Limburg Süd station

Limburg Süd (German for Limburg South) is a railway station in Germany, connecting the town of Limburg an der Lahn to the Cologne-Frankfurt high-speed rail line. Its construction was made a prerequisite by the district of Limburg-Weilburg similar to the Montabaur railway station on the same line a few kilometres west.

Station

The station is served by regular InterCityExpress services. Due to Limburg's relatively small size, passenger traffic is rather low, although commuters to Frankfurt am Main value the fast connections. Some 2,500 people use the station daily. The station has four tracks in total, of which two are equipped with a platform and two allow through trains to pass the station unobstructed at speeds of up to 300 km/h. Track one's platform, used by trains to Frankfurt, Mainz and Wiesbaden, also houses the ticket office. A bridge connects it to track four, which is used by trains going to Köln. Interestingly, Limburg Süd is the only station in Germany that is exclusively served by ICE trains.

History

After the conclusion of the line-regulation procedure of the Federal Cabinet in 1989, the route of the Cologe-Frankfurt high speed rail line, following the A3, was decided. Officials agreed in March 1990 that a railway station near Limburg was necessary, although it is only 21 km (13 mi) from Montabaur station. It was agreed upon to build Limburg Süd at its current location, about 2.5 km (1.6 mi) away from the city centre, near the A3. Construction started in 2001, and in 2002, the station opened, but the station building was not finished until November 2003. Limburg still retains its original railway station, Limburg (Lahn), which is connected to the ICE station by a bus service. A ticket with start or destination "Limburg" (Limburg (Lahn) or Limburg Süd) includes the bus service fee.

Operational usage