Fight against chaos at S21: This is what the railway is planning for commuters with rail replacement services

Real-time data on departure times and delays on the display board or in the app, better marked stops, buses with more comfort: With these measures, Deutsche Bahn wants to reduce future problems with rail replacement services in the course of construction work Stuttgart 21 fix. Passengers in Stuttgart will have to live with a temporary solution for another five years due to the postponement of the opening of the new long-distance station to 2031.

Because of the construction site right in the center of the state capital, they have had to accept additional journeys to the long-distance trains for many years. In addition, due to construction work surrounding the railway project, there are often lengthy route closures with replacement services and train cancellations. Railway boss Evelyn Palla had already announced the improvements a few weeks ago. They will now take effect for the first time during what is now the sixth closure of the S-Bahn main line during the summer holidays. The route will be out of service from July 20th to September 12th. Buses are running as replacements.

Frustration and anger over the current rail replacement service

For commuter In the past, rail replacement transport was often an endurance test. There were overcrowded and late buses. Passengers also reported that drivers on rail replacement services were inexperienced or unfamiliar with the area. That should now change: “Good passenger information, high reliability and an attractive offer are key requirements,” said Deutsche Bahn. You and the Stuttgart Region Association and the state of Baden-Württemberg signed a declaration of intent to better get the problems with rail replacement transport under control.

In the future, more reserve buses will be kept available in order to be able to react more quickly to problems. In addition, passengers should increasingly have local contacts if they are looking for their replacement bus. “In order to make it as bearable as possible for passengers, we as the responsible authorities expect Deutsche Bahn to provide a qualitatively new, reliable and efficient product for replacement transport in the future,” says the region Stuttgart. The responsible Ministry of Transport explained that the main goal remains for Deutsche Bahn to better coordinate and bundle construction sites in the coming years and for route closures to be reduced to a minimum.

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