From mid-December, trains on the Ammertalbahn will only run between Tübingen and Herrenberg. Anyone wishing to travel to Bad Urach via Reutlingen will therefore have to change trains in Tübingen from December 15. Previously, most trains ran between Herrenberg and Bad Urach. The “Zweckverband ÖPNV im Ammertal” (Ammertal public transport association) explains this with the problems that previously existed on the route: Because the trains were often late, on average one in four passengers who wanted to change to the S-Bahn in Herrenberg missed the train. The new timetable – known as the island solution – should improve this situation. Because more buffers are planned in future, the special-purpose association hopes that delays on the Neckar-Alb-Bahn will no longer be transferred to the Ammertalbahn.
In future, more trains will be able to run between Entringen and Tübingen. There will then be a train every 15 minutes or so on the line at peak times, although an exact frequency is not possible because trains cross each other on the route. So you have to look at the timetable. In future, the journey time between Tübingen and Herrenberg will be two to four minutes longer. Anyone continuing from Tübingen to Reutlingen, Metzingen or Bad Urach will have to allow extra time to change trains – and also check the timetable.
Seven trains continue to run
There are exceptions for three trains during the week and four trains at weekends; one train runs continuously from Entringen to Bad Urach at 6.20 am on Mondays to Fridays. At 6.50 am. there is another train from Entringen to Reutlingen. On Saturdays and Sundays there is a direct connection from Herrenberg to Metzingen at 0.19 am and from Herrenberg to Reutlingen at 11.19 am. In the opposite direction, there is a train from Reutlingen to Entringen at 6.29 am. from Monday to Friday. On Saturdays and Sundays, there is a direct connection from Metzingen to Herrenberg at 1.17 am and another from Reutlingen to Herrenberg at 3.02 am.
The “island service” is planned as an interim solution until the work on the Neckar-Alb-Bahn has been completed. When the new signal box in Metzngen goes into operation at the end of 2025 and the new stops in the Reutlingen urban area are completed, new plans will be made.
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Railroad facilities in Tübingen. Photo: tuenews INTERNATIONAL / Mostafa Elyasian.
