Just in time for the timetable change on December 10, 2023, Transdev Rhein Ruhr GmbH has taken over operation of the S Bahn line S 7 from Wuppertal, via Remscheid to Solingen in the Rhine Ruhr transport network (VRR) under the RheinRuhrBahn brand.
Train driverHans Jürgen Degen (pictured) took over the first connection at 21:52 from Solingen Hbf on Saturday evening, as his colleagues from the previous operator VIAS Rail were no longer able to operate the last runs before the timetable change.
The transport contract for the S 7 initially runs until December 2028 with the option to extend it until 2031. In the medium term, VRR would like to convert the S 7 to electric operation and extend it as a direct connection to Düsseldorf Hbf . Following intensive preparations, this commissioning was an important milestone for the still young company in the Rhine Ruhr region. The contract, which covers around 1.4 million train kilometers per year, involves one of the routes in North Rhine Westphalia formerly operated by Abellio Rail, which had to be reassigned at short notice following the operator’s bankruptcy at the beginning of 2022. The emergency award to VIAS Rail was followed by the regular tender, which Transdev won with RheinRuhrBahn .