From 2001 to 2014, Transdev (known at the time as
Veolia) ran a number of long distance trains:
InterConnex The Interconnex ran between
Leipzig and
Berlin, up to three times each way, Monday to Friday. On Saturdays, the train ran from Leipzig to
Rostock via
Berlin and back on Sunday. The locomotives and carriages were provided by the
Nord-Ostsee-Bahn. It commenced on 1 March 2002 as the first
open access operator in Germany. Previously, the service was run all the way between Rostock - Berlin - Leipzig -
Gera using
Bombardier Talent diesel multiple units. This service commenced in December 2001 under the flag of
Ostseeland Verkeher Since those trains were constructed for regional use, longer journeys were quite unpleasant. Only later were they fitted with more comfortable long distance seats. From the beginning on they had a BoardBistro. This train was conceptualized as a compensation for the cancelled
Deutsche Bahn trains between Rostock and Leipzig. The trains offered three classes:
Traveler,
Economy and
Business. Each of them with a different kind of service. These classes disappeared in May 2006, when the train service was shortened to Leipzig - Berlin. There was a period of transition for this service between May and December 2006. During this period, a shuttle train ran between Gera and Leipzig consisting of a
Siemens Desiro diesel multiple unit. In this period, the train service already ran twice a day only between Leipzig and Berlin, stopping at Berlin Potsdamer Platz (and some trains also at
Bitterfeld). On Saturdays the train went all the way to
Warnemünde via
Neustrelitz,
Waren and
Rostock, making the return trip on Sundays. On Sundays it drove back from Warnemünde to Berlin and further to Leipzig. This service ceased on 13 December 2014.
Harz-Berlin-Express Since December 2005, Veolia subcontractor
HarzElbeExpress (HEX) has been operating the
Harz-Berlin-Express from Berlin via the lines
to Magdeburg and
Halberstadt to Thale in the
Harz on weekends. This route was previously operated by Deutsche Bahn.
InterConnex 2/Ostseeland Express Interconnex 2, which was officially called the
Ostseeland Express (OLX) since December 2005, ran between
Stralsund,
Berlin and
Dresden. It came into operation in December 2004, starting at first at
Zittau and then running via
Berlin to
Stralsund, with a summer extension to
Rügen. In the summer of 2004, it was even extended at the Zittau side all the way to
Liberec in the
Czech Republic. Shuttle buses operated from
Dresden and
Usedom. However, at the timetable modification of December 2004, the route was changed to a shorter stretch. It was abandoned in late 2006.
InterConnex 3 A third line between
Rostock and
Cologne ran between 6 June and 27 October 2003. ==Freight trains==