Line 15: City Council approves two additional late-night trips and extension of the pilot project

The Jena City Council has decided to maintain two of the four journeys tested during the pilot phase and to incorporate them permanently into the timetable for route 15. Specifically, this concerns the two departures from Westbahnhof at 20:54 and 21:54 and the respective return journeys from the Rautal terminus at 21:16 and 22:16.

The two journeys at 22:54 and 23:54 and their return journeys at 23:16 and 00:16 did not achieve the required capacity utilization and are to be tested again for 18 months by improving the link with rail services from Erfurt.

In this context, the City Council has also commissioned the administration to examine under what conditions and at what cost Line 15 can be routed entirely or partially through Himmelreich. The results are to be reported to the city council within the next six months.

Results of the pilot project

The permanent introduction of the two late-night services was preceded by an 18-month pilot project. Since June 20, 2024, four additional late-night journeys have been offered daily on route 15. The aim was to analyze the actual demand and then make a decision on the permanent inclusion in the timetable. The evaluation by Jenaer Nahverkehr GmbH revealed the following:

The two early late trips (20:54 and 21:54) are used by an average of more than 12 passengers on weekdays and Saturdays - the reference value specified in the city council resolution.
On Sundays, this figure is slightly lower.
The late trips at 22:54 and 23:54 did not reach the required capacity utilization on any day.
In the opposite direction from the turning facility in Rautal, the target figure was not reached at any time.

"The evaluation clearly shows where the late-night service is well received and where it is not. By taking over the first two late-night services on a permanent basis, we are responding to the actual demand in a targeted manner and at the same time ensuring a reliable connection to the Rautal - even in the evening," says Dirk Lange, Head of Urban Development and Environment for the City of Jena.