The RE 49 service was introduced with the timetable change on 15 December 2019. It was introduced together with changes to the S-Bahn network at the 2019 timetable. The service is based on the observation that interchange between the S 3 service from Essen and the RE 5, RE 19 and RB 35 services towards Wesel in Oberhausen was the busiest at any station in the VRR network and this route had no direct service before the introduction of the Wupper-Lippe-Express. In addition, a study found that thinning out the S-Bahn frequencies on the partially parallel S 3 and S 9 services while introducing an express service would result in higher demand. Even before the Wuppertal–Essen line was upgraded to an S-Bahn line, the Initiative S9-Pluslobby group advocated a fast local service between Wuppertal and Essen along with comfortable rolling stock. Originally, the long-planned upgrade of the network would have meant that all cities in the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region were served by S-Bahn trains. However, this idea was rejected in the planning phase. The RE 49 service replaces the Emscher-Niederrhein-Bahn on the Wesel–Oberhausen section and connects the northern section of the S 3 with the southern section of the S 9 in Essen Hauptbahnhof.
Services
The service only runs from Monday to Friday between 5 a.m. and 7 p.m. An extension of the operating times is planned at a later date. A 20-minute frequency is offered from Monday to Friday on the Wesel–Oberhausen section in combination with the Rhein-Express and the Rhein-IJssel-Express services. There will be three trains an hour on the section from Oberhausen to Essen, taking into account the S 3 services. The same applies to the S 9 service between Essen and Wuppertal. The hourly service is added to 30-minute interval services of S 3 and S 9 on these sections, but the RE 49 services do not stop at all stations.
Rolling stock
3 sets, which are built to a standard VRR design, are used on the line. The VRR acquired a total of 41 railcars of this type for the following lines: S 2, S 3, S 9, S 28, RB 32, RB 40 and RE 49. The VRR commissioned the manufacturer Stadler to maintain the rolling stock. The stock are serviced in a workshop on the site of the former Shamrock colliery in Herne.
