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Interregio-Express
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<h2 id="history">History</h2> <p>The <i>IRE</i> service was first introduced in the 2001 summer timetable, due to the increasing abolition of <i><a href="/facts/Interregio/2KS1E2Ud">Interregio</a></i> routes by DB's long-distance division (<a href="/facts/DB_Fernverkehr/DwVmw8rB">DB Fernverkehr</a>). As a result, several German states ordered <i>InterRegioExpress trains</i> on the routes affected. In addition <i>IRE</i> trains were also introduced on routes that had not previously had an <i>Interregio</i> service (e. g. on the Stuttgart–Tübingen–Aulendorf and Ulm–Aalen routes). </p><p>Unlike the former <i>Interregio</i> trains, <i>IRE</i> trains were classified as local passenger trains and can therefore be used by passengers with local tickets (DB Fares product group C as well as tickets issued by Passenger Transport Executives). This led however to some passengers being confused, especially to begin with, because they frequently did not realise that they could use these trains with local tickets. Furthermore, the new train type was often wrongly referred to in the early days as an <i>InterRegionalExpress</i> or ironically as an <i>InterRegioErsatz</i> (InterRegio substitute). However, since then, the name <i>Interregio-Express</i> has established itself. </p> <h2 id="routes">Routes</h2> <p>As of 2025, the IRE category is used for the following route: </p> <ul><li><a href="/facts/List_of_railway_routes_in_Berlin_and_Brandenburg/4q0CGdew">IRE</a> <i>Kulturzug</i>: <a href="/facts/Berlin-Lichtenberg_railway_station/CYqew5d4">Berlin-Lichtenberg</a> — <a href="/facts/Berlin_Ostkreuz_railway_station/1DtIVJ1t">Berlin Ostkreuz</a> — <a href="/facts/Cottbus_Hauptbahnhof/9eW2GUtU">Cottbus</a> — <a href="/facts/Wroc%25C5%2582aw_G%25C5%2582%25C3%25B3wny_railway_station/a237QnaY">Wrocław Główny</a></li></ul> <h3>Former routes (until 2024)</h3> <p><a href="/facts/List_of_railway_routes_in_Baden-W%25C3%25BCrttemberg/DGSUcawS">Baden-Württemberg</a> and <a href="/facts/List_of_railway_routes_in_Bavaria/wWMH8vEq">Bavaria</a> (also cross-border trains to <a href="/facts/Rail_transport_in_Switzerland/MNYXkdAr">Switzerland</a>): </p> <ul><li>IRE (<a href="/facts/Stuttgart_Hauptbahnhof/lE6vSNWg">Stuttgart</a>–<a href="/facts/Plochingen_station/9csQb2s1">Plochingen</a>–<a href="/facts/G%25C3%25B6ppingen_station/y6LgF4y1">Göppingen</a>–)<a href="/facts/Ulm_Hauptbahnhof/Gx1fIuHk">Ulm</a>–<a href="/facts/Biberach_an_der_Riss/aeCwuHx5">Biberach</a>–<a href="/facts/Aulendorf_station/dsArvrGw">Aulendorf</a>–<a href="/facts/Friedrichshafen_Stadt_station/CPAu9YPp">Friedrichshafen</a>–<a href="/facts/Lindau_Hauptbahnhof/oQfVSsFG">Lindau</a> (<a href="/facts/Ulm%25E2%2580%2593Friedrichshafen_railway/VgztIF6q">Ulm–Friedrichshafen railway</a> and <a href="/facts/Fils_Valley_Railway/4gKf9qBC">Fils Valley Railway</a>)</li> <li>IRE Stuttgart–<a href="/facts/Reutlingen_Hauptbahnhof/YjeukAq8">Reutlingen</a>–<a href="/facts/T%25C3%25BCbingen_Hauptbahnhof/z33MeDjg">Tübingen</a>-<a href="/facts/Balingen/WXmCBK8l">Balingen</a>–<a href="/facts/Sigmaringen/f2sqmWb0">Sigmaringen</a>–<a href="/facts/Bad_Saulgau/GhB4DYb6">Bad Saulgau</a>–Aulendorf(–Ulm) (<a href="/facts/Plochingen%25E2%2580%2593T%25C3%25BCbingen_railway/JbIG5sQz">Plochingen–Tübingen railway</a>, <a href="/facts/T%25C3%25BCbingen%25E2%2580%2593Sigmaringen_railway/yDpQ0RnQ">Tübingen–Sigmaringen railway</a> and <a href="/facts/Ulm%25E2%2580%2593Friedrichshafen_railway/VgztIF6q">Ulm–Friedrichshafen railway</a>)</li> <li>IRE <a href="/facts/Karlsruhe_Hauptbahnhof/jHX783pc">Karlsruhe</a>–<a href="/facts/Pforzheim_Hauptbahnhof/Nuh2MnJ1">Pforzheim</a>-Stuttgart (<a href="/facts/Karlsruhe%25E2%2580%2593M%25C3%25BChlacker_railway/wPCg9U4m">Karlsruhe–Mühlacker railway</a>, <a href="/facts/Western_Railway_(W%25C3%25BCrttemberg)/az9brwNY">Western Railway</a>, <a href="/facts/Mannheim%25E2%2580%2593Stuttgart_high-speed_railway/YH1mp4mm">Mannheim–Stuttgart HSL</a>)</li> <li>IRE Karlsruhe–<a href="/facts/Offenburg_station/YIY6tIgX">Offenburg</a>–<a href="/facts/Villingen-Schwenningen/EWgFG8Ds">Villingen</a>–<a href="/facts/Singen_railway_station/gjKNfxgQ">Singen</a>–<a href="/facts/Konstanz_station/bdJRhY3V">Konstanz</a>-<a href="/facts/Kreuzlingen_railway_station/t3nMotdy">Kreuzlingen</a> (<a href="/facts/Rhine_Valley_Railway/hh5F6fz6">Rhine Valley Railway</a>, <a href="/facts/Black_Forest_Railway_(Baden)/Se0pofHD">Black Forest Railway (Baden)</a>)</li> <li>IRE 3 Ulm–Biberach–<a href="/facts/Ravensburg_station/aDkzEbD0">Ravensburg</a>–Friedrichshafen–Singen–<a href="/facts/Schaffhausen_railway_station/BWu984u1">Schaffhausen</a>–<a href="/facts/Waldshut_station/tWgK296t">Waldshut</a>–<a href="/facts/Tiengen_(Hochrhein)_station/kEeywlv6">Tiengen</a>–<a href="/facts/Basel_Badischer_Bahnhof/u6fGA9zn">Basel</a> (<a href="/facts/Ulm%25E2%2580%2593Friedrichshafen_railway/VgztIF6q">Ulm–Friedrichshafen railway</a>, <a href="/facts/High_Rhine_Railway/I66GnIMD">High Rhine Railway</a>)</li> <li>IRE Ulm - Ehingen (Donau) - <a href="/facts/Sigmaringen/f2sqmWb0">Sigmaringen</a> - <a href="/facts/Tuttlingen_station/dgXlEPI3">Tuttlingen</a> - <a href="/facts/Donaueschingen_station/F5LInM2X">Donaueschingen</a> - Neustadt (Schwarzwald) (Danube Valley Railway: see <a href="/facts/Tuttlingen%25E2%2580%2593Inzigkofen_railway/97htWD78">Tuttlingen–Inzigkofen railway</a> and <a href="/facts/Ulm%25E2%2580%2593Sigmaringen_railway/p97vFxKf">Ulm–Sigmaringen railway</a>)</li> <li>IRE Ulm–<a href="/facts/Heidenheim_an_der_Brenz/Nchz7PEG">Heidenheim</a>–<a href="/facts/Aalen_station/tBT2sKaV">Aalen</a> (<a href="/facts/Aalen%25E2%2580%2593Ulm_railway/a1sgA7rq">Aalen–Ulm railway</a>)</li> <li>IRE Stuttgart–<a href="/facts/Schorndorf_station/RP3XqYD3">Schorndorf</a>–<a href="/facts/Schw%25C3%25A4bisch_Gm%25C3%25BCnd_station/seJgDuT8">Schwäbisch Gmünd</a>–Aalen (<a href="/facts/Stuttgart-Bad_Cannstatt%25E2%2580%2593Aalen_railway/BRPKuEDr">Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt–Aalen railway</a>, only one pair of trains at peak traffic hours)</li> <li>IRE Stuttgart–<a href="/facts/Osterburken_station/AaB4Kb8q">Osterburken</a> (only one pair of trains at peak traffic hours)</li> <li>IRE Stuttgart–<a href="/facts/Crailsheim_station/1A7XAlrL">Crailsheim</a> (only one pair of trains at peak traffic hours)</li></ul> <p><a href="/facts/List_of_railway_routes_in_Saxony/lfC5VrqH">Saxony</a> and <a href="/facts/List_of_railway_routes_in_Bavaria/wWMH8vEq">Bavaria</a>: </p> <ul><li>IRE <i><a href="/facts/Franconia-Saxony_Express/6jPuTYbQ">Franconia-Saxony Express</a></i> (<i>Franken-Sachsen-Express</i>) <a href="/facts/Nuremberg_Hauptbahnhof/Ffq8CHJy">Nuremberg</a>–<a href="/facts/Marktredwitz_station/fMQwTHkv">Marktredwitz</a>/<a href="/facts/Bayreuth_Hauptbahnhof/Gupx0hB9">Bayreuth</a>–<a href="/facts/Hof_Hauptbahnhof/lmb2GMyw">Hof</a>–<a href="/facts/Plauen_(Vogtland)_Oberer_station/3byXm48K">Plauen</a>–<a href="/facts/Reichenbach_(Vogtland)_Oberer_station/CcVa7rG8">Reichenbach</a>–<a href="/facts/Zwickau_Hauptbahnhof/paQRtvSj">Zwickau</a>–<a href="/facts/Glauchau_(Sachs)_station/pe5lk7TF">Glauchau</a>–<a href="/facts/Chemnitz_Hauptbahnhof/QCfIQeT3">Chemnitz</a>–<a href="/facts/Fl%25C3%25B6ha/4rBVf18o">Flöha</a>–<a href="/facts/Freiberg_(Sachsen)/6SKkRSrN">Freiberg</a>–<a href="/facts/Dresden_Hauptbahnhof/agatjrcW">Dresden</a> (<a href="/facts/Saxony-Franconia_trunk_line/6jPuTYbQ">Saxony-Franconia trunk line</a>)</li></ul> At the timetable change in December 2006, trains of the <i>Mittelsachsen-Vogtland-Express</i> from Hof to Dresden became a <a href="/facts/Regional-Express/5vj7T69H">Regional-Express</a> service. The designation <i>IRE</i> has since been used for the <i>Franconia-Saxony Express</i> from Nuremberg to Dresden, which replaced the previous <i><a href="/facts/Intercity_(Deutsche_Bahn)/SyP17lWY">Intercitys</a></i>. In contrast to all the other IRE routes, the <i>Franconia-Saxony Express</i> is not subsidised by the <i>SPNV</i> (local public transport) organisations, but by an internal arm of <i>DB Fernverkehr</i>. <ul><li>IRE <a href="/facts/Wertheim_am_Main/nBQsH0Lw">Wertheim</a>–<a href="/facts/Miltenberg/hGg0Grao">Miltenberg</a>–<a href="/facts/Aschaffenburg/vHS72D9F">Aschaffenburg</a>–<a href="/facts/Hanau/27AXsfsx">Hanau</a> (<a href="/facts/Main_Valley_Railway/YCY9uUM4">Main Valley Railway</a>)</li></ul> <p><a href="/facts/List_of_railway_routes_in_Saxony-Anhalt/v9fB8Crd">Saxony-Anhalt</a> and <a href="/facts/List_of_railway_routes_in_Berlin_and_Brandenburg/4q0CGdew">Berlin</a>: </p> <ul><li>IRE 25 <i>Magdeburg-Berlin-Express</i>: <a href="/facts/Magdeburg_Hauptbahnhof/rz4QS5GY">Magdeburg</a> – <a href="/facts/Berlin_S%25C3%25BCdkreuz/mWIm7Sz2">Berlin Südkreuz</a> – <a href="/facts/Berlin_Potsdamer_Platz_station/oTQuNNfo">Berlin Potsdamer Platz</a> – <a href="/facts/Berlin_Hauptbahnhof/WnHUK980">Berlin Hauptbahnhof</a> (– <a href="/facts/Berlin_Gesundbrunnen_station/T2TCEjkB">Berlin Gesundbrunnen station</a>) (two train-pairs Monday-Friday)</li></ul> <h3>Temporary routes</h3> <p>In the meantime IRE trains with former IR coaches ran on the <a href="/facts/Saarbr%25C3%25BCcken/0PnbwXz9">Saarbrücken</a>–<a href="/facts/Kaiserslautern/7nHIq7yV">Kaiserslautern</a>–<a href="/facts/Ludwigshafen/XPNCNgFs">Ludwigshafen</a>–<a href="/facts/Mannheim/f5GsdPcG">Mannheim</a> route for a year, a route now worked by the more usual <i>Regional-Express</i> services. In <a href="/facts/Hesse/kEmEjUK9">Hesse</a> in 2001 differences arose between the <a href="/facts/Deutsche_Bahn/oF3Fe2bV">DB AG</a>, which designated <i>inter alia</i> the Frankfurt–Gießen–Kassel and Frankfurt–Gießen–Siegen as <i>InterRegioExpress</i> routes, and the <a href="/facts/Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund/34EP0LqY">RMV</a>, which steadfastly refused to adopt this new train category and even today uses the defunct <i><a href="/facts/StadtExpress/X4E2Uyy1">StadtExpress</a></i> term. In addition, in several federal states, on the introduction of the <i>InterRegioExpress</i>, former <i>RE</i> routes were changed to IRE routes. Whilst the difference between IRE and RE is hardly discernible, RE and RB trains can clearly be told apart just by the frequency of stops. The renaming of RE to IRE has been reversed in all cases. </p> <h2 id="usual-running-and-rolling-stock">Usual running and rolling stock</h2> <p>IRE services in Baden-Württemberg use a great variety of stock, including diesel-driven <a href="/facts/Tilting_trains/X0fFSfVU">tilting trains</a> of classes <a href="/facts/DBAG_Class_611/4lkgDQpv">611</a> and <a href="/facts/DBAG_Class_612/yH8vW6EL">612</a>, <a href="/facts/Double-decker_coach/SQuSktQo">double-decker coaches</a> of various generations and locomotive-hauled trains with <a href="/facts/N_coaches/7DDsUD5S">n coaches</a>. In earlier years y coaches could also be seen (on the Stuttgart–Tübingen line) as IRE trains as well as <a href="/facts/DBAG_Class_650/q3k6Y4Fm">DBAG Class 650</a> multiples (<i>Regio-Shuttle</i>, in this case without 1st class service). Moreover, until spring 2006 old <a href="/facts/DR_Class_243/TGYSDBR2">Class 112</a>-hauled <i>Interregio</i> coaches in classic blue livery were also used on the <a href="/facts/Karlsruhe/2unoefIC">Karlsruhe</a>–<a href="/facts/Pforzheim/I3pc0s1d">Pforzheim</a>-<a href="/facts/Stuttgart/H4DCyM2U">Stuttgart</a> line as IRE trains. The delivery of newer double-decker coaches and <a href="/facts/Bombardier_Traxx/UqXaEIg4">Class 146</a> locomotives however means that that type of train formation belongs to history. </p><p><a href="/facts/DBAG_Class_612/yH8vW6EL">Class 612</a> diesel-powered <a href="/facts/Tilting_trains/X0fFSfVU">tilting trains</a> are used on the <i>Franconia-Saxony Express</i>. </p> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Rail_transport_in_Germany/IX5TRNBl">Rail transport in Germany</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Rail_transport_in_Poland/mJ3hWSzf">Rail transport in Poland</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Train_categories_in_Europe/WeFnXeuo">Train categories in Europe</a></li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>"Grenzüberschreitende Eisenbahnlinien in der Region Basel" (in German). ÖPNV Info. Retrieved 15 December 2024. <a href="https://www.oepnv-info.de/freifahrt/informationen/baden-wuerttemberg/tarife-und-besonderheiten-baden-wuerttemberg/grenzueberschreitende-eisenbahnlinien-in-der-region-basel" target="_blank">https://www.oepnv-info.de/freifahrt/informationen/baden-wuerttemberg/tarife-und-besonderheiten-baden-wuerttemberg/grenzueberschreitende-eisenbahnlinien-in-der-region-basel</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>