After months of breakdowns with the new hydrogen trains in the Taunus network, there will be a compensation campaign with free rides and refunds starting in April. The Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund will reimburse some of the customers 98 euros.
By Marie-Catherine Fromm
The travelers on regional train line 15 from Bad Homburg to Waldsolms-Brandoberndorf (Lahn-Dill) have been hit particularly hard in the past few months: Since the start of the hydrogen trains in December 2022, there have been constant failures, delays and breakdowns.
Even though the situation has now improved, customers should now receive compensation: The Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund (RMV) is planning an extensive campaign in April and May.
Free trips and compensation for customers
Accordingly, all passengers can use the trains on the entire RB15 route free of charge for two months. The offer is valid from April 1st to May 30th in second class. In addition, there is a refund for all customers on the route who have an RMV subscription or a Germany ticket: you will receive the equivalent of the value of the Germany ticket for two months, i.e. 98 euros.
To do this, however, you must present your ticket at the train station counter in Bad Homburg or Usingen (Hochtaunus) in April and May. There are coupons there that you can use to get the money via a reimbursement platform.
In addition to D-Ticket users, holders of an RMV annual ticket, a state, senior citizen or student ticket as well as the job ticket are eligible. The campaign applies to residents in Bad Homburg, Friedrichsdorf, Wehrheim, Neu-Anspach, Usingen, Grävenwiesbach and Waldsolms-Brandoberndorf.
One year of hydrogen trains in the Taunus fleet complete, timetable still full of holes
After a year’s delay, all 27 hydrogen trains for the Taunus network have now been delivered and ready for use. Theoretically. It is still unclear when the new trains will run on all four routes.
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The compensation only applies to the RB15 because, according to the RMV, passengers there were particularly hard hit. No actions are planned for the other hydrogen lines RB 11, 12 and 16. Even after more than a year since the start of operations, traffic with the hydrogen trains still leaves a lot to be desired.
According to RMV, reliability on the RB15 is currently 90 percent. “There is still room for improvement here, after all the standard in the RMV is 95 percent,” says managing director Knut Ringat. There are still technical problems with some trains, for which the manufacturer Alstom is responsible.
The new hydrogen trains so far only completely cover traffic on the RB15. Some diesel trains are still in use on the RB11 from Frankfurt-Höchst to Bad Soden and on the RB12 from Frankfurt to Königstein. The Hessische Landesbahn continues to operate the RB16 line from Friedrichsdorf to Friedberg (Wetterau) with diesel trains.
It is still unclear when the hydrogen trains will be in use on all four lines in the Taunus network. The RMV speaks of “probably a few weeks”.
Audio contribution
Audio 02:01 min. | 21.09.23 | Marie-Catherine Fromm
Hydrogen trains roll with obstacles
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hessenschau update – The newsletter for Hesse
2024-03-11 18:29:04
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