East Rhine Railway

East Rhine Railway
Overview
Native name Rechte Rheinstrecke
Locale North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Hesse
Line number 2324 (Köln-Kalk Nord–Koblenz)
3507 (Koblenz–Wiesbaden)
Technical
Line length 179 km (111 mi)
No. of tracks 2
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification 15 kV/16.7 Hz AC
Overhead catenary
Operating speed 140 km/h (87 mph) (maximum)
Route number KBS 465 (Köln–Koblenz)
KBS 466 (Koblenz–Wiesbaden)
Route map
Legend
 Operating points and lines[1] 
From Bonn, Aachen S 12S 13
      and Neuss S 6S 11
Cologne Hbf
Hohenzollernbrücke
0.0 Cologne Messe/Deutzfrom Köln-Mülheim
Line to Köln-Mülheim S 6S 11
Köln Posthof junction
  S-Bahn line to Köln-Mülheim
1.2 Köln Gummersbacher Str. junction
Köln Trimbornstraße
Freight line
Freight railway from the south bridge
2.2 Köln-Kalk
Freight line to Köln-Kalk Nord
Gremberg–Köln-Kalk North freight railway
Connecting line from Köln-Kalk North
3.9 Vingst junction
Köln Flughafen NE junction: Agger Valley Railway,
      Cologne/Bonn Airport loop S 13
4.5
Köln Flughafen NW junction
      Airport loop (long distance)
Cologne Airport Businesspark
Köln Steinstr.
Freight railway from the south bridge
68.7   7.8 Köln Steinstr. junction(start of HSL)
70.1        
Gremberg Süd junction
      Freight line from Gremberg
71.3   9.6 Köln-Porz
Airport Loop (long distance)
Airport Loop (S-Bahn) S 13
73.9 12.4 Porz-Wahn
Porz-Wahn south junction
A 59
78.4 16.9 Spich
Troisdorf Tunnel (627 m)
79.5  18.0 Troisdorf Vorbf
18.4 Troisdorf north junction
81.2 19.7 Troisdorf, terminus of S 13 (planned)
Sieg Railway to Siegburg/Bonn S 12
High-speed railway to Siegburg/Bonn
(Original route from Siegburg)
82.8 →     Friedrich-Wilhelms-Hütte(planned S-Bahn)
Sieg
A 560
85.4 Menden (Rheinl)(planned S-Bahn)
A 59
VilichBonn Stadtbahn (planned S-Bahn)
90.3 Bonn-Beuel(planned S-Bahn)
Light railway to Hangelar
Siebengebirgs Railway
Ramersdorf(planned)
Bonn Stadtbahn
From former Bonn–Oberkassel train ferry
93.9 Bonn Oberkassel(S-Bahn planned)
(End of planned S-Bahn)
 96.6 Niederdollendorf
 Siebengebirgs railway crossing
 98.6 Königswinter
 101.3 Rhöndorf
 103.4 Bad Honnef (Rhein)
 NRW–RLP state border
 107.6 Unkel
former line through the Erpeler Ley
110.3 Erpel (Rhine)
110.5 former Ludendorff Bridge to Ahr Valley Railway
 Kasbach Valley line from Kalenborn
 113.3 Linz am Rhein
 115.8 Leubsdorf (Rhein)
 120.0 Bad Hönningen
 123.2 Rheinbrohl
 129.5 Leutesdorf (Rhein)
 135.6 Siding to Rasselstein & Co.
 135.8 Neuwied
 136.0 Industrial sidings
 139.0 Line to Koblenz, West Rhine Railway
 141.2 Engers
 to Brexbach Valley Railwayto Siershahn
 143.8 Bendorf (Rhein)
 146.7 Vallendar
 151.2 Koblenz-Ehrenbreitstein
Pfaffendorf Bridge (now road bridge),
  formerly to Left Rhine line
153.0 Koblenz Pfaffendorf junction
Horchheim Tunnel (576 m)
Horchheim Railway Bridge,
  to Left Rhine line and Moselle line
154.7
125.7
 (line change 2324 ↔ 3507)
123.8 Niederlahnstein
Lahn Valley Railway to Wetzlar (since 1879)
 Lahn, former Prussia / Nassau border
 former route of Lahn Valley Railway
 122.0 Oberlahnstein
 117.9 Braubach
 112.0 Osterspai
 109.1 Filsen
 106.1 Kamp-Bornhofen
 100.8 Kestert
 94.2 St. Goarshausen
 Loreley Tunnel368/417 m
 89.0 Loreley
 Roßstein Tunnel378/457 m
 83.6 Kaub
 RLP/Hesse state border
 80.0 Lorchhausen
 77.2 Lorch
 69.5 Assmannshausen
 65.3 Rüdesheim am Rhein
former Hindenburg Bridge to Nahe Valley Railway
 61.3 Geisenheim
 57.0 Oestrich-Winkel
 53.9 Eltville-Hattenheim
 50.8 Eltville-Erbach
 48.8 Eltville
 45.8 Niederwalluf
 42.6 Wiesbaden-Schierstein
 Industrial sidings(Schierstein Port)
 A 643
39.5 Wiesbaden-Biebrich
 Taunus Railway to Frankfurt
 Aar Valley Railway
Ländches Railway to Niedernhausen,
Cologne-Frankfurt HSL

 41.2 Wiesbaden Hbf

The East Rhine Railway (German: Rechte Rheinstrecke, literally 'right (of the) Rhine railway') is a major, double-track, electrified railway line, running along the right bank of the Rhine from Cologne to Wiesbaden. The 179-kilometer (111.2 mi)-long line forms two Deutsche Bahn routes. Route 465 extends from Cologne to Koblenz, via Troisdorf, Bonn-Beuel, Unkel, and Neuwied. From Koblenz, Route 466 extends to Wiesbaden, via Rüdesheim am Rhein. Together with the Taunus railway (Route 645.1), the line is used by Stadt-Express line SE-10 of the Rhine-Main Transport Association, which runs from Frankfurt to Koblenz and Neuwied.

With the Cologne-Frankfurt high-speed railway and the Sieg Railway, the East Rhine Railway forms a six-track line between Cologne-Porz and Troisdorf. It includes two tunnels between Rüdesheim and Niederlahnstein, including the well-known Loreley Tunnel near Sankt Goarshausen.

History

Soon after the opening of the first railways in the region, a line on the right bank of the Rhine began to be discussed. In 1844 the Mayor of Deutz suggested building a line from Deutz via Rüdesheim to Wiesbaden. In 1852, the town of Neuwied also began to press strongly for the building of a railway. However, others, particularly Prussia, had substantial reservations. There were military objections to a railway line along the Rhine (the extension of the West Rhine railway past Rolandseck was similarly delayed). In particular, the Prussian military objected that the suggested route would pass close to the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress, part of the Koblenz Fortress system. Therefore, in 1853 the Prussian War Ministry declared itself against the line.

Building of the southern section

For the Duchy of Nassau such considerations had less weight than the economic advantages. Therefore, it gave the Wiesbaden Railway Company (Wiesbadener Eisenbahngesellschaft) a concession to build the East Rhine line on Nassau national territory. On 11 August 1856, the first section of the Nassau Rhine Railway (Nassauische Rheinbahn) was opened from Wiesbaden to Rüdesheim. Because of the difficult nature of the construction, the Nassau government took over construction in 1858, establishing the Nassau State Railway in 1861. As a result, the line was not extended to Oberlahnstein until 22 February 1862 and Niederlahnstein until 3 June 1864. From 1862 to 1900 the Bingerbrück–Rüdesheim train ferry operated between Bingerbrück and Rüdesheim, connecting the East Rhine lines and the Nahe Valley Railway.

The construction of the Sieg Railway from Deutz to Giessen (which started in 1859) enabled Nassau to negotiate with Prussia over the continuation of the line, since the planned Sieg line passed through the Dillenburg district, which was part of Nassau. Finally in 1860 an agreement between both states was concluded, which allowed Prussia to build the Sieg line. In return Prussia agreed to build the Pfaffendorf Bridge, which connected the line near Niederlahnstein with the West Rhine Railway (Linke Rheinstrecke) in Koblenz finished the year before. The bridge was inaugurated on 3 June 1864. A continuation of the East Rhine line through Prussia was not possible for the time being, because the concession that the Rhenish Railway had received for the West Rhine line had specified that no concession would be given for a railway on the right bank of the Rhine before 1876.

Building of the northern section

As a result of the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, Nassau became part of Prussia, changing the situation in the Rhine completely. The Rhenish Railway Company (Rheinische Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft) now had an interest in completing the East Rhine line, and soon received a concession for it. On 27 October 1869, the extension of the line was opened from Niederlahnstein to Neuwied.

Planning options considered for the East Rhine line between Beuel and Siegburg. The curved route via Friedrich-Wilhelms-Hütte was built.

The route of the northern end was contentious. The concession referred to a line between Siegburg and Niederlahnstein and under the original plans the line should have turned at Beuel on the Rhine to Siegburg. Later the line should have been extended via the Agger River valley to Overath and then via Witten to Bochum, or alternatively Essen. These plans were, however, viewed critically in Cologne, since it would have involved the construction of a major traffic axis through the Bergisches Land near Cologne. Gustav von Mevissen, president of the Rhenish Railway, preferred a route via Troisdorf and Opladen to Essen.

Emil Langen, board member of the Rhenish Railway and director of Friedrich-Wilhelms Ironworks in Troisdorf (now the location of the suburb and station of Troisdorf-Friedrich-Wilhelms-Hütte), finally implemented a change in the planned route north of Beuel. The new route went northeast from Beuel, crossing the Sieg river at Menden (now part of Sankt Augustin). A station would be built at the Friedrich-Wilhelms works and the line would then turn southeast to parallel the Sieg Railway to Siegburg.

On July 11, 1870 the section of line was opened from Neuwied to Oberkassel, where the Bonn–Oberkassel train ferry provided a connection between the West Rhine and East Rhine lines. In addition, the line from Friedrich-Wilhelms-Hütte to Siegburg had already been completed; the complete opening of the line only awaited the completion of the Sieg bridge. During the Franco-Prussian War, the line was of great strategic importance as a supply route. As a result, the building of the Sieg bridge was accelerated with extra workers, starting in the late summer of 1870. The whole route was opened on March 1, 1871. At the same time a branch was opened from Friedrich-Wilhelms-Hütte to Troisdorf and the line to Cologne, which would later become the main line.

Later changes

Map of railway lines in the Koblenz area

In 1878/79, the Horchheim rail bridge was built south of Koblenz, creating a further connection between the West Rhine and East Rhine lines.

During World War I, three Rhine crossings were built using very similar building methods:

All three bridges were destroyed in World War II. Only the Kronprinz-Wilhelm Bridge was rebuilt, as the Urmitz railway bridge, in 1954.

In 1961, during the electrification of the line, new single-line tunnels were built parallel to the existing double-line Loreley and Rossstein tunnels. The old tunnels were then converted to single-line operations and electrified.

With the opening of the Cologne-Frankfurt high-speed rail line at the end of 2002, Troisdorf station was completely rebuilt and the connections from the East Rhine railway towards Siegburg were removed.

Operations

Freight train north of Unkel
Bonn-Beuel station

The line is heavily congested and gives priority to long-distance freight trains. Long distance passenger trains in the Rhine Valley use the West Rhine line and the Cologne-Frankfurt high-speed line. When there are line closures on the left side, the long-distance trains are diverted to the East Rhine route. It that case the stop for Bonn is replaced with Bonn-Beuel.

Passenger services on the line are provided by RegionalBahn and Regional-Express trains. According to Deutsche Bahn timetables, the East Rhine route is KBS 465 (Cologne-Koblenz) and KBS 466 (Koblenz-Wiesbaden). The KBS 465 added a section from Cologne to Mönchengladbach a few years ago. All passenger trains start or finish at the Koblenz main station. Trains from there in the direction of Wiesbaden cross on the Horchheimer Bridge (south of Koblenz). Trains travelling in the direction of Cologne cross the Urmitz Railway Bridge (north of Koblenz), or travel via Vallendar over the Horchheimer Bridge.

Generally Regional-Express trains operate every two hours between the Frankfurt and Wiesbaden main train stations and Koblenz. RegionalBahn trains operate every two hours between the Wiesbaden main station and Koblenz.

Regional-Express trains operate every hour between Mönchengladbach main station and Koblenz, via Cologne Central Station and Vallendar, using the Horchheim bridge. RegionalBahn trains operate every hour between Mönchengladbach Hbf, Cologne Hbf and Koblenz, via the Urmitz Railway Bridge.

The northern section is also served hourly by the Rhein-Erft-Express (RE 8) and the Rhein-Erft-Bahn (RB 27) lines. The RE-8 serves the Cologne/Bonn Airport station and extends south of Koblenz on the Horchheimer Bridge. It uses Series-425 electric locomotives and a maximum speed of 140 km/h. The RB 27 operates between Porz and Koblenz, crossing from the north via the Urmitz Bridge. It operates non-stop from Koblenz to Cochem twice daily. The RB-27 uses Series-143 electric locomotives and three double-decker carriages with a maximum speed of 120 km/h. From Moenchengladbach to Rommerskirchen, the tariffs of the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr (VRR) apply; from Grevenbroich to Neuwied, those of the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Sieg (VRS); and from Unkel to Koblenz, the tariffs of the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Mosel (VRM).

Until 2010, the southern section was served by the Loreley-Bahn (RB 10) and the Loreley-Express (RE 10) services, using electric class 143 or 110 locomotives and 4-5 coaches every one or two hours. In 2007, the operation of services on the section from the Koblenz–Frankfurt section was tendered by the Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund (Rhine-Main Transport Association, RMV) and the Zweckverband Schienenpersonennahverkehr Rheinland-Pfalz Nord (Association for Passenger Rail Transport of Rhineland-Palatinate North). On 12 December 2010, VIAS GmbH took over operations of the service, now called the RheingauLinie (SE 10). Between Koblenz, Lahnstein and Wiesbaden trains now stop at every station, but between Wiesbaden and Frankfurt Central Station there now only two stops. Similarly, between Neuwied and Koblenz Central Station there were initially no stations. Since its completion in April 2011, Koblenz City Centre Station has also been served. The Stadt-Express services run every hour, sometimes even every half hour. VIAS GmbH uses new Stadler FLIRT sets for the service. Because of the renewal of track on the line in 2010 and the good acceleration of the FLIRT sets, the travel time is only slightly longer than that of the former RE 10 service, which did not stop at each station.

Between Koblenz and Kaub, tariffs of the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Mosel apply and between Lorchhausen and Wiesbaden/Frankfurt, the tariffs of the Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund (RMV).

Current developments

It is planned to build two extra tracks from Troisdorf to Bonn–Oberkassel for the extension of line S13 of the Rhein-Ruhr S-Bahn.[2][3] One service an hour would continue past Oberkassel to Linz am Rhein.[4]

Notes

  1. ↑ Eisenbahnatlas Deutschland (German railway atlas). Schweers + Wall. 2009. ISBN 978-3-89494-139-0.
  2. ↑ "Unsere Planung löst fast alle Probleme" (in German). General-Anzeiger. 25 September 2008. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
  3. ↑ "Neue Weichenstellung am Beueler Güterbahnhof" (in German). General-Anzeiger. 25 September 2009. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
  4. ↑ Modified option for S-13 line, General-Anzeiger, 5 January 2007 (German)

References

External links (in German)

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rechte Rheinstrecke.

NRWbahnarchiv von André Joost:

www.eisenbahntunnel-portal.de:

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