{{Infobox rail line | name = {{Bahnlinie|RE|49}} Wupper-Lippe-Express|color=121cc1 | routenumber = | linelength_km = 86 | speed = {{cvt|160|km/h|mph}} (max) | image = | image_width = 280px | caption = map of the route | locale = North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany | owner = VRR | operator = DB Regio NRW | stock = Flirt 3XL | linenumber = RE 49 | map = {{Routemap|inline=1 |title =no |footnote=|map= KBHFa~~0 ~~Wesel BHF~~3 ~~Friedrichsfeld (Niederrhein) BHF~~7 ~~Voerde (Niederrhein) BHF~~12 ~~Dinslaken BHF~~16 ~~Oberhausen-Holten BHF~~20 ~~Oberhausen-Sterkrade S+BHF~~26 ~~'''Oberhausen Hbf'''~~ ~~ICE, IC S+BHF~~33 ~~Mülheim an der Ruhr-Styrum S+BHF~~37 ~~'''Mülheim an der Ruhr Hbf'''~~ ~~ICE, IC S+BHF~~43 ~~Essen West S+BHF~~45 ~~'''Essen Hbf'''~~ ~~ICE, IC, THA, FLX S+BHF~~51 ~~Essen-Steele S+BHF~~58 ~~Essen-Kupferdreh S+BHF~~66 ~~Velbert-Langenberg S+BHF~~71 ~~Velbert-Neviges S+BHF~~79 ~~Wuppertal-Vohwinkel KS+BHFe~~86 ~~'''Wuppertal Hbf'''~~ ~~ICE, IC }} }} thumb|The Wupper-Lippe-Express in Oberhausen-Sterkrade The '''Wupper-Lippe-Express''' is an hourly Regional-Express service in German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, which forms part of the Rhine-Ruhr S-Bahn. It connects Wesel with Wuppertal Hauptbahnhof via Oberhausen and Essen.
The line is operated by DB Regio NRW on behalf of the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr (VRR).
== History== The RE 49 service was introduced with the timetable change on 15 December 2019.<ref name="fahrplanwechsel-2019">{{cite web |url=https://www.vrr.de/de/fahrplan-mobilitaet/fahrplanwechsel-2019/ |title=Neues zum Fahrplanwechsel im Dezember 2019 |publisher=Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr AöR |accessdate=12 March 2020|language=de}}</ref> It was introduced together with changes to the S-Bahn network at the 2019 timetable. The service is based on the observation that interchange between the S 3 service from Essen and the RE 5, RE 19 and RB 35 services towards Wesel in Oberhausen was the busiest at any station in the VRR network and this route had no direct service before the introduction of the Wupper-Lippe-Express.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.vrr.de/fileadmin/user_upload/pdf/der_vrr/allgemein/vrr-nahverkehrsplan_2017.pdf |title=VRR-Nahverkehrsplan 2017 |publisher=Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr AöR |page=100 |accessdate=12 March 2020|language=de }}</ref> In addition, a study found that thinning out the S-Bahn frequencies on the partially parallel S 3 and S 9 services while introducing an express service would result in higher demand.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.vrr.de/fileadmin/user_upload/pdf/der_vrr/allgemein/vrr-nahverkehrsplan_2017.pdf |title=VRR-Nahverkehrsplan 2017 |publisher=Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr AöR |page=91 |accessdate=12 March 2020|language=de }}</ref> Even before the Wuppertal–Essen line was upgraded to an S-Bahn line, the ''Initiative S9-Plus'' lobby group advocated a fast local service between Wuppertal and Essen along with comfortable rolling stock. Originally, the long-planned upgrade of the network would have meant that all cities in the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region were served by S-Bahn trains. However, this idea was rejected in the planning phase. The RE 49 service replaces the Emscher-Niederrhein-Bahn (RB 35) on the Wesel–Oberhausen section and connects the northern section of the S 3 with the southern section of the S 9 in Essen Hauptbahnhof.<ref name="fahrplanwechsel-2019" />
DB Regio NRW replaced Abellio Rail NRW as the operator in 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |date=5 January 2022 |title=NRW-Aufgabenträger starten betrieblichen Übergang von Abellio-Verkehren bereits im Januar 2022 |url=https://www.vrr.de/de/presse/nrw-aufgabentraeger-starten-betrieblichen-uebergang-von-abellio-verkehren-bereits-im-januar-2022/ |access-date=10 February 2022 |website=Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr |language=de-DE}}</ref>
==Services== The service only runs from Monday to Friday between 5 a.m. and 7 p.m. An extension of the operating times is planned at a later date.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.vrr.de/fileadmin/user_upload/pdf/der_vrr/allgemein/vrr-nahverkehrsplan_2017.pdf |title=VRR-Nahverkehrsplan 2017 |publisher=Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr AöR |page=113 |accessdate=12 March 2020|language=de }}</ref> A 20-minute frequency is offered from Monday to Friday on the Wesel–Oberhausen section in combination with the Rhein-Express (RE 5 (RRX)) and the Rhein-IJssel-Express (RE 19) services. There will be three trains an hour on the section from Oberhausen to Essen, taking into account the S 3 services. The same applies to the S 9 service between Essen and Wuppertal.<ref name="fahrplanwechsel-2019" /> The hourly service is added to 30-minute interval services of S 3 and S 9 on these sections, but the RE 49 services do not stop at all stations.<ref name="fahrplanwechsel-2019" />
== Rolling stock== Stadler Flirt 3 sets, which are built to a standard VRR design, are used on the line. The VRR acquired a total of 41 railcars of this type for the following lines: S 2, S 3, S 9, RB 32, RB 40 and RE 49.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.vrr.de/de/der-vrr/spnv-aufgabentraegerschaft/die-neue-s-bahn-rhein-ruhr/ |title=Die neue S-Bahn Rhein-Ruhr |publisher=Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr AöR |accessdate=13 March 2020 |language=de |archive-date=28 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191128064702/https://www.vrr.de/de/der-vrr/spnv-aufgabentraegerschaft/die-neue-s-bahn-rhein-ruhr/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="stadler">{{cite web |url=https://www.vrr.de/de/magazin/praesentation-der-neuen-s-bahnen/ |title=Wir stellen vor: Die neuen S-Bahnen |publisher=Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr AöR |accessdate=13 March 2020|language=de}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.abellio.de/de/nordrhein-westfalen/unternehmen-news/ueber-uns/leistungsdaten |title=Leistungsdaten |publisher=Abellio GmbH |accessdate=13 March 2020|language=de}}</ref> The VRR commissioned the manufacturer Stadler to maintain the rolling stock. The stock are serviced in a workshop on the site of the former Shamrock colliery in Herne.<ref name="stadler" /><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bahn-manager.de/gl%C3%BCck-auf-f%C3%BCr-neue-werkstatt-%E2%80%93-stadler-und-vrr-er%C3%B6ffnen-service-standort-in-herne/ |title=Glück auf für neue Werkstatt – Stadler und VRR eröffnen Service-Standort in Herne |publisher=Hanse-Medien Verlag & Mobility Service GmbH |accessdate=13 March 2020|language=de}}</ref>
== Route==
The Regional-Express runs on the following lines:
* Düsseldorf–Elberfeld railway from Wuppertal Hbf to Wuppertal-Vohwinkel * Wuppertal-Vohwinkel–Essen-Überruhr railway from Wuppertal-Vohwinkel to Essen * Witten/Dortmund–Oberhausen/Duisburg railway from Essen to Oberhausen * Oberhausen–Arnhem railway from Oberhausen to Wesel
== See also==
* List of regional rail lines in North Rhine-Westphalia
== Notes == {{reflist}}
Category:Rail transport in North Rhine-Westphalia Category:2019 establishments in Germany