To date, only long-distance trains have operated on the northern section of the VDE 8. The new line now takes passengers from Nuremberg to Erfurt in 1 hour 53 minutes, cutting the travel time between the two cities by half. Even more impressive is the time saved by passengers traveling between Coburg and Erfurt. They now need only 36 minutes and no longer have to change trains for the regional service. In the past, local passengers needed just over three hours and had to make two changes for the same journey.
All passengers will be pleased, from local commuters to day trippers and even business travelers. It shows that this high-speed rail line, which was promoted by previous federal governments, is also incredibly valuable for local and regional traffic and for further enhancing the quality of a location, especially for regions like Coburg.
This will make the VDE 8. With the inauguration of the Franconia- Thuringia Express on 9 June, all this is now possible β and with regional transport that is almost as fast as the ICE. The new trains run from Erfurt to Coburg in 36 minutes and to Nuremberg in just under two hours β and at attractive prices, even with the Germany Ticket. Highly comfortable, environmentally friendly, and inexpensive travel without traffic jams is increasingly becoming a reality, and now also includes WiFi service, state-of-the-art passenger information, and generous space for bicycles.
The new Franconia-Thuringia Express is bringing our regions closer together and making them part of our collective homeland. And southern Thuringia is also benefiting from the faster connections. I would like to thank Bayerische Eisenbahngesellschaft in particular for its strong commitment to this project.
They are pressure-tight for passing other trains in tunnels and are equipped with the ETCS. Like the 18 four-car Class Desiro HC trains that entered service for the FTX back in December , the new trains are equipped with WiFi service, advanced passenger information displays, large multi-purpose areas, and special windows that provide optimal mobile phone reception. The Class s can accommodate passengers and up to 60 bicycles. Beginning with the small timetable change, people in northern Bavaria are benefiting from further improvements in service, particularly in the Coburg area.
