Rail operator plans cuts to Augsburg Munich regional trains for ICEs

Deutsche Bahn plans to remove 12 regional connections between Augsburg and Munich from 2028 to make room for more ICE services, according to German broadcaster BR. The plans have drawn opposition from local politicians and commuters, while the railway says they could still change.

DB InfraGO, the railway infrastructure subsidiary, reportedly wants to limit regional services to two trains per hour in each direction, compared with up to four currently. The Munich rail hub and several connecting routes have been classified as overloaded.

Martin Sailer, the district administrator of Augsburg district, said that reducing regional services was the wrong response to rising passenger numbers. Together with Augsburg Mayor Florian Freund and the district administrators of Dillingen and Aichach-Friedberg, he is calling on DB InfraGO to withdraw the plans.

The officials said regional and long-distance services performed different functions and could not replace each other. Regional trains provide daily transport for commuters and connect the stations along the route, they said. Instead of cutting services, railway capacity should be expanded.

Freund said reducing regional transport on a route used by hundreds of thousands of daily commuters would send the wrong signal and could increase traffic on the roads. Some trains are already very crowded. An online petition opposing the plans collected more than 3,000 signatures in two and a half weeks.

The Bavarian Railway Company also opposes the proposed cuts. Arverio Bayern, the rail company that operates local services from the Bavarian capital toward Swabia on its behalf, would be particularly affected.

Deutsche Bahn has not commented specifically on the planned cancellations. A spokeswoman said the plans could still change and that the company was also working on a plan to increase railway capacity.