Friedrichsdorf – Friedberg railway line

Friedrichsdorf (Taunus) - Friedberg (Hess)
GTW 2/6 between Rodheim and Burgholzhausen
Route number (DB) :	3611
Course book section (DB) :	636
Route length:	16.4 km
Gauge :	1435 mm ( standard gauge )
Route class :	D4
Top speed:	90 km / h
Dual track :	-
Legend Main-Weser Railway from Kassel Horlofftalbahn from Wölfersheim-Södel 40.1 Friedberg (Hess) terminus 148  m Friedberg Gbf Industrial connections Route to Hanau ( level-free ) Main-Weser-Bahn to Frankfurt (former route) 37.8 Straßheim ( Bk , until 1968) 37.1 Friedberg Industriestammgleis   ( Awanst , until 2010) 36.9 Friedberg South B 3 35.7 Dirt road Rosbach mineral fountain (1902–1926) 32.4 L 3352 32.3 Rosbach vd Höhe (1985-2002 Hp) 32.0 from REWE warehouse (overgrown, 1987–2000) 28.7 Rodheim vd Höhe (until 2002 Bf) 28.6 L 3204 26.8 Burgholzhausen vd Höhe 26.5 Erlenbach Viaduct 25.8 A 5 , L 3057 24.1 Taunusbahn from Brandoberndorf 23.8 Friedrichsdorf (Taunus) terminus Homburg Railway to Frankfurt Swell:

The Friedrichsdorf – Friedberg railway line is a single-track, non-electrified branch line in Hesse . In the directory locally permissible speeds (VzG) of DB Netz is not administratively independent, but part of the continuous rail line 3611 Frankfurt (Main) Hbf deep - Friedberg (Hessen) . It is integrated into the Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund as route book route 636 , where it is run as R-Route 16.

history

The planning of a connection to Friedberg as a continuation of the Homburg Railway began as early as 1868. However, it was not clear whether the connection to the Main-Weser Railway should be established first or a route into the Taunus should be built. The decision was made in favor of the Usinger Bahn , now known as the “ Taunusbahn ”. 1898 was finally for the link Friedrich Village Friedberg construction, and on 15 July 1901, the line was put into operation. At that time the marches began in the railhead Homburg New at the lower Louis Street , who has served as the starting point of the railway Usinger since 1895th In imperial desire Wilhelm II. And the capacity to increase all the way from Frankfurt via Bad Homburg Friedrichsdorf has been expanded to double track up to Friedberg 1907-1912 and in Bad Homburg a through station built. As a result, the line originally built as a cross-connection, including the Bad Homburg – Friedrichsdorf section of the Usinger Bahn, became part of the Homburg Railway, which is also reflected in the continuous kilometering.

Erlenbach Bridge in Burgholzhausen from 1897 in vault construction. The reinforced concrete bridge built for the second track is clearly visible behind it.

Since the expansion, trains of the Bäderbahn , express trains from Wiesbaden via Höchst and Bad Homburg to Bad Nauheim and a daily pair of express trains from Berlin to Wiesbaden have also operated on the route .

Due to falling profitability, the second track was dismantled after the end of the First World War . With National Socialism , it was relocated for the planned Friedberg – Hungen – Alsfeld – Hersfeld line. In the Second World War , a bridge on the second track that led over the Main-Weser-Bahn at the Friedberg station entrance was destroyed. The second track was then dismantled again; until 1950 the Friedberg – Rosbach section, until 1968 the Rosbach – Friedrichsdorf section. This also made the Straßheim block post at the beginning of the original train station threading superfluous. Based on the width of the embankment and the bridges, the location of the former second track is still largely recognizable; at the industrial connection in Rosbach, a piece was even retained as a protective switch . The bridge over the line to Hanau is also still there, today a freight connection leads from the Main-Weser Railway to the freight section of the station above.

While the Frankfurt – Friedrichsdorf section of the route was electrified and converted to the new central relay interlocking in Bad Homburg, the mechanical interlockings were initially retained on this part , with Rosbach being dismantled to the stop in 1985 . Also operationally separating the track parts at the end of was the 20th century greater: the tight timing and the introduction of S-Bahn - railcars to Friedrichsdorf was the use of mainly pull trains with n-cars and locomotives of the series V 100 and Uerdinger rail buses and later compared to the 628 series , which drove less and less frequently. The class 628 railcars were mostly outside the Friedrichsdorf train station outside of the operating time on a drainage hill in the Seulberg direction that is no longer connected. With the S-Bahn service to Friedrichsdorf and Friedberg, the through trains Friedberg – Bad Homburg – Frankfurt were finally stopped, although some long-distance trains still used the alternative route. Only with the Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund was a 30/60 minute cycle reintroduced.

On May 24, 1998, after previous considerations about the closure of the line, the Butzbach-Licher Eisenbahn (BLE), a subsidiary of HLB, took over the management. New Stadler GTW railcars were procured especially for this purpose.

Due to the good success and increasing passenger numbers, there were also plans to expand the line to two tracks again or even to electrify it. Only a few bridges should have been widened. A footpath bridge in Friedrichsdorf parallel to Färberstrasse has meanwhile been raised as part of its renovation for a possible overhead line. However, it was decided to modernize more economically. At the beginning of 2002 the rails were completely replaced with Y-sleepers . The stations were also renovated and a new one, Friedberg Süd , was added. The Rosbach vd Höhe station , which has been halfway since then, has been expanded from the stop to become a crossing station . For this, the possibility of crossing in Rodheim was given up and the station was dismantled to the stop. Finally, the signaling technology was modernized. This means that the line has been downgraded from a main line to a branch line. For some of the construction work, traffic had to be suspended for several weeks. On April 21, 2002, the restart was celebrated with two special trains commuting on the route (steam train and GTW), one day later regular operation with a new timetable began. In addition to an extended half-hourly service on weekdays, this also included full weekend traffic. In addition, some connection times in the end stations have changed.

The replacement of the bridge over the former federal highway 3 at the Friedberg Süd stop made it necessary to completely close the line for three weeks in July 2017.

route

The actual route begins today in Friedrichsdorf (Taunus) station , where the Taunusbahn branches off. The train runs in a wide right curve in an easterly direction. After crossing the federal highway 5 , the Friedrichsdorf-Burgholzhausen stop is located . In the Wetterau , behind a level crossing, is the stop and former Rosbach-Rodheim train station , where typical beets were often loaded until 1992, as in the Wetterau. This is followed by today's Rosbach vd Höhe train station . Since 1987 there has been an industrial connection to the warehouse of the Rewe Group , which has not been served since 2000 and is now overgrown. The connecting switch was expanded around 2015. The second level crossing follows in the station area. On the edge of Friedberg is the newest stop on the route, Friedberg Süd . Until 2010 there was again an industrial track with an alternate connection point on the right (south) , which was still connected but no longer used. Since the embankment is relatively high, the actual track was reached like a hairpin . The branch, like the one to the Rewe warehouse, was integrated into the new interlocking technology through axle counters . Past the former barracks (Ray Barracks), the train reaches Friedberg (Hessen) station , where it joins the Main-Weser Railway . Before that, until the station was converted to an electronic signal box, an industrial track to Raiffeisen and the former US barracks (Ray Barracks) was still on the left (city side / west).

GTW 2/6 at Rosbach vd Höhe station

The trains from Friedrichsdorf usually stop in Friedberg on the head track 1a and the adjacent through track 1, with track 1 being preferred. Until the timetable change in December 2018, platform 1a was mainly used. In Friedrichsdorf it is mainly track 4, and more rarely the neighboring track 5, that is used. Apart from the terminus, all platforms are 55 centimeters high and are barrier-free . A conversion in Friedrichsdorf is planned, but difficult because of the S-Bahn stops there.

The signals from the Rosbach train station and two level crossings in Rosbach and Rodheim are controlled and controlled by an electronic signal box of the type Sig L 90 with an operator station in the Bad Homburg signal box (on the Homburger Bahn ), more precisely in the signaled train control operation , the train movement reports are made via analog train radio . The entry signal for Friedrichsdorf, like the entire station, is operated by the Bad Homburg relay interlocking. In front of Friedberg there was a form signal again provided by the electromechanical interlocking there , which was replaced by Ks signals on October 25, 2015 as part of the conversion to the Friedberg electronic interlocking .

business

The line is maintained by DB Netz and operated by HLB Hessenbahn GmbH . GTW 2/6 are used as rolling stock . The vehicles have a boarding height of 55 centimeters suitable for the platforms at the en-route stations and are partially equipped with toilets. The closest cycle sequence is in rush hour a 30-minute cycle with an intersection in Rosbach.

future

As part of the planned electrification of the Taunusbahn, line 16 is to be connected to Bad Homburg to secure capacity. In order to optimize the connections in Rodheim, another crossing point would have to be built.

It is planned to replace the diesel -powered trains with Coradia iLint trains with hydrogen-based fuel cell drives from 2022 .

literature

• Dieter Eckert: At the personal request of Wilhelm II . In: Hessian homeland . From nature and history. No. 4 , February 23, 2002, p. 13-16 .
• Walter Söhnlein, Gerta Walsh: Clear the way! - Railways in the Taunus 1860-1910 - 2010. Societäts Verlag , Frankfurt 2010, ISBN 978-3-7973-1223-5 .
• Marianne Peilstöcker: 100 Years of the Homburg – Friedberg Railway , Friedrichsdorf 2001

Web links

Commons : Friedberg – Friedrichsdorf railway line  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ DB Netze - Infrastructure Register
2. ↑ Railway Atlas Germany . 9th edition. Schweers + Wall, Aachen 2014, ISBN 978-3-89494-145-1 .
3. ↑ HLB in Friedberg in sun and rain - now on track 1. February 15, 2019, accessed on March 2, 2020 . 
4. ↑ ^{a b} mpu: Rail commuters have to be patient . In: Wetterauer Zeitung , June 9, 2020, p. 17
5. ↑ Submission of the agenda item (PDF; 374 KiB) on the citizen information page of the Hochtaunuskreis
6. ↑ Matthias Pieren: Taunus will be diesel-free on the rails: hydrogen is an alternative. In: Frankfurter Neue Presse. April 24, 2018. Retrieved April 28, 2018 .