The ''Stadt-Express'' ''(SE)'', formerly ''
City-Bahn (CB)'', is a train category in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, that links conurbations with the outer reaches of the surrounding countryside. The name literally means "City Express".
Deutsche Bahn no longer offers Stadt-Express services, but the
Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund
The Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund (RMV) is a transport association that covers the public transport network of the Frankfurt Rhine-Main area in Germany. Its head office is located in Hofheim im Taunus.
Organisation and area covered
The RMV ...
tariff association still ordered them until December 2016. As a consequence, there were Stadt-Express lines in the RMV-area, but they were categorized by the
Deutsche Bahn as either
Regionalbahn or
Regional-Express
In Germany, Luxembourg and Austria, the Regional-Express (RE, or in Austria: REX) is a type of regional train. It is similar to a semi-fast train, with average speed at about 70–90 km/h (top speed often 160 km/h) as it calls at ...
.
Stadt-Express lines were renamed to
Regionalbahn or
Regional-Express
In Germany, Luxembourg and Austria, the Regional-Express (RE, or in Austria: REX) is a type of regional train. It is similar to a semi-fast train, with average speed at about 70–90 km/h (top speed often 160 km/h) as it calls at ...
or were discontinued. The last remaining one is running from
Leipzig
Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as ...
to
Saalfeld/Saale
Saalfeld (german: Saalfeld/Saale) is a town in Germany, capital of the Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district of Thuringia. It is best known internationally as the ancestral seat of the Saxe-Coburg and Gotha branch of the Saxon House of Wettin.
Geography ...
operated by Abellio Rail Mitteldeutschland.
Concept
The ''Stadt-Express'' has the role of linking cities to those areas outside their immediate surroundings; it therefore stops at every station in the outlying region. However, in the 'core' area of the conurbation, served by other local passenger trains like the ''
S-Bahn
The S-Bahn is the name of hybrid urban-suburban rail systems serving a metropolitan region in German-speaking countries. Some of the larger S-Bahn systems provide service similar to rapid transit systems, while smaller ones often resemble c ...
'' and ''
Regionalbahn'' trains, it runs faster, like a ''
Regional-Express
In Germany, Luxembourg and Austria, the Regional-Express (RE, or in Austria: REX) is a type of regional train. It is similar to a semi-fast train, with average speed at about 70–90 km/h (top speed often 160 km/h) as it calls at ...
'', and therefore only stops at the most important stations.
While there are no more Stadt-Express services in Germany, several Regionalbahn or Regionalexpress services still follow the concept: For example, the RE 22 (''
Eifel-Express'') stops from
Cologne
Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...
Messe/Deutz to
Kall
KALL (700 AM) is a sports radio station in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area licensed to North Salt Lake, Utah, though in station identifications and the FCC database, the station is listed as being licensed to "North Salt Lake City". The ...
only at important stations, thereafter it stops at every station on the way to
Gerolstein
Gerolstein () is a town in the Vulkaneifel district of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Gerolstein is a local municipality of the ''Verbandsgemeinde Gerolstein''. It has been approved as a '' Luftkurort'' (spa town).
History
As early as the Sto ...
, like a ''Regionalbahn'' train, a service not provided on this section of the line. After Gerolstein it changes its designation to "RB 22" and runs officially as a Regionalbahn to
Trier
Trier ( , ; lb, Tréier ), formerly known in English as Trèves ( ;) and Triers (see also names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle in Germany. It lies in a valley between low vine-covered hills of red sandstone in the ...
.
Not all ''Stadt-Express'' routes followed this concept exactly; several services stopped at all stations even in the core area.
The ''Stadt-Express'' category was classified as a local service (''Nahverkehr'') and therefore could be used without supplementary fare.
See also
*
City-Bahn
*
Train categories in Europe
Railway companies in Europe assign their trains to different categories or train types depending on their role. Passenger trains may be broadly split into long-distance and local trains; the latter having average journey times of under an hour and ...
Sources
*
:de:Stadt-Express
References
Passenger rail transport in Germany
Regional rail in Germany
{{Germany-rail-transport-stub