VIAS

VIAS is a regional rail operator owned by the RATH GRUPPE, running trains in Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate. One line crosses into the Netherlands. VIAS began operating in 2005 with the Odenwaldbahn contract and has since added networks across six regional contracts, together covering around 13 million train kilometres a year.

Where VIAS runs

In Hesse, the Odenwaldbahn links Frankfurt am Main, Darmstadt and Hanau with the Odenwald hill towns of Erbach and Eberbach. In North Rhine-Westphalia, VIAS runs the Niederrhein-Netz, the Erft-Schwalm-Netz and the Ruhr-Sieg-Netz, alongside the RheingauLinie further south. The Niederrhein-Netz is the one that matters for cross-border travel. Its RE 19 Rhein-IJssel-Express runs from Düsseldorf through Duisburg, Wesel and Emmerich to Zevenaar and on to Arnhem in the Netherlands, while its RB 35 Emscher-Niederrhein-Bahn stays on the German side, linking Mönchengladbach, Krefeld and Duisburg with Gelsenkirchen.

Tickets in Germany

Each network follows its own local fare association rather than one VIAS-wide tariff. The Odenwaldbahn runs on the Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund (RMV) tariff, with the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Neckar (VRN) tariff taking over beyond Eberbach. The Niederrhein-Netz runs on the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr (VRR) tariff, with transitional collar tariffs covering journeys into the neighbouring Rhein-Sieg and Westfalen associations. Standard DB tickets bought at a Deutsche Bahn counter are valid on Niederrhein-Netz trains, and a BahnCard 100 covers every German section of that network.

Crossing to Arnhem

The VRR tariff carries through on RE 19 into the Netherlands, but only as a transition fare between the VRR area and the neighbouring Dutch cities of Venlo, Nijmegen and Arnhem. It is not a general Dutch domestic fare. Do not expect it to cover onward Dutch travel beyond those cities. Where a specific Dutch fare or ticket applies, buy it through the Dutch ticketing channel rather than assuming the German ticket extends further than the border towns it names.

Bikes and practical notes

Bike rules differ between networks and reflect each area's own carriage terms. On the Odenwaldbahn, bikes travel free within the RMV area, with space for up to nine bikes per railcar and priority given to wheelchair users and pushchairs. On the Niederrhein-Netz, a distance-based bike ticket is required, with room for five to seven bikes per train depending on demand. On both networks, avoid bringing a bike on busy weekday commuter and school trains if you can. Space is tight at those times.