Danube Valley Railway (Bavaria)

This article is about the railway line in Bavaria. For the line running from Donaueschingen to Ulm in Baden-Württemberg, see Danube Valley Railway (Baden-Württemberg).
Danube Valley Railway (Bavaria)
(Donautalbahn)
Route number:993
Line number:5851 (Regensburg–Ingolstadt)
5381 (Ingolstadt–Donauwörth)
5302 (Donauwörth–Ulm)
Line length:204 km (126.8 mi)
Track gauge:1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Voltage:15 kV 16⅔ Hz AC
Maximum speed:140 km/h (87.0 mph)
Route
Legend
 line from Passau, line from Munich
Naab Valley Railway from Schwandorf
0,0 Regensburg Hbf
2,7 Regensburg Bbf
3,7 Regensburg-Prüfening
line to Nuremberg
5,3 Danube
6,2 Sinzing( now only a depot)
formerly the line to Alling
6,3 A 3
7,0 Sinzing
11,4 Matting
12,4 Matting loop(scheduled train crossings)
15,2 Gundelshausen
17,1 Poikam
17,6 Danube
19,0 Bad Abbach
24,0 Siding to the Saal lime works
24,7 Saal an der Donau
25,2 line to Kelheim
31,7 Thaldorf -Weltenburg
36,8 Arnhofen
39,9 Abensberg
41,1 Abens
46,3 Neustadt an der Donau(scheduled train crossings)
47,7 to the Neustadt factory station(oil trains)
53,2 from the Münchsmünster factory station (oil trains)
53,7 Münchsmünster
59,3 Ilm
60,0 Vohburg
62,4 Ernsgaden siding
62,6 Ernsgaden
66,7 Manching(now only a yard)
67,9 Paar
69,9 Ingolstadt-Sandrach siding(currently closed)
line to Treuchtlingen, high-speed railway to Nuremberg
73,9
-0,7
 Ingolstadt Hbf
high-speed railway to Munich
3,2 Haunwöhr
3,6
4,3 Seehof
4,9
2,2
 Paar Valley Railway to Augsburg
8,4 Ach
8,6 formerly the line from Ingolstadt
9,3 Weichering
14,6 Rohrenfeld
16,2 Neuburg-Grünau siding (‘’Awanst’’)
20,7 Neuburg an der Donau
26,2 VTG PAW siding at Unterhausen
27,0 Unterhausen (Bay)(scheduled train crossings)
30,8 Straß-Moos
32,9 Burgheim
36,0 Kleine Paar
36,8 Staudheim
40,3 Rain
Südzucker (siding disconnected)
40,6 Friedberger Ach
42,5 Lech
43,5 Genderkingen
47,7 Hamlar(now only a yard)
50,4 Schmutter
52,0 Zusam
52,3 line from Augsburg
52,5 Danube
52,9 Donauwörth
53,6 line to Nuremberg and Ries Railway to Aalen
59,7 Kessel
60,5 Tapfheim
65,2 Schwenningen
67,3 Blindheim
72,2 Höchstädt an der Donau
76,1 Egau
79,4 Dillingen an der Donau(scheduled train crossings)
formerly the Härtsfeld Railway to Aalen
84,2 Lauingen
88,7 Brenz
89,0 Gundelfingen
89,6 formerly the line to Sontheim
95,9 Danube
96,3 Maximilian Railway from Augsburg
96,8
55,9
 Neuoffingen(end of the Danube Valley Railway)
61,4 Günzburg
61,8 Günz
62,0 Mittelschwaben Railway to Mindelheim
66,5 Leipheim
69,4 Biber
71,0 Unterfahlheim
72,2 Roth
74,2 Nersingen
75,4 Leibi
81,2
98,8
 EvoBus siding
96,8 Iller Valley Railway from Oberstdorf
96,3 Neu-Ulm
95,0 Danube, Bavarian-Baden-Württemberg border
94,7 Southern Railway from Friedrichshafen
94,0 Ulm Hbf
Brenz Railway to Aalen
Danube Valley Railway to Donaueschingen
Fils Valley Railway to Stuttgart

The Danube Valley Railway (German: Donautalbahn; KBS 993) in Bavaria in southern Germany is the railway line that runs from Regensburg via Ingolstadt and Donauwörth to Ulm, just over the Bavarian border in Baden-Württemberg.

The section between Regensburg and Ingolstadt was also listed as timetable route no. KBS 992. In 1967 this section of the line was route no. KBS 412 and the Ingolstadt–Neuoffingen section was no. 411e. Neuoffingen–Ulm was included in the timetable as no. 410 Augsburg–Ulm.

Regensburg–Ingolstadt section

History

The construction of the Regensburg–Ingolstadt railway was originally carried out primarily for military reasons. On 29 April 1869 the law for its construction was passed; the official opening took place on 1 June 1874.

The precise route was initially contested. The towns of Kelheim and Abensberg both wanted a direct railway link. The Kelheim option would have involved the construction of an expensive tunnel; as a result of which Abensberg eventually won the day. As compensation a 5.5 km long stub line was built between Saal and Kelheim, that was ceremoniously opened on15 February 1875. Passenger services on this branch were withdrawn in 1986.

The line between Regensburg and Ingolstadt is 73.4 km long and mostly single-tracked, although the trackbed was prepared for two tracks. Between the stations of Sinzing and Gundelshausen a (initially provisional) passing loop was built at the start of the Second World War at the village of Matting.

Shortly before the end of the war in 1945 the two bridges over the Danube at Sinzing and Poikam were blown by the Wehrmacht. They quickly underwent makeshift repairs, however, and as early as August of the same year the entire route was usable again.

The decision to make the region around Ingolstadt a centre for the German petrochemical industry was the main factor in giving the railway a renewed importance. The track, ballast and signalling were replaced, as was the Sinzing Bridge, and several sections of the Poikam Bridge were renovated. On 29 September 1978 the line was electrified.

In addition to the above-mentioned branch line between Saal and Kelheim there were several other spurs, including:

The line continuously follows the course of the Danube and crosses it five times between Regensburg and Ulm. The Danube bridges at Sinzing and in Donauwörth are the most imposing structures along the line.

Current operations

Between Regensburg and Ingolstadt a Regionalbahn train runs every hour in each direction on workdays, except Saturdays; at weekends and on public holidays they run every 2 hours. From time to time these trains go via Ingolstadt to Donauewörth, Günzburg or Ulm. The journey time between Regensburg and Ingolstadt is about one hour and eight minutes.

Push-pull trains are used with converted Silberlings, that usually consist of three coaches. The Class 111 locomotives in charge are invariably at the western, i.e. the Ingolstadt, end of the train. The locomotives are usually from the locomotive depot (Bh) at Munich, but occasionally Nuremberg and Stuttgart engines are also encountered on the line. At the beginning and end of the day and for school trains Class 143 locomotives from Bh Nuremberg are also employed sometimes. The passenger coachs are from Regensburg depot.

From the timetable change on 14 December 2008 about half of all the push-pull trains were temporarily hauled by push-pull capable Class 110 locomotives, because a number of the previously employed Class 111's were needed to replace the Fugger-Express in the area of Augsburg.

Regional-Express through trains only run on the Danube Valley Railway in the summer months from April to October at weekends and on holidays as Radlzüge ("cyclist trains") with increased capacity for bicycles. The trains stop far less often, but are no faster overall than the Regionalbahn trains, because they stop for several minutes at the stations en route in order to allow cyclists to load and unload their bicycles.

The Danube Valley Railway is also especially important for goods traffic, especially with regard to the oil refineries at Ingolstadt, Vohburg, Münchsmünster and Neustadt an der Donau. The line is also very important for the Audi factory in Ingolstadt and the Danube ports in Kelheim and Regensburg.

In Manching station there is a loading point for the "road/rail" service (Rollende Landstraße) which closed in 2005. The station is still essential for the transhipment of goods traffic.

The passenger halt at Sinzing station was closed in December 2005 following the construction of a new halt, more central to the town, just a few metres from the southern approach to the station on the open line.

The entire line is single-tracked and electrified as far as Günzburg and is classed as a main line. On the Regensburg–Ingolstadt section regular crossings for passenger trains take place daily at Matting and, on weekdays except Saturdays, at Neustadt an der Donau. The braking distance for this section of line is 1000 m throughout and the speed limit is 120 km/h.

Future

The whole line from Regensburg to Ulm is part of the Regensburg Star network (Regensburger Stern) announced on April 2007, the franchise for which was won by the railway operator, BeNEX, on December 2007. The aim of the competition was an expansion and modernisation of local public transport services on the lines radiating from Regensburg to Landshut, Neumarkt and Plattling as well as the Danube Valley Railway itself. BeNEX intend to run up to 20% more trains than hitherto. Additional trains will be put on especially at peak times, in the evening and at weekends. On the Danube Valley Railway there is also an option to operate a two-hourly RE service. The introduction of new services between Regensburg and Ingolstadt and the other lines of the Regensburg Star is likely to take place on the timetable change on 12 December 2010, those on the Danube Valley Railway to Ulm probably on 11 December 2011.

Ingolstadt–Danubewörth section

Current operations

In the early 1990s the line between Hauptbahnhof Ingolstadt and Weichering station was completely rerouted. Previously, it departed from the station northwards and crossed the city in a great loop; today the line is directly connected to the south. The newly routed line runs initially on both sides of the high-speed line from Ingolstadt to Munich. Trains on the Danube Valley Railway regularly use the eastern track in both directions. The western track is primarily used by the trains on the Paar Valley Railway that, since the re-routing, runs on the Danube Valley Railway as far as the Seehof depot. Seehof station also has two tracks as well as various crossovers between the two lines. After Seehof, the Paar Valley Railway separates out and from here on the line is single-tracked to Weichering station, where the original trackbed, which to that point has been completely dismantled, is used again after the entry signal.

The scheduled crossing station for Regionalbahn trains on this section of line is Unterhausen. This station still has set of sidings for the private goods wagon repair shop there (mainly for tanker wagons). On Saturdays as well as Sundays and holidays no crossing is required as the services are two-hourly. The braking distance between Weichering and Rain is shorter, only 700 m, otherwise it is 1000 m. The speed limit is 140 km/h.

Danubewörth–Ulm section

History

In 1911 a link line was opened from Gundelfingen to Sontheim on Württemberg's Brenz Railway. Passenger services on this line ended in 1956. Today the line has been lifted.

Between 1906 and 1972 there was another line, the Härtsfeld Railway, from Dillingen to Aalen, to which Lauingen was also linked by a second station. This narrow gauge line was also dismantled after services had been withdrawn, but since 2001 a section of it has been rebuilt by the Härtsfeld Museum Railway and operated as a museum line.

Current operations

The end of the Bavarian Danube Valley Railway is actually at Neuoffingen. It is here that the double-tracked (Munich–) Augsburg–Ulm (–Stuttgart) main line is reached; thereafter its shares the line to its destinations at Günzburg and Ulm.

For the timetable change on 10 December 2006 a new, more modern and disabled-friendly platform was taken into service at Schwenningen. Previously Schwenningen had a double platform, which was separated by the level crossing with the road to Wolpertstetten. The trains had to stop before the crossing. Due to the modernisation of the crossing and the platform this is no longer necessary, so that now a single platform on the eastern side of the road is sufficient.

In November 2007 work finished on the Nersingen–Ulm section as part of the Neu-Ulm 21 project. The main aim of the work was the construction of the new Neu-Ulm station, complete with extensive track changes, such as the four tracked upgrade of the Danube Bridge at Ulm. On 17/18. March 2007 the new Neu-Ulm station was opened, albeit at the time only the two regional tracks were in service; the two long-distance tracks were ready at the end of November 2007.

Regionalbahn through trains to and from Regensburg only run on this section on weekdays, usually hourly to Günzburg; the through connexion to Ulm is usually every 2 hours. At weekends and holidays RE trains, consisting of double-decker coach hauled by Class 146.2 locomotives from Stuttgart run through to and from Stuttgart, Heilbronn or Mosbach-Neckarelz.

Passenger trains between Donauewörth and Günzburg are scheduled to cross at Dillingen. At weekends and holidays this crossing is not required however. The braking distances on the route are up to 1000 m, with the exception of the Dillingen–Höchstädt section in the direction of Donauwörth, where it is only 700 m. The speed limit is 140 km/h.

See also

External links

Sources