Rail chaos in Frankfurt: Massive disruptions due to a lack of staff!

On New Year's Eve (December 31st) there were significant disruptions to rail traffic around Frankfurt. Parts of regional transport and two S-Bahn lines in the Rhine-Main area were affected. The reason for the restrictions was the short-term illness of signal box staff, which is why no replacement staff could be provided. The restrictions applied from Tuesday evening at 8 p.m. until Wednesday morning (January 1) at 6 a.m.

In particular, the RE2, which normally connects Frankfurt, Mainz, Bingen and Koblenz, ended prematurely in Rüsselsheim. In addition, S-Bahn line 8 was rerouted between Raunheim and Frankfurt Stadium, which eliminated stops in Kelsterbach, Frankfurt Airport Regional Station and Gateway Gardens. The S-Bahn line 9 was completely shut down from New Year's Eve at 8 p.m. to New Year's Day at 6 a.m. A replacement bus service was set up between Raunheim and Frankfurt-Gateway Gardens for the affected routes.

Long-term schedule changes

In the coming weeks, fewer connections in regional transport around Frankfurt are also expected. According to Deutsche Bahn, the reason for this is a lack of staff in the signal boxes. The evening timetables will be thinned out until the end of March, starting on Monday.

Several regional train lines are affected by the changes, including the RB 40/41, which connects Lahn-Dill and Schwalm-Eder with the Rhine-Main area, and the RB 34, which leads Glauburg-Stockheim to Frankfurt. In the evening hours there will be partial cancellations on certain routes between 8 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.

Specific restrictions relate to the RB 12, which does not offer a connection between Frankfurt Höchst and Frankfurt Main Station, and the RB 34, which has no connections between Bad Vilbel and Frankfurt Main Station. The RB 40/41 also suffered failures in the Friedberg – Frankfurt Central Station section. On the S-Bahn line S1, trips in the Flörsheim – Rödermark-Ober-Roden section are only available every 30 minutes instead of every 15 minutes. The RE 20/RB 22 also has cancellations between Hofheim/Taunus and Frankfurt main station between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m.

With the thinning out, Deutsche Bahn's aim is to ensure reliable offers on the remaining connections and to be able to react better to short-term failures. The railway is trying to recruit more staff for the signal boxes, but this requires in-depth training and induction. Similar strategies to reduce journeys were already implemented in local transport in Frankfurt at the end of January, with fewer subway, tram and bus journeys.