Electrification of German Südbahn route goes live

ELECTRIC operation of the Südbahn line in southern Germany from Ulm to Lindau via Friedrichshafen, began on December 12. The €370 million project to electrify the 120km route began in September 2018. Services between Ulm and Friedrichshafen/Lindau previously worked by Class 218/245 diesel locos, have initially switched to electric; with Class 146.2 Traxx AC working Regional Express Stuttgart-Lindau services, although from 2026/27 new ETCSequipped EMUs are planned to replace these. The former Class 218-hauled IC118/119 train pair on the route has switched to an ÖBB Railjet operating ViennaBregenz-Lindau-Frankfurt daily.