S-Bahn Mitteldeutschland

S-Bahn Mitteldeutschland
Former trains of S-Bahn Mitteldeutschland and Regionalbahn at Leipzig City Tunnel (Leipzig Markt station)
A train at Leipzig Wilhelm-Leuschner-Platz railway station
Overview
Area served	Central Germany
Transit type	Rapid Transit, Regional rail
Number of lines	10
Number of stations	145
Daily ridership	90,000[1]
Website	www.s-bahn-mitteldeutschland.de
Operation
Began operation	15 December 2013
Operator(s)	DB Regio Südost
Number of vehicles	80 Bombardier Talent 2
Technical
System length	802 km (498 mi)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	15 kV  16+2⁄3 Hz AC catenary
Top speed	160 km/h (99 mph)
System map

S-Bahn Mitteldeutschland represents an enlargement of the previous Leipzig-Halle S-Bahn. It is an electric rail public transit system operating in the metropolitan area of Leipzig-Halle, Germany. This S-Bahn (German abbreviation for Stadtschnellbahn - literally, "urban rapid [rail]road") network developed from two separate S-Bahn networks of Halle (Saale) and Leipzig, which were established separately in 1969 and then linked in 2004. With the opening of the Leipzig City Tunnel on 15 December 2013 as a new artery, the network was extended for the first time to the federal states of Thuringia and Brandenburg. With a system length of 802 km (498 mi), it is the largest S-Bahn network in Germany, displacing the long-time title holder Rhine-Ruhr S-Bahn from that position. The locomotive-hauled double-decker trains partly dating back to the DDR-era have been largely replaced by electric multiple unit Bombardier Talent 2 trains, but some older trains are still used during rush hour.

It is operated by DB Regio Südost, Verkehrsbetrieb Mitteldeutschland mainly on behalf of Zweckverband für den Nahverkehrsraum Leipzig (ZVNL) and Nahverkehrsservicegesellschaft Sachsen-Anhalt GmbH (nasa), but also another four public transport authorities in Saxony, Thuringia (Nahverkehrsservicegesellschaft Thüringen) and Brandenburg (Verkehrsverbund Berlin-Brandenburg).