A project commissioned by:
Wanted: A mobility concept that fits.
Traveling by bus and train should become more attractive for people throughout Thuringia and a real alternative to getting around by car. What needs to change in the Free State to achieve this? How can existing transport services be skillfully linked with one another, and how must the overall network be expanded so that people in Thuringia can actually get from A to B in comparable quality and time? The Thuringian state government has set itself the goal of developing clear answers to these questions over the next few years and, above all, strengthening the services in Thuringia's rural regions.
Integrated regular-interval timetable – the basis for an efficient public transport system in Thuringia
In a powerful, dense public transport network for all of Thuringia, an integrated regular-interval timetable for bus services is of central importance. It shows how dense the network of routes is and at what intervals and with which connection options it can be used. On behalf of the Thuringian Ministry for Digital Affairs and Infrastructure urban and regional developers at LEG Thüringen are developing such a viable concept for an integrated regular-interval timetable. To this end, they work closely with experts from the timetable company B&B and the planning office MOBILE ZEITEN. In a public discourse, the ideas of all those who wish to contribute to improving mobility, especially local public transport (ÖPNV), in the Free State are also incorporated.
Project phases 3 stages to the goal / Overview of the overall project
Phase 1 - 2022
Concept: Framework plan and model project
Creation of a meaningful network-node framework plan (integrated regular-interval timetable) for all of Thuringia. Particular focus of the draft: overcoming district and state borders, which have so far made the use of public transport more difficult.
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Model project Saale-Orla district/Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district
Creation of a comprehensive transport concept and timetable for scheduled services and feeder services. In addition: planning and integration of school transport into the transport concept of both districts.
Further information
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Conference | Discussion | Participation
In a public forum on December 12, the state government and LEG Thüringen presented the framework plan for optimized local transport to the public for the first time. The event informed about the project status, offered opportunities for future participation, and provided a platform for exchange among all interested stakeholders. Aimed at all those who wish to contribute to improving mobility, especially public local transport (ÖPNV) in the Free State, the first specialist forum on the ITF timetable met with great response.
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Hearing and review 2023
The draft of the Network-node framework plan for Thuringia for the future state-significant bus lines and the nodes for the intra- and intermodal connection of transport services was reviewed as part of a hearing by the responsible authorities and transport companies. The numerous predominantly positive responses help to create the ITF framework network plan in a final version as a basis for concept planning in the districts.
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Revision of the framework plan 2025
The network-node framework plan for Thuringia for the future regionally significant bus lines and the node for the intra- and intermodal connection of transport services was updated based on findings from the ITF concept planning in the districts processed so far and supplemented by a proposal for the frequency of regional bus lines in the target network 2030 (two-hour interval, hourly interval). This draft status will be further coordinated and, if necessary, adjusted in the course of future ITF concept planning in the districts. In addition, a hearing of the public transport authorities on this matter began with the two-day mobility conference at the end of March 2025.
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Model project Saale-Orla district/Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district
Phase 2 - from 2023
Concept planning in the districts and model regions
In the second phase, concrete planning takes place in the individual districts or for several adjacent districts. The resulting concept timetable maps all lines that are suitable for an integrated regular-interval service.
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Focus region Schmalkalden-Meiningen/Hildburghausen/Suhl
Creation of a comprehensive transport concept and timetable for scheduled services and feeder services. In addition: planning and integration of school transport.
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ITF FORUM 2023
In 2023, the state government and LEG Thüringen informed all interested parties about the ITF Thuringia 2030 project in a public forum on December 18. The event showed the project status, especially in the model and focus regions, and again provided a platform for exchange among all interested stakeholders. Around 130 stakeholders from Thuringia and some neighboring federal states followed the invitation and enriched the ITF-Forum.
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Focus region Erfurt/Weimar/Jena/Sömmerda/Weimarer Land/Saale-Holzland-Kreis
Creation of a comprehensive transport concept and timetable for scheduled services and feeder services in 2025/2026. In addition: planning and integration of school transport.
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1st Thuringian Mobility Conference 2025
On the second day of the conference (28.03.2025), a focus was on the current status of the ITF Thuringia 2030 project in the model and both focus regions. Around 160 participants again took the opportunity to exchange ideas and network. The conference was accompanied by an in-house trade fair on mobility.
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Focus region Schmalkalden-Meiningen/Hildburghausen/Suhl
Phase 3 - from 2024
Implementation of the created Integrated Timetable
In this phase, complete timetables for the entire public transport network are created. The basis for this is the concept planning. In addition, the planning and verification of school transport and the determination of service volumes are carried out.
The ITF framework plan for Thuringia
To obtain a suitable basis for discussion and the correspondingly well-founded foundation for the creation of an efficient public transport network in Thuringia, the urban and regional developers of the LEG Thüringen have created an ITF framework plan of a different kind: it comprehensively depicts the desired state of the main public transport network in Thuringia.
In the meantime, a revised and expanded version is available: The framework network plan has been supplemented with proposals for the design of service intervals on the main lines (two-hour intervals, hourly intervals). This framework network plan is now part of the currently ongoing consultation of the public transport authorities.
You can download the current version of the framework network plan as of January 31, 2026 here.
Do you have questions, suggestions, or would you like to work on a solution for your region/municipality?
To what extent the considerations for the Integral Timetable Thuringia can actually be implemented in practice will be shown by a model project in the Saale-Orla district and in the Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district. Based on the ITF framework plan, an Integral Timetable is already being developed here. In addition, important transport policy measures have been taken to ensure compliance with the set goals for local public transport. These include:
The stated goal of the model project is to make public transport in the Saale-Orla district and the Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district more user-friendly and attractive. If everything continues as planned, public transport will start operating in summer 2027 based on the ITF that has been developed. With the findings and experiences from the model region, further regional ITFs ("focus regions") are then to be implemented on the basis of the ITF framework plan.
News Current news on the topic
Mobility is a key driver for economic development, social participation, and sustainable progress in Thuringia. The 2nd Thuringian Mobility Conference once again brings together stakeholders from politics, business, science, and practice.
Downloads
The ITF framework plan for Thuringia
(Document is not barrier-free)
The ITF framework plan for Thuringia
Line services in the Free State of Thuringia (as of 01.10.2023)
Local Transport Plan for Rail Passenger Services in Thuringia 2023–2027
Mobility analysis Saale-Orla district 2023
Expert report on the financing of service costs of public mobility
Mobility in Germany − MiD - Short report
Thüringen 2030 – Well connected on the move. Impulses for a Thuringian mobility strategy.
Expert report - The Germany offer 2040 in Thuringia
Contact person
And: What do you think? - Your opinion matters.
The path to a public transport network that provides added value and a real alternative to motorized individual transport for as many Thuringians as possible can only be achieved together. We therefore gladly incorporate your comments, experiences, and suggestions into the development of a viable concept.
Contact person
Project partners
On behalf of the Thuringian Ministry for Infrastructure and Agriculture, the State Development Company of Thuringia mbH (LEG Thüringen) is preparing the concept of an integrated regular-interval timetable as an expert. For this purpose, we work closely with the timetable company B&B mbH and with MOBILE ZEITEN transport planning and consulting.
