Linke Rheinstrecke

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Linke Rheinstrecke
Route Number:	470
Line number:	2630
Line length:	152 km
Gauge:	1435 mm
Voltage:	15 kV 16,7 Hz ~
Maximum incline:	< 20 ‰
Maximum speed:	160 km/h
Legend −2.2 Cologne Hbf 1.0 to Neuss and Cologne-Aachen high-speed line 1.0 Cologne West 3.2 Cologne South 3.6 toward Cologne South Bridge 3.9 Cologne Eifeltor to Euskirchen 9.4 Hürth-Kalscheuren 12.9 Brühl goods yard to Brühl-Vochem HGK 14.6 Brühl west of the line: World Heritage Site Augustusburg Palace 19.5 Sechtem 25.8 Roisdorf Bonn-Bendenfeld–Hersel to Rheinuferbahn from Bonn-Bendenfeld HGK from Euskirchen 31.1 Bonn goods yard 31.9 Bonn Hbf Bonn Bundesviertel (planned) 37.2 Bonn-Bad Godesberg Nord 39.0 Bonn-Bad Godesberg 41.3 Bonn-Mehlem 43.6 Bonn Neuer Weg State border NRW / RLP 45.9 Rolandseck 48.2 Oberwinter 52.7 Remagen to Ahrbrück (formerly: Adenau) Ludendorff Bridge from Ludendorff bridge 56.7 Sinzig 62.5 Bad Breisig Brohltalbahn Narrow gauge 65.7 Brohl 69.2 Namedy 73.2 Andernach to Kaisersesch 76.9 Weißenthurm 81.6 Urmitz Connection to Rechte Rheinstrecke from Rechte Rheinstrecke 89.4 Koblenz-Lützel, railway museum Mosel rail bridge Hafenbahn Koblenz Rheinbahnhof Koblenz Mitte (planned) to Rechte Rheinstrecke 91.2 Koblenz Hbf to Rechte Rheinstrecke from Rechte Rheinstrecke 94.3 Königsbach 99.8 Rhens 103.3 Spay from Emmelshausen 110.7 Boppard Hbf 111.7 Boppard Süd 115.6 Boppard-Bad Salzig 119.4 Boppard-Hirzenach 122.4 Werlau 125.3 St. Goar Bank-Tunnel (367 m) 127.4 Urbar Nord Bett-Tunnel (236 m) Kammereck-Tunnel (289 m) 128.8 Urbar Süd 132.1 Oberwesel 138.5 Bacharach 142.0 Niederheimbach 146.6 Trechtingshausen 150.6 Bingen Vorbahnhof 152.0 Bingen Hbf to Saarbrücken via Bad Kreuznach and to Kaiserslautern via Bad Kreuznach {{BSkm|152.4|0,0}} Kilometrage change on the Nahe bridge Nahe bridge {{BSkm|2630|3510}} Line number change on the Nahe bridge 1.0 Bingen (Rhein) Stadt to Worms via Alzey Hindenburgbrücke 4.6 Bingen-Gaulsheim from Bad Kreuznach / Saarbrücken and Trajekt Bingen-Rüdesheim Hindenburgbrücke 9.4 Gau Algesheim Selztalbahn from Jugenheim-Partenheim 12.5 Ingelheim to Frei-Weinheim 17.5 Heidesheim (Rheinhessen) 20.2 Uhlerborn 23.1 Budenheim 27.3 Mainz-Mombach to Kaiserbrücke from Kaiserbrücke from Alzey 30.6 Mainz Hbf

The Linke Rheinstrecke (German for Left Rhine line) is a famously picturesque double-track electrified railway line running for 185 km from Cologne via Bonn, Koblenz and Bingen to Mainz. It is situated close to the western (left) bank of the river Rhine and mostly aligned to allow 160 km/h operation between Cologne and Koblenz and between Bingen and Mainz. Line speed between Koblenz and Bingen is restricted by the meandering nature of the Rhine.

[edit] History

The first section of the line was opened on 15 February 1844, by the Bonn-Cölner Eisenbahn (Bonn-Cologne Railway) between the former station of Cologne St. Pantaleon Cologne and Bonn. It was extended on 21 January 1856, south to Rolandseck station and in 1859 north to the Köln Hauptbahnhof.

After the takeover by the Rheinische Eisenbahn (Rhenish Railway) the line was extended in 1858 through Remagen and Andernach and crossed the Moselle to Koblenz via the Moseleisenbahnbrücke (Moselle rail bridge), opened on 11 November 1858. The particularly beautiful section of the line between Koblenz and Bingerbrück (now called Bingen Hbf), which runs close to the river through this winding section of the Rhine Valley was opened on 15 December 1859. Bingerbrück station was at the time on the border of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Grand Duchy of Hesse. Here it connected with the line of the Hessische Ludwigsbahn (Hessian Ludwig Railway), opened on 17 October 1859, from Mainz and the Nahetalbahn to Saarbrücken.

In Koblenz, the Pfaffendorfer Bridge over the Rhine was completed in 1864 to connect to the Right Rhine line to Niederlahnstein and Wiesbaden. With the construction of the Horchheimer bridge north of Koblenz, opened in 1879, and the Urmitzer bridge south of Koblenz, opened 1918, this bridge was progressively given over to pedestrian, vehicular and, eventually, tram traffic and the last train used it at the outbreak of World War I in August 1914.

From 1861 to 1900 the Nassauische Rheinbahn (Nassau Rhine Railway) operated a train ferry between Bingen and Rüdesheim am Rhein; it was later converted to a passenger ferry. This connection was replaced in 1915 by the Hindenburg Bridge, which connected the right Rhine line with the left Rhine line and the Nahetalbahn. From 1870 to 1914 another train ferry operated between Bonn and Oberkassel to transfer trains between the Left Rhine line and the Right Rhine line.

During the First World War a further strategic Rhine crossing was built, the Ludendorff Bridge between Erpel and Remagen. It connected the Right Rhine line with the Left Rhine line and the strategically important Ahrtalbahn. It was built from 1916 to 1919 at the request of the German generals in order to bring troops and war materials to the Western Front. Both the Hindenburg Bridge and the Ludendorff Bridge were destroyed in the Second World War and were not rebuilt.

The line was electrified in 1959.

[edit] Current operations

Until the opening of the Cologne-Frankfurt high-speed rail line, the line was one of the busiest in Germany. The fastest trains connecting the Rhineland and southern Germany ran on the line. The importance of the line for long distance travel has diminished since the opening of the high-speed line. The line is now generally used by one InterCity/InterCityExpress (stopping at Bonn, Koblenz and Mainz) each hour, RegionalExpress train each one or two hours and one RegionalBahn train each one or two hours in each direction, as well as freight trains. Before the opening of the high-speed line, freight trains were largely restricted to the Rechte Rheinstrecke, but with the increased availability of train paths on the Linke Rheinstrecke many of them are now routed over it.

[edit] References

• Dr. Horst Semmler: 150 Jahre Eisenbahn Bonn-Köln, Verlag Kenning, ISBN 3-927587-23-0 (German)
• Eisenbahnatlas Deutschland – 2005/2006 edition, Schweers + Wall, 2005, ISBN 3-89494-134-0 (German)
• Udo Kandler: Eisenbahn wie auf einer Ansichtskarte. Die Linke Rheinstrecke, LOK MAGAZIN. No. 305/Jahrgang 46/2007. GeraNova Zeitschriftenverlag GmbH München, ISSN 0458-1822, pp36-55. (German)