Overview
- All RRX routes along with the RE4, RE7 and RB48 lines will operate to the regular timetable from 14 December, according to the company.
- The restoration follows a staffing drive that trained about 190 drivers since early 2024, including more than 120 this year, and added 45 practical trainers.
- National Express attributes the prior reductions and cancellations to a sector-wide driver shortage compounded by construction sites and recurrent disturbances.
- A late-November weekend shutdown of all RE4 trains led to passenger anger and a critical letter from NRW transport minister Oliver Krischer.
- The operator cautions that Deutsche Bahn’s general renovation program starting in 2026 could strain reliability again, with coordination ongoing with transport authorities.