Train connections in the district of Gütersloh: commuters fight with bottlenecks!

Train connections in the district of Gütersloh: commuters fight with bottlenecks!

Gütersloh, Deutschland - The Eurobahn connection between Rheda, Gütersloh and Bielefeld faces long-term difficulties. Current announcements by the Zweckverband Nahverkehr Westfalen-Lippe make it clear that an acute lack of personnel, especially to train drivers, affects the operational capacities. From April 8, 2024, there will be no direct connection from Herzebrock-Clarholz to Gütersloh and Bielefeld, since the train "The Warendorfer" will end in Rheda. This decision follows the already existing problems of the Eurobahn, which has recently been noticed by inadequate reliability and punctuality, such as radioguetersloh.de reported.

The adjustments in the timetable aim to ensure better predictability for the passengers, but this means considerable restrictions for commuters in the region. Users of the RB 67 line are asked to switch to Rheda, which can extend the travel time from currently 16 minutes to at least 30 minutes. Many passengers are now worried that they can no longer reach their jobs in time. Marco Diethelm, the mayor of Herzebrock-Clarholz, has already contacted the Eurobahn in order to obtain a statement on the changes and to request the restoration of the direct connection, as well as Herzblog.de reported.

shortage of skilled workers as the main cause

The persistent lack of personnel is regarded as the main cause of the restricted train connections. The training of new train drivers in NRW lasts up to one year and continues to delay the situation. During this time, additional train connections are canceled to make the remaining connections more stable. The Isselhorst-Avenwedde train station is also no longer approached, which makes the accessibility of the cities of Gütersloh and Bielefeld further difficult. However, the plan changes should initially be valid up to the summer vacation, after which the situation is checked again.

The Eurobahn refers to alternative connections, but it remains uncertain whether they can offer a real replacement. The problem may be pushed back into private transport, which could not only heat up the traffic situation, but also undermine the idea of ​​public transport and environmental protection.