Autozug Sylt

Autozug Sylt
Main regions
Fleet
  • Locomotives
  • >42 Wagons:
    • Ramp
    • Intermediate
    • Loading
Stations called at
Parent companyRailroad Development Corporation
Other
Websiteautozug-sylt.de

The Autozug Sylt is a car shuttle train connecting the isle of Sylt with the mainland of Germany. The train is one of two shuttle operators carrying trucks and cars over the Hindenburg Dam across Wadden Sea, between the loading terminals at Niebüll station and Westerland (Sylt) station. The train service was started by Railroad Development Corporation in 2016, to compete with the existing DB AutoZug service on the same route.[2]

Initially pricing began at €25‒€45 per direction, with a plan of seven round-trips per day.[2]

By September 2025 the service had transported two million vehicles.[3]

Vehicles drive on to flat wagons, each of which is specially adapted with emergency brakes, speakers, and fire extinguishers.[4] From 2018 work started on readying an additional fleet of 42 transport wagons, which were approved for service starting in June 2019.[4]

Background

The rail route between Niebüll and Sylt is 39.3 kilometres (24 mi) long, of which 22.2 kilometres (14 mi) is single track. As of 2015 the route still used manual semaphore signalling.[5] In 2014, the existing operator DB AutoZug Sylt Shuttle had been carrying an estimated 960,000 vehicles per year.[6]

The initial concepts for the Blue Autozug Sylt had been sketched by Carsten Carstensen in 2008.[7][8] By 2014, both RDC Germany and the state of Schleswig-Holstein had applied for train paths.[9]

In November 2015, the Federal Railway Authority (EBA) authorised seven additional seven train paths for RDC's Autozug Sylt on the route.[5]

In December 2017, RDC ordered two Siemens Vectron DE (Diesel) locomotives for the Autozug Sylt services, fitted with MTU engines.[1]

On 18 January 2026 Carsten Carstensen, the director of Autozug Sylt died of cancer.[10]

References

  1. ^ a b Behrens, Rolf (11 December 2017). "Mit mtu per Zug nach Sylt" [With MTU Engines on the train to Sylt]. Stories (in German). MTU Friedrichshafen. Die RDC AUTOZUG Sylt GmbH transportiert seit Oktober 2016 als erstes privates Eisenbahnverkehrsunternehmen Fahrgäste in ihren Fahrzeugen über den Hindenburgdamm vom Festland auf die Insel Sylt und zurück. Transportwagen des blauen AUTOZUG Sylt fassen bis zu 80 Fahrzeuge. Im Fahrplanjahr 2018 (Fahrplan gültig ab 10. Dezember 2017) bietet das Unternehmen täglich bis zu 22 Fahrten zwischen der Insel und dem Festland an.
  2. ^ a b Fender, Keith (18 October 2016). "RDC launches Sylt car-carrying trains". International Railway Journal. Retrieved 12 January 2025. short formation … 30 road vehicles - and a class 251 diesel locomotive, supplied by Transdev subsidiary NOB … safety case for the use of freight wagons for passenger transport … existing DB-owned terminals at both Westerland (Sylt) and Niebüll. … October 18 to December 10 … two return Autozug Sylt services … €25 promotional … standard fare will be €45 … From 11 December [2016] … seven return trips daily
  3. ^ Leifeld, Nils (13 September 2025). "Autozug nach Sylt: RDC begrüßt zweimillionstes Auto" [Autozug to Sylt: RDC welcomes two millionth car]. Schleswig-Holsteinischer Zeitungsverlag (in German). Retrieved 12 January 2025.
  4. ^ a b Meinsen, Ralf. "RDC Autozug Sylt: 1x KNRBB, 2x KNRBB network partner, 2x local companies: Best practice for intelligent project management". Best practice. Kompetenznetz Rail Berlin-Brandenburg. Retrieved 12 January 2026. production of transport unit (TP4) for RDC Autozug Sylt … October 2018, RDC AUTOZUG Sylt GmbH assigned KNRBB GmbH with the project management for the expansion and optimization of the blue AUTOZUG Sylt fleet by 42 vehicles. … four-axle freight cars of type Snps 475 … 2 pieces of four-axle freight cars of type Rens 300 … length … 19.9 m … maximum speed of 100 km/h … carry loads up to 65 tons. … emergency brake for every vehicle driver, … fire extinguishers. … three different types … Loading and unloading wagon … Intermediate wagon, … Ramp car … approval was granted by the EBA at the end of June 2019
  5. ^ a b Fender, Keith (23 November 2015). "RDC secures more paths for Sylt car shuttle". International Railway Journal. Retrieved 13 January 2026. regulator then instructed DB Networks to present new proposals. The seven additional paths announced on November 17 have been approved by the Federal Networks Agency. … 22.2 km of the 39.3 km route between Niebüll and Westerland (Sylt) is single track and the line is equipped with manual signalling. … Carsten Carstensen, managing director for RDC Germany, said in a statement on 17 November [2015]: "We are pleased that our ongoing efforts to gain further paths has succeeded. This enables us to provide more car shuttle connections to the island and each additional path gives us more planning security for staffing and operation of the services."
  6. ^ Vosman, Quintus (9 October 2014). "RDC proposes Sylt car shuttle takeover". International Railway Journal. Retrieved 13 January 2026. Railroad Development Corporation (RDC), United States, has submitted proposals to DB Networks to take over operation of motor rail services between Niebüll and Westerland on the island of Sylt … 960,000 drivers per year currently use the [DB] Autozug Sylt Shuttle
  7. ^ "RDC Deutschland Gruppe: Trauer um Carsten Carstensen" [RDC Germany Group mourns the loss of Carsten Carstensen] (in German). 18 January 2026. Retrieved 18 January 2026. geschätzten Kollegen Carsten Carstensen, … Kampf gegen den Krebs verloren. … Die Idee des blauen AUTOZUGS Sylt im Jahr 2008, einst von ihm auf einem Bierdeckel skizziert, … Als Gründer und Partner von HKX und des blauen AUTOZUG Sylt … Flüchtlingszug im Frühjahr 2022 zählte für ihn zu einer besonderen Herzensangelegenheit. In der Unternehmensentwicklung war er ein wichtiger Impulsgeber, Visionär und verlässlicher Begleiter.
  8. ^ "Carsten Carstensen verstorben" [Carsten Carstensen passed away]. Eurail Press (in German). 19 January 2026. Retrieved 19 January 2026. Carsten Carstensen ist kurz nach seinem 56. Geburtstag … am Sonntag (18.01.2026) verstorben. … Bekannt wurde Carsten Carstensen als er zusammen mit Derek Ladewig mit den Produkten „Locomore-Express" und „HKX – Hamburg-Köln-Express" den Wettbewerb in Fernverkehr initiierte. Bei RDC hat er später den „Blauen Autozug" zwischen Niebüll und Westerland im Wettbewerb zur Deutschen Bahn auf den Weg gebracht.
  9. ^ Scheffler, Martina (22 October 2014). "Wer fährt künftig im Wattenmeer? Kampf um den Sylter Autozug" [Who will be driving over the Wadden Sea in the future? Battle for the Sylt car shuttle trains.]. Aachener Zeitung (in German). Deutsche Presse-Agentur. Retrieved 18 January 2026. Strecke über den Hindenburgdamm wird schon seit Ende der 20er Jahre mit einem Autozug befahren. … über eine Leine aus jedem Auto heraus die Notbremse zu ziehen. … Jährlich werden 490.000 Fahrzeuge je Richtung … Sowohl das Kölner Bahnunternehmen Railroad Development Corporation Deutschland (RDC D) als auch das Land Schleswig-Holstein haben bei der DB Netz AG Anträge für die Nutzung der Trassen gestellt. … Geschäftsführer von RDC D, Carsten Carstensen
  10. ^ "Zum Tod von Carsten Carstensen" [On the death of Carsten Carstensen] (in German). Fahrgastverband Pro Bahn. 24 January 2026. Retrieved 26 January 2026. Carsten Carstensen, Geschäftsführer RDC Deutschland, ist kurz nach seinem 56. Geburtstag verstorben. Was Carsten Carstensen für uns als Fahrgastverband besonders auszeichnete, war seine Bereitschaft zum Dialog auf Augenhöhe. Er suchte stets den Austausch mit den Fahrgästen, hörte zu und nahm Anregungen ernst.

Further reading

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