By train to the ferry - reach Bornholm and Ystad by train in summer

Schwerin, 18 April 2022 - Greater convenience for holiday travellers: The Ministry of Transport, DB Fernverkehr, HANSeatische Eisenbahn (HANS), the ferry companies and the port have agreed to offer passengers train connections directly from Bergen auf Rügen to the Sassnitz/Mukran ferry terminal. The route will initially be reopened on a trial basis. During the main arrival and departure dates of the coming holiday season, there will be trains with interregional connections from Bergen auf Rügen on Saturdays.

"Because of the ferry routes to Bornholm and Ystad, the ferry port of Sassnitz-Mukran is an important tourist hub in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. We are setting up this service to increase the importance of the ferry port, to make travelling easier for passengers and also to guarantee ferry passengers without a car better accessibility to the port," said Reinhard Meyer, Minister for Economics, Infrastructure, Tourism and Labour.

Easy connection to the ferry by train

On all Saturdays between 21 May and 24 September 2022 and on 15 and 22 October 2022, two return journeys will be offered on the route between Bergen auf Rügen and Sassnitz ferry port on local trains operated by the HANSeatische Eisenbahn travelling on the newly established RE27 line. In the morning, there is a connection to and from the ferry to Rønne/Bornholm. In the afternoon, there is a connection to the Bornholm ferry (except between 2 July and 6 August 2022) as well as to the ferry to and from Ystad. In Bergen auf Rügen, there are connections to direct long-distance and regional trains to/from Rostock, Hamburg and Berlin, but also, for example, to/from Saxony, Thuringia, Hesse, Bavaria, Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia. "This makes it easy for holidaymakers to travel to the port by train, an environmentally friendly means of transport, to take Bornholmljinen and FRS Baltic ferries from the island of Rügen to Denmark or Sweden," said Meyer. 

State of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern finances additional journeys

The Danish Baltic Sea island of Bornholm can be reached by ferry in 3 hours 20 minutes to 4 hours 15 minutes. The crossing to the southern Swedish town of Ystad takes only 2 hours 15 minutes from Sassnitz. The additional RE27 journeys have been commissioned and financed by the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The expected costs are around 40,000 euros. After the end of the season, all the parties involved will jointly evaluate the demand for the service and discuss the design of the service for the 2023 season.

As Berthold Witting, Managing Director of VMV - Verkehrsgesellschaft Mecklenburg-Vorpommern mbH, emphasised: "The trial operation of the RE27 line is another step towards the mobility transition and reopens a popular tourist connection for local transport. In the 2022 season, the ferry port of Sassnitz will once again be accessible by climate-friendly train. I hope that many holidaymakers will take up the offer and travel by train to the popular island of Rügen and on excursions to Denmark or Sweden."

Alexander Kaczmarek, Deutsche Bahn's group representative for Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, was pleased: "Another building block for environmentally friendly travel! The port, the ferry company and the railway companies have pulled together and VMV has coordinated everything very efficiently. The result is a customer-friendly offering."

As Dr Ralf Böhme, Managing Director of HANSeatische Eisenbahn GmbH (HANS), explained: "The shuttle connections close the gap between the ferries and long-distance and regional transport; for example, the route from Scandinavia to Berlin. We are confident that this offer will be very popular."

More information about the train connections

The RE 27 timetable is attached. If you have any questions, please contact Katharina Henkel (team Leader Public Relations and Marketing VMV) under +49 385 59087 14 or k.henkel@vmv-mbh.de .

Background information on VMV Verkehrsgesellschaft Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

The state-owned company is involved in the implementation of the state government's transport policy goals and ensures the provision of local rail passenger transport services. VMV - Verkehrsgesellschaft Mecklenburg-Vorpommern mbH was founded in 1995 after the railway reform led to a reorganisation of the state's responsibilities for regional passenger rail transport. With the Regionalisation Act, responsibility was transferred to the federal states. VMV is responsible for planning, organising and financing transport services in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. With the Public Transport Act of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the state determines the distribution of responsibilities within its borders. While road-based public transport is the responsibility of the municipal authorities, regional rail transport remains under the administration of the state because of its supra-regional importance.