application campaign, the success of which is already visible. This has significantly increased the number of applications we receive. Presenting ourselves as an employer at training and careers fairs is a matter of course for us. Since the end of the pandemic, we have taken part in various training and job fairs in Bielefeld, Münster and Bad Salzuflen, for example. By the way, anyone still looking for a training position from August 2024 is also welcome to get in touch," adds Karsten Schulz.

Information on lateral entry, job vacancies and everything to do with vocational training can be found here https://karriere.eurobahn.de