Bavaria plans diesel-free regional rail in northern Bavaria by 2040

Announced on 8 January 2026: The Free State of Bavaria has commissioned DB InfraGO to plan the infrastructure expansion for diesel-free regional rail in northern Bavaria and is voluntarily paying about EUR 60 million of planning costs; diesel operation is to end by 2040. The plans cover overhead lines on 74 km (Oberkotzau–Münchberg, Kirchenlaibach–Bayreuth–Trebgast, Oberkotzau–Rehau and Hochstadt-Marktzeuln–Mainroth), charging stations at Bad Steben and Neustadt (Waldnaab) and more electrified tracks in Nuremberg, Forchheim and Wicklesgreuth; the state is seeking federal funding under the GVFG for the works. Battery trains are to run on 20 lines, most of them from the mid-2030s and the four lines needing particularly extensive upgrades only from December 2040; the Hof–Oberkotzau–Marktredwitz section belongs to the Ostkorridor, and its stages enter service between 2033 and 2036. The date is a placeholder: the article gives only the month of December 2040 for the last conversion stage and no completion date for the infrastructure. (LOK Report, 8 Jan 2026)