The ''Regionalbahn'' (; lit. Regional train; abbreviated ''RB'') is a
type of
local passenger train (stopping train) in
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. It is similar to the
Regionalzug (R) and
Regio (R) train categories in neighboring
Austria
Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
and
Switzerland
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
, respectively.
Service
''Regionalbahn'' trains usually call at all stations on a given line, with the exception of ''RB'' trains within
S-Bahn
The S-Bahn ( , ), , is a hybrid urban rail, urban–suburban rail system serving a metropolitan region predominantly in German language, German-speaking countries. Some of the larger S-Bahn systems provide service similar to rapid transit syst ...
networks - these may only call at selected stations. Thus, they rank below the ''
Regional-Express'' train, which regularly stops only at selected stations on its route.
Operators
''RB'' trains are subject to franchising by the
federal states of Germany; whilst many ''RB'' trains are still operated by
DB Regio, the local traffic division of the former monopolist
Deutsche Bahn, franchises often go to other companies, like
Abellio Deutschland,
Eurobahn or
Transdev Germany
Transdev Germany is the largest private operator of passenger buses and trains in Germany. It is a subsidiary of Transdev.
History
In 1997, Aktiengesellschaft für Industrie und Verkehrswesen was purchased by a Veolia Transport, CGEA Group (60% ...
.
There is no obligation to use the term ''Regionalbahn'' for basic local services; some private rail operators therefore use their own names to denote their trains.
Stock
''RB'' services make use of vastly different types of rolling stock; on electrified lines,
double-deck cars or
EMU
The emu (; ''Dromaius novaehollandiae'') is a species of flightless bird endemism, endemic to Australia, where it is the Tallest extant birds, tallest native bird. It is the only extant taxon, extant member of the genus ''Dromaius'' and the ...
s may be used,
DMUs like the
Bombardier Talent.
See also
*
List of regional rail lines in North Rhine-Westphalia
*
Train categories in Europe
In Rail transport in Europe, Europe, railway companies assign trains to different categories or train types depending on their role, i.e. based on the used rolling stock, their speed (high-speed rail, high-speed, higher-speed rail, higher-speed, ...
*
Regional rail
Regional rail is a public transport, public rail transport service that operates between towns and cities. These trains operate with more stops than inter-city rail, and unlike commuter rail, operate beyond the limits of urban areas, connectin ...
References
Passenger rail transport in Germany
Regional rail in Germany
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