In September 1939 the last passenger train left from Coevorden to Bad Bentheim. Also on the regional railway to Bad Bentheim, less and less was driven on German territory. Traveler transport disappeared there in 1974. Buses became better and more comfortable, were faster and the infrastructure was less expensive.
Many regional railway lines in Germany were closed or there was only goods transport left at low speed. This is also the case on the railway line from Coevorden to Bad Bentheim.
But more than ten years ago that turned. For example, road traffic increased and it became so busy in public transport that the maximum capacity came into view. Add to that the higher emissions and nuisance of road traffic. All this made Germany think about the re -use of the stopped rail lines. This is also the case for Bad Bentheim-Coevorden.
The trains in the Bad Bentheim-Neuenhaus part have been running again since 2019, with success. Not the expected 1,700, but 2,200 to 2,500 travelers make use of it per day. The expectation is that driving to Coevorden will deliver 900 to 1,000 travelers a day extra.
The railway lines from Neuenhaus to Coevorden will be refurbished in the coming period and better secured. For this, almost 28 million euros is invested on the Dutch side, the rest of the 65 million euros needed comes from Germany.