Wesel train station

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Wesel
Reception building street side, 2015
Reception building street side, 2015
Data
Operating point type railway station
Location in the network Intermediate station (1856–1874)
Crossing station (1874–1945)
Separation station (since 1945)
Design Through station
Inselbahnhof (1881–1945)
Platform tracks 4
maximum 8 (1912–1945)
abbreviation EWES
IBNR 8000242
Price range 3
opening October 20, 1856
Profile on Bahnhof.de Wesel
Architectural data
architect Erich Eickemeyer (EG from 1955)
location
City / municipality Wesel
country North Rhine-Westphalia
Country Germany
Coordinates 51 ° 39 '21 "  N , 6 ° 37' 38"  E Coordinates: 51 ° 39 '21 "  N , 6 ° 37' 38"  E
Railway lines
Railway stations in North Rhine-Westphalia
i16 i16 i18

The Wesel railway station is the main station of the district town of Wesel . The station, which opened in 1856 east of the fortifications on the Oberhausen - Emmerich - Arnhem railway line, gained importance as a national railway junction on the Lower Rhine at the end of the 1870s after the Haltern - Venlo , (Wesel -) Büderich - Boxtel and Wesel - Bocholt lines went into operation . In addition to freight and local travel, Wesel was also a stop for express and long-distance express trains such as the Rheingold . After the closure of the lines over the Rhine to Boxtel and Venlo due to the demolition of the Wesel Rhine Bridge in 1945 and the gradual decommissioning of the line to Haltern from 1962, the importance of the station declined noticeably. After the last express train stops were abandoned , Wesel is now a regional rail hub in local traffic , freight traffic is limited to a few local connections.

In addition to the Wesel train station, the city also has the Wesel-Feldmark stations on the Oberhausen  - Arnhem (Arnhem) line and Blumenkamp on the connection to Bocholt . Büderich station, also in Wesel, was located on the left bank of the Rhine at the point of separation of the lines to Venlo and Boxtel . In addition, there were several smaller stops on the individual routes in the 1950s and 1960s.

history

prehistory

As early as 1832, the Dutch lieutenant colonel Brade proposed the construction of a railway line on the right bank of the Rhine from Amsterdam to Cologne . After the preparatory work in the Netherlands had largely been completed, Brade began with the first measurements in Prussia . He turned to the mayor of Wesel, who was initially negative about the project. The city was more interested in expanding traffic across the Rhine and Lippe . Only after the opening of the first railway lines in Germany did the city's opinion change.

On March 2, 1841, a railway committee was founded in Wesel under the leadership of the Wesel high school director Ludwig Bischoff. When considering the construction of the Cöln-Mindener railway , the committee proposed a route via Wesel, Münster and Bielefeld to Minden . In a memorandum, Bischoff referred to the advantages of this route, which in the long term could represent a connection between the fortress city of Wesel, the Westphalian provincial capital of Münster and the Prussian capital Berlin, and saw it as an advance towards national unification . In addition, the northern route represented the shortest connection from Berlin to the Rhine and had favorable railing conditions. The head of the Cologne-Minden Railway Committee, David Hansemann , rejected the proposal on the grounds that the route should choose the shortest connection, especially since the connection between Berlin and the fortress of Cologne was of greater importance. Furthermore, a route over Wesel and Münster touches the densely populated areas of Westphalia.

After Hansemann's rejection, the Wesel Committee increasingly concentrated on the connection between Cologne and Amsterdam, which was supposed to connect the Ruhr area with the North Sea . The city of Emmerich , which at the time was also trying to get a connection, obtained approval for preparatory work for the construction of a branch line from Oberhausen on the Cöln-Mindener Bahn via Wesel and Emmerich with a connection to the Dutch one opened in 1843-1845 by cabinet order on September 15, 1845 Amsterdam - Arnhem route . On January 22nd, 1846, the Wesel and Emmerich committees merged into a joint committee based in Wesel . After the March Revolution in 1848, Ludwig Bischoff had to quit school due to his liberal views and leave the city of Wesel and the committee.

In 1850 the city turned again to the Prussian Ministry of Commerce to promote the construction of the line. The city emphasized its loyalty to the king and the house of Hohenzollern and referred to its importance as the north-western bulwark of Prussia. To compensate for the obstacles associated with the fortress statute, the city therefore wanted economic support in the construction and equal treatment with other less profitable routes. As an alternative to the complete assumption of the construction costs by the state, Wesel proposed a state participation in the construction capital and agreed to an interest guarantee of three and a half percent. Furthermore, the city solicited support from some high-ranking military; as early as 1843 the Prussian war ministry had approved the Wesel railway connection. In November 1850 the Prussian Minister of Commerce , August von der Heydt , stopped Wesel's further efforts and indicated that the current situation made it impossible to pay an interest guarantee. The background to this was ongoing negotiations between Prussia and the Netherlands.

After the Netherlands agreed to switch the line from Amsterdam to Arnhem from broad gauge (1945 millimeters) to standard gauge (1435 millimeters), nothing stood in the way of the project. On October 1, 1853, the Cöln-Mindener Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft (CME) received the concession for the Oberhausen - Arnhem line. The planning in the Wesel area began as early as 1852 due to various preliminary contracts.

Construction of the Oberhausen-Arnheimer Bahn and commissioning

The construction of the Wesel train station was subject to special conditions because of the proximity to the fortress. The war ministry initially wanted a train station on the west side. This would have required the construction of a 200  rod (≈ 753 meter) long dam through the Lippe floodplain, protected against flooding and ice . In addition, the Rheintor, which formed the access to the ship bridge over the Rhine, could no longer have been used by riders and carts. In this case, the railway should have built a movable railway bridge. In addition, the station could have been shot at from the other bank of the Rhine. The facility on the east side, however, corresponded to the wishes of the city and CME and ultimately came about due to the aforementioned constraints. The CME intended to make the embankment flood-proof at 35  feet (≈ 11.0 meters) above the Wesel level. The military administration implemented a reduction of the construction height to 30 feet (≈ 9.4 meters), later to 28.5 feet (≈ 8.9 meters).

So that the station was not too far from the city, the War Ministry allowed it to be built inside the fortress paleon. Since the station buildings in this spatial proximity could have provided protection for attackers, they had to be built on one floor and made of wood. In addition, they should be able to be dismantled within a day. The construction also resulted in massive demands from the military to expand the fortifications. To protect the existing fortress, the war ministry demanded the construction of Fort Fusternberg on the site between the train station and Lippe (185,000  thalers ). Furthermore, the construction of a tower fort with wing walls on the city side of Fort Fusternberg was required (135,000 Taler), which should defend the Lippeübergang if Fort Fusternberg had fallen. The bezel  23 should be increased because of the embankment (1500 thalers). In addition, the construction of a horse- drawn kennel including protective structures from the train station to the port was required in order to bring operating material to the fortress in the event of war (28,500 thalers). The CME rejected the additional costs of 350,000 thalers and agreed to build a bulwark as thick as the Flamer Schanze on the other side of the Lippe . With regard to the Zwingbahn, the CME was ready to build, but was against building the superstructures. The company pointed out that in the event of war the embankment would be demolished without compensation and that it would therefore not be able to bear the additional costs. In addition, the advantages of the railway construction are greater than the disadvantages for the fortress that result from the construction. Since the Prussian war minister Friedrich von Waldersee was not prepared to compromise, but the obligations entered into in the construction of the railway with the Netherlands could not be postponed, the matter was brought to the Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm IV . On April 10, 1856, the CME agreed to assume half of the costs of 174,250 thalers, while the other half should be paid for from the railway fund. The king approved the project on April 14, 1856.

On October 20, 1856, when the Dinslaken  - Wesel - Emmerich section went into operation, the entire route was open to traffic. Before that, from October 17, 1856, the CME held opening events lasting several days, including a special trip from Deutz to Amsterdam and back. While the outward journey between Ruhrort and Emmerich was made across the Rhine with a stop in Wesel, the train was taken for the return journey. No festival program was originally planned in Wesel. However, since the steam locomotive had to fill up its water supplies in Wesel, the people of Wesel intended to take advantage of this ten-minute compulsory break. The festival committee was informed about the project and did not raise any objection. The mayor asked all councilors and city councilors to assemble in festive suits on the platform for the arrival of the train at 12:30 p.m., where a music corps should also be positioned. In addition, the project was advertised in the city so that the citizens should come in large numbers. The project was implemented as planned.

In the early days, the station had a separate office building for the station inspector in addition to the reception building. An open loading ramp and the loading road bordered the large goods shed . A two-tier locomotive shed was available for the locomotives of the trains ending in Wesel . Next to it was the water station, whose 1120 cubic feet (≈ 34.6 cubic meters) storage tanks also supplied the two water cranes . In 1858 an average of 19 civil servants and workers were employed at the station. The track length comprised 650 rods (≈ 2.27 kilometers) and 16 switches. In 1862 there were already 22 switches with 715 rods (≈ 2.69 kilometers), in 1868 25 switches were installed and in 1870 26 switches. The number of employees fell temporarily to 13 after the rest of the work was completed, then rose continuously to 28 by 1870. The CME sold the area that remained vacant. In places where it was not possible to sell, she set up a tree nursery in order to demarcate her railway area with the grown plants.

In terms of freight traffic, Weseler Bahnhof fell short of expectations in the early days despite the positive development of the route. A total of 101,375 outgoing passengers were counted in passenger traffic in 1858, which roughly corresponded to the number of passengers at the Essen and Hamm train stations . Military tickets made up almost ten percent. The volume of goods traffic was significantly lower, with around 50 incoming and outgoing freight wagons being recorded every day. Due to the fortress ring, the settlement of industrial plants within the city was technically impossible. Buildings outside the city walls were prohibited. The situation only changed gradually after the city was defused at the beginning of the 1890s. Another disadvantage that resulted from the fortress was the route between the city and the train station. The driveway from the Berliner Tor was angled and covered with gravel and coarse sand . Despite cleaning measures, the path was quickly clogged with horse manure and furrowed by the carts . A paved sidewalk was missing, as was a railing to separate the moat from the fortress . Since the path was not illuminated until the beginning of the 1860s, serious injuries and deaths occurred after falls, especially at night or in thick fog. On July 3, 1865, the Zwingbahn to the harbor went into operation. The CME had postponed its construction until the end because it feared that it would lose the transport of goods to shipping.

The first major renovation took place in 1870. The goods shed was expanded from 1059 square feet (≈ 104.3 square meters) to 5666 square feet (≈ 558.1 square meters) and the loading ramps for military loading were extended. With the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War on July 24, 1870, freight traffic was stopped and passenger traffic was reduced from 18 trains to one pair of trains per day. The mobilization lasted until August 14, 1870, the civilian timetable was valid again from September 21, 1870.

Construction of the Haltern-Venloer Bahn and extension of the railway facilities

The first plans to build a Paris-Hamburg railway came from the French company Etudes et Travaux de Chemins de Fer , backed by the French banking group Rothschild Frères . In 1862 the company received permission to carry out preliminary work in Prussia. However, the Kingdom of Prussia wished that no foreign railway company wanted to operate the railway and transferred the task to the CME. The condition for the granting of the overall concession was the construction of a permanent Rhine crossing near Wesel, since the fortress offered sufficient defense possibilities in the event of war. The increasing tensions between Prussia and the French Empire , which culminated in the Franco-Prussian War in 1870 , led to the withdrawal of the Rothschild banking house from the project. For the CME, the eastern section of the railway, which connected Hamburg with the Ruhr area , was of greater importance. Therefore, the company tried again and again to postpone the construction of the unprofitable route Haltern - Venlo or to change it in favor of a Rhine bridge near Ruhrort, which it was denied. It was only when the Noord-Brabantsch-Duitsche Spoorweg-Maatschappij (NBDS) was preparing to run their trains to Wesel that the CME was ready to carry out the construction. The bridge was eventually built below the city.

The reconstruction of the Wesel train station to include the Haltern – Venlo line was accompanied by the aim of increasing the length of the siding. At the same time, they did not want the radius of the two curved tracks that the Venloer Bahn describes in front of and behind the Wesel train station to become too small. Otherwise, two more Lippe bridges would have had to be built for a more extensive southern curve. A tower train station was also ruled out, as the fortress command categorically rejected it because of its elevated location. As a result, there were two sharp curves with a radius of 200 rods (≈ 753 meters) from the direction of Haltern and 120 rods (≈ 452 meters) radius in the direction of Venlo. The main track led into station track 3, which was equipped with a raised intermediate platform. The renovation dragged on until 1875. After the work was completed, the number of tracks had increased to 24. The track length increased by 7550 meters, and 35 single points, two three-way points and four double cross points were installed. For shunting movements, the CME had two pull-out tracks laid at the north and south head. The Haltern - Wesel section went into operation on March 1, 1874, the Wesel - Venlo section was put into operation on New Year's Eve 1874.

For NBDS, which also used the section of the CME over the Rhine bridge, the CME had contractually guaranteed the construction of a platform, bypass and siding north of the existing reception building. When the CME also received the concession for the Wesel - Bocholt line , they laid another platform track. The two platform tracks and the bypass track between them led to a turntable at the reception building. The sidings were further north. The track length increased by a further 550 meters, and two points were also installed. For the construction of the tracks, the CME had previously relocated all storage areas and two military ramps to the east side, where a goods shed was later built. On the west side, the siding of the port railway remained as the only freight track. On July 1, 1878, the routes (Wesel -) Gest ( Büderich ) - Goch of the NBDS and Wesel - Bocholt went into operation. After the commissioning of the Winterswijk - Bocholt line of the Nederlandsch-Westfaalsche Spoorweg-Maatschappij in 1880, there were direct connections from Wesel to the Netherlands in four directions.

Reception building of the Wesel train station, around 1900

It quickly became apparent that, despite the expansion, the station was unable to cope with the increased volume of traffic. It turned out to be problematic that the trains of the Venloer Bahn could not be dispatched at the same time, and the two main tracks to and from Oberhausen had to be closed for the passenger crossing. The curve to Haltern was only passable at low speed. The reception building was no longer sufficient after the commissioning of the other routes. Immediately after the nationalization of the CME in 1880, the newly founded Königliche Eisenbahn-Direktion (KED) Cöln on the right bank of the Prussian State Railways began to convert the railway systems. In order to disentangle the traffic on the two main routes, it relocated the Venloer Bahn facilities to the west side of the reception building, using up the last remaining space between the station and the fortification facilities. The Haltern curve was slightly softened by widening it to the platform. However, the Venloer Bahn and the Oberhausen route crossed each other with different curve radii, each lying in the inner curve, which meant that the crossing point could still only be used with speed restrictions. The station building was replaced by a larger building in the same place, as a result of the renovation it was now in an island location and could be reached via a level crossing. The other high-rise structures such as the water tower , warehouses and workshops were also renewed during the renovation in the early 1880s. The first signal boxes were also in operation from 1881 . Around 1886 the section between Sterkrade and Wesel was expanded to two tracks. From 1899 the Venloer Bahn was double-tracked between Wesel and Büderich. From 1895 to 1898, the state railway made the old engine shed by an eight permanent roundhouse replace.

Before the turn of the century, the station building was given a surrounding roof. The second platform tracks on the Oberhausener and Venloer Bahn were fitted with platform roofs around 1904. For the Oberhausen - Walsum - Wesel (Walsumbahn) line, which opened on October 15, 1912, a separate section of the station had to be built south of the level crossing, as there was no further space in the station itself to accommodate additional passenger trains. The part of the station called Hamborner Bahnhof had a platform track with a bulk platform and a bypass track. In addition, he received a small reception building. Direct journeys using a switch connection were also possible for freight trains.

Second World War and loss of importance

Around 1943, a direct connecting curve from Haltern towards Oberhausen went into operation to bypass Wesel train station. In the Allied air raids on Wesel during the final phase of the Second World War , the station was hardly affected in contrast to the city. On the morning of March 10, 1945, Wehrmacht units blew up the Rhine bridge while retreating to the right bank of the Rhine, in the same month the bridges over the Wesel-Datteln Canal and the Lippe were blown up. The station building survived the war almost undamaged, but burned down shortly before it was put back into operation in November 1945.

Temporary bridges were hung on the line to Oberhausen until 1946, and trains heading north ended in Emmerich until 1949, before the section to the border near Elten went into operation. In the direction of Haltern, the first civilian passenger trains were on the move from May or June 1945. As early as the spring of 1945, US pioneer troops built a temporary bridge between Büderich and Wesel to provide supplies. The bridge was located south of the old Rhine bridge and crossed the Rhine at the height of the Rheinbaben bridge . At the level of Fort Fusternberg it met the Venloer Bahn. In autumn 1946, the bridge and the war curve were dismantled again. The connections over the old Rhine bridge to Büderich and in the direction of Walsum , however, were not resumed after the end of the war.

Wesel train station, long shot, 2015

Around 1950, around 500 railway workers were employed at the Wesel train station. These distributed to the services station, freight handling (Ga), Bahnmeisterei (Bm) and depot (Bw). At that time, the station was still classified as class I. The station and the railway maintenance department were administered by the Wesel Works Office, the goods handling was under the Duisburg traffic office and the depot under the Duisburg 1 machine office . Five years later, businesses connected to it were connected to the main track and the shunting track dismantled. At the same time, the line was downgraded to a branch line . On September 30, 1962, the German Federal Railroad stopped passenger traffic to Haltern, and goods traffic followed on May 26, 1974. The main track was retained as a station track to operate the Obrighoven substation. In order to speed up traffic on the Holland route, the Federal Railroad had the continuous main tracks on this route relocated in the early 1960s. They led through the middle of the old island platform, so that after the renovation there were two central platforms with four platform edges (tracks 2-5). The platforms were connected to the station building via a pedestrian tunnel. This increased the speed of passage to 110 km / h. The crossing with the Venloer Bahn could be omitted due to the missing Rhine crossing. The track in the direction of Haltern was connected to the freight tracks on the east side, the number of which was reduced during the renovation. The renovation also eliminated the end tracks and the turntable north of the island platform, and the remaining trains to and from Bocholt would turn to track 5 in the future. The level crossing leading to the access to the island platform was replaced in 1961 by an overpass further north. In 1966 the mechanical and electromechanical interlockings were replaced by the push button interlocking Wf.

The Federal Railway Directorate (BD) Essen dissolved the Wesel works office on April 1, 1954, and the tasks were taken over by the Oberhausen 2 works office. The depot closed its doors on May 22, 1966 with the electrification of the Dutch line. In the end it was only used for local passenger and freight traffic, while international trains were hauled from Oberhausen or Emmerich. In the 1960s and 1970s, the railway maintenance department took over the duties of the Bm  Bocholt , Emmerich and Dinslaken and was assigned to the Bm Oberhausen in the 1980s. Ga Wesel took over the tasks of Ga Friedrichsfeld , Hamminkeln , Empel-Rees and Bocholt between 1961 and 1979  , after BD Essen dissolved them as independent offices. In 1990, BD Essen merged the train station and goods handling into one department. In the same year, the Federal Railroad gave up the transport of express goods, which meant dismantling the tracks west of the passenger platforms. One year after the rail reform , goods handling closed on December 31, 1994. The railroad then had the sidings east of track 9 dismantled, and the site has now been built over.

The Wesel train station since the rail reform

After the railway reform, the railway closed various facilities in the station building, which was exposed to vandalism . At the beginning of the 21st century, the situation had escalated to such an extent that the Deutsche Bahn in Wesel gave the go-ahead for the NRW cleanliness campaign and had the outside of the building improved for 20,000  D-Marks . One year after the measure, the tenant of the restaurant and the hotel gave up his premises. After negotiations between the city of Wesel and Deutsche Bahn, further construction work was carried out in 2007. The pedestrian tunnel was extended to the east and a parking lot for travelers was set up. The existing commuter parking lot on the west side should be enlarged. At the same time, the city had access to the platforms made barrier-free by installing ramps and lifts . In the middle of the construction work, the railway gave its preliminary planning for the expansion of the Oberhausen - Emmerich line as part of the TEN corridor Rotterdam - Genoa . Initially, the construction of a third track between Wesel and Oberhausen on the east side was planned, shortly afterwards it became known that this would lead continuously to Zevenaar in the Netherlands . The construction of a fourth track between Wesel and Oberhausen was also discussed. This should go into operation on the west side and thus take up the space of a previously built pedestrian ramp. After the renewed plan change, the construction of the fourth track was reduced to the Oberhausen - Dinslaken section, but the track layout was changed so that the construction of a new through track between the platforms and the station building was still planned. The new construction of the pedestrian ramp is therefore still necessary. In addition, the construction of noise barriers is planned.

In August 2014, work began on raising and modernizing the two platforms. The work stalled for several months after the executing company went bankrupt. They were completed at the end of 2017 with the exception of remaining work.

In March 2019, the local SPD requested an ICE stop at Wesel train station. After this was initially rejected by Deutsche Bahn, the Dutch State Railways notarized their interest in a line from Amsterdam to Berlin , which should necessarily stop on the Lower Rhine .

construction

Reception building

The first reception building was a single- story timber frame building with a floor area of ​​4,319 square feet (≈ 425.4 square meters). It differed significantly from the other stations on the route. In the building, starting from the vestibule, there were waiting rooms 1 and 2 on the left and right . and 3rd / 4th Class . In the middle were the ticket offices and baggage drop-off points, behind them the service rooms. The telegraph office was expanded for the construction of the Haltern-Venloer Bahn. Presumably since the beginning of the 1870s there was a train station restaurant, which was housed in the waiting rooms.

The second station building was built at the height of the first building, but had two floors. As a result of the station renovation, it was now in an island location . Since the rayon regulations continued to apply, this building was also built using timber . The walls consisted of a board layer inside and outside, which was sealed with clay plaster . The cavity between the two walls was not allowed to be filled, otherwise a possible demolition would be delayed. The building was connected to the sewer system from the start . The external appearance of the building was enhanced by extensive woodwork. In the following years the building was given a surrounding platform roof. After the complete repeal of the rayon regulations after the First World War, the building was partially built with a basement .

The Hamborner platform of the Walsumbahn upstream at the south head received a separate reception building with an attached vestibule. It was built in wood on a brick foundation and, like the main reception building, was double-paneled. Inside, the surfaces were nailed with tubular fabric, on which plaster and lime mortar were applied. The lower wall surfaces up to 1.5 meters above the floor in the waiting and service rooms were given a planed board paneling instead of plastering. The clear height of the service rooms and the waiting room 3./4. Class was four meters, that of waiting room 1./2. Class as well as the vestibule 2.65 meters. The wooden beams of the vestibule received a horizontal ceiling made of planed boards. The interiors were heated with stoves. The roof was boarded and covered with roofing felt. Since the wooden superstructures did not meet the minimum spacing due to the cramped conditions, a special permit was required. It was issued with reference to an early reconstruction of the station; the station building was in use until the Second World War.

Despite the immense air raids on Wesel , the main reception building survived the Second World War almost unscathed. Shortly before the completion of the renovation work on the stationmaster's apartment, the building burned down on November 25, 1945. A barrack was quickly built on the station forecourt as a replacement . This housed a ticket office and the train station restaurant. After the new reception building went into operation, the building served as the Bundesbahn's apprentice workshop and was demolished in 1963.

The plans for a new building were drawn up in 1953. Today's reception building was opened on July 8, 1955. It was created according to plans by Erich Eickemeyer. In terms of design, the building is based on the reception buildings in Borken (Westf) and Emmerich , but with its 80-meter-wide front it was larger. Initially, the city wanted a tower-like roof structure, which was not implemented. However, the construction volume was increased by building a small hotel with ten beds. In addition to the ticket office, there was a bookstore, a 3rd class waiting room and a train station restaurant with a dining room on the ground floor. Class served. The 3rd class waiting room was converted into a tavern in 1972, and in 1982 the station bookshop was enlarged. In the basement of the restaurant there was also a bowling alley . Part of the premises was empty in 2002.

Signal boxes

Former relay interlocking Wf, used as a tail-end reporting post at the time of recording, 2015
ESTW-A in Wesel, the modular building is remotely controlled from Emmerich, 2015

When it opened, the station had a track system with a total length of 605 rods (≈ 2.27 kilometers) and 16  switches . The points, a turntable and a transfer table were set by point attendants on site, for which five points stalls were built. The dispatcher controlled the train sequence from a command post set up in the reception building. Communication with the neighboring stations took place via Morse code telegraph . Communication between the dispatcher and the switchman took place verbally or via a bell . With the renovation of the station at the beginning of the 1880s, the state railway administration centralized the safety systems and had three mechanical signal boxes built. Signal box I stood south of the level crossing between the main tracks of the Oberhausen – Arnhemer and Haltern – Venloer Bahn and set the entry and exit signals at the southern head. Stellwerk II was located north of the Bocholt platform and was responsible for the three routes in the station. Signal box III at the level of the Brüner Landstrasse level crossing was responsible for entrances and exits at the north head. In addition, there were eleven attendant booths marked with letters, which set the course depending on the signal boxes. Since the rayon regulations also applied to the signal box building, the buildings were made of timber framework with double board walls. The upper floor was provided with lattice windows all around . Instead of a brick chimney , the smoke from the stoves had to be drawn off through iron pipes. The floor of the signal box was 4.48 meters above the ground of the station.

Presumably for fire protection reasons, the block telegraph lines Dinslaken  - Wesel and Peddenberg  - Wesel were relocated from the reception building to signal box I and the lines Menzelen  - Wesel, Mehrhoog - Wesel and Hamminkeln  - Wesel to signal box II. The cables were laid underground and led back up in wooden cable pillars. At the turn of the century, the telegraphic systems were so extensive that a telegraph office was set up in May 1900 in the eastern part of the station.

The increasing traffic meant that the signal towers at the beginning of the 20th century no longer met the requirements. They were therefore replaced one after the other around 1904. Signal boxes I and III were demolished, signal box II was dismantled and rebuilt in a slightly different form as a lounge at a nearby carpentry shop . The signal box St (south tower) instead of signal box I and the signal box Nt (north tower) for signal box II went into operation. In the course of the new construction, the telegraph lines were rearranged. On April 18, 1904, Wesel was connected to the headquarters in Duisburg, and from November 13, 1903, the Oberhausen - Emmerich line was equipped with line telephones. For goods traffic on the east side, a guard shack went into operation at about the same time, which was replaced by the signal box Ot (east tower) from 1910. The Walsumbahn , which opened in 1912, was integrated into the St, Nt and Ot signal boxes for safety purposes. In February 1938, the signal box Bt (command tower) at the north end of the island platform went into operation. It was an electromechanical signal box with a four-row lever mechanism. The routes of the signal boxes Nt and St were adapted to the new signal box by December 1938. From the interlocking of Bt were no major signals operated, the dispatcher gave the order for the command output to the signal boxes and St Nt on. In addition, the Wt signal box was another guard signal box at the level of the western loading street and the railway depot .

In the course of the electrification of the Oberhausen - Emmerich line, the mechanical interlockings Bt, St, Nt and Ot were replaced on April 24, 1966 by the relay interlocking  Bf (type SpDrS60). At the same time, the guard to operate the turntable on Bocholt stump track was omitted. The Wt signal box went out of service two years earlier. Three barrier posts located within the station boundaries ceased to exist as early as 1961 with the construction of the flyover for Bundesstraße 58 . One month after commissioning, the Deutsche Bundesbahn started electrical operation on the line. Around 1970, the Kanonenberge block to the north was abandoned and replaced by central block signals that were monitored from Wesel. In 1973 Friedrichsfeld station was included in the remote control area of ​​the Wf signal box.

On May 8, 2012 the ESTW-A (type SIMIS-C) went into operation, which replaced the signal box Wf. It is operated by the ESTW-Z Ef in Emmerich , which has been monitoring the entire route between Oberhausen-Sterkrade and the state border since 2013 . Until 2016, the signal tower Wf was still occupied by a train end reporting post , which reported the train completeness check of the trains coming from Bocholt to the dispatcher in Emmerich. Since then, the end of the train has been determined from Emmerich on a monitor. The determination of the train closing time for the said trains is necessary because a non-automatic route block has been set up on the Wesel - Hamminkeln - Bocholt route .

traffic

ET 25 2202 of Abellio NRW as line RB 35 to Duisburg Hbf, 2016

Long-distance transport

After the international trains on the Amsterdam – Cologne route from 1856, further connections to the Netherlands were added with the commissioning of the Venloer Bahn in 1874 and the Boxtel and Bocholter Bahn in 1878. The north-south traffic on the Holland route to Amsterdam and the east-west traffic on the Venlo and Boxtel railways were particularly important. Until 1914, the NBDS express trains ran from Hamburg and Berlin via Wesel to Vlissingen , where there was a ferry connection to London . From 1897 through car connections existed from Vlissingen via Wesel to southern Germany . After the First World War, the Nederlandse Spoorwegen relocated the east-west long-distance traffic to other routes, with the result that the Wesel railway station's function as a node in this segment decreased.

In the period after the Second World War, the supply gradually declined, especially after the track system was converted and the Dutch line was electrified. In addition to individual express trains between Amsterdam and Cologne , there were also connections by night train , including to Italy ( Amsterdam – Ventimiglia ), Austria ( Amsterdam – Villach / Vienna ) and Switzerland , for example with the Riviera Express , the Switzerland Express and the Holland-Vienna-Express.

All long-distance trains currently pass Wesel without stopping. The closest train station for this is in Arnhem or Oberhausen .

Regional traffic

In the regional rail passenger transport , Wesel station will be served by the following lines in the 2020 timetable:

line Line route Cycle Mon-Fri Clock Sat / Sun operator
RE 5 (RRX) Rhein-Express :
Wesel  - Friedrichsfeld (Niederrhein) (double)  - Voerde (Niederrhein)  - Dinslaken  - Oberhausen-Holten (double)  - Oberhausen-Sterkrade  - Oberhausen Hbf  - Duisburg Hbf  - Düsseldorf Airport  - Düsseldorf Hbf  - Düsseldorf-Benrath  - Leverkusen Mitte  - Köln-Mülheim  - Köln Messe / Deutz  - Köln Hbf  - Köln Süd  - Brühl  - Bonn Hbf  - Bonn UN Campus  - Bonn-Bad Godesberg  - Remagen  - Sinzig (Rhein)  - Bad Breisig  - Andernach  - Koblenz city center  - Koblenz Hbf
Stand : Timetable change June 2019
60 min 060 min National Express
RE 19 Rhein-IJssel-Express :
Arnhem Centraal  - Zevenaar  - Emmerich-Elten  - Emmerich  - Praest  - Millingen (b Rees)  - Empel-Rees  - Haldern (Rheinl)  - Mehrhoog  - Wesel-Feldmark  - Wesel  - Friedrichsfeld (Niederrhein)  - Voerde (Niederrhein )  - Dinslaken  - Oberhausen-Holten  - Oberhausen-Sterkrade  - Oberhausen Hbf  - Duisburg Hbf  - Düsseldorf Airport  - Düsseldorf Hbf
Status: July 2019
60 min 060 min Abellio Rail NRW
RE 19a The Bocholt :
Bocholt  - Dingden  - Hamminkeln  - Blumenkamp  - Wesel
Status: timetable change December 2019
60 min 060 min Abellio Rail NRW
RE 49 Wupper-Lippe-Express :
Wesel  - Friedrichsfeld (Niederrhein)  - Voerde (Niederrhein)  - Dinslaken  - Oberhausen-Holten  - Oberhausen-Sterkrade  - Oberhausen Hbf  - Mülheim (Ruhr) -Styrum  - Mülheim (Ruhr) Hbf  - Essen West  - Essen Hbf  - Essen-Steele  - Essen-Kupferdreh  - Velbert-Langenberg  - Velbert-Neviges  - Wuppertal-Vohwinkel  - Wuppertal Hbf
Status: timetable change December 2019
60 min Abellio Rail NRW

Lines RE 5, RE 19 and RE 49 run every 20 minutes from Monday to Friday.

The Bocholter Bahn is to be electrified. In addition, according to the NVP of the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr, a rail connection (line RB 41) from Wesel to Essen and on via the Essen – Wuppertal railway to Wuppertal Hbf is planned. Wesel is also to become an end point of the Rhine-Ruhr Express .

Bus and small train

Already in 1911 the planned RWE the Kleinbahn Wesel - Rees - Emmerich beginning on Wesel Train to leave. However, the Royal Railway Directorate in Essen prohibited the level crossing of the Venloer Bahn by the small trains. The promised extension of the small railway should take place after the elevation of the Venloer Bahn and the transfer of the state railway line over the street. In 1926, the Kleinbahn intended to create a provisional level crossing with reference to the planned elevation. The RBD Essen rejected the project again. To connect the Wesel train station, the administration set up a bus line in 1928 , which had to be discontinued in 1934 for lack of economic efficiency. Since the Venloer Bahn was shut down after the destruction of the Wesel Rhine bridge west of Wesel, the German Federal Railroad in 1950 approved the extension of the small railway over the remaining port siding. On June 8, 1951, the line to Wesel station went into operation. On May 1, 1966, passenger traffic on the small train between Rees and Wesel was stopped.

At the same time as the reception building, the central bus station went into operation on July 8, 1955 . It is the starting point for many regional bus routes to the individual parts of the city and the cities belonging to the district and in this way ensures a connection between these to local rail transport as well as to the district town of Wesel.

line Line route
SB3 Wesel Bf  - Drevenack  - Krudenburg  - Hünxe  - Dinslaken-Lohberg  - Dinslaken Bf
SB6 Wesel Bf  - Ginderich  - Xanten Bf
SB7 Wesel Bf  - Wesel-Büderich  - Alpen  Bf  - Issum  - Geldern  Bf
SB21 Wesel Bf  - Drevenack  - Krudenburg  - Schermbeck
In Schermbeck connection to SB28 to Dorsten ZOB / Bf
37 Wesel Bf  - Wesel-Büderich  - Alps  Bf  - Bönninghardt  - Sonsbeck  - Kevelaer
63 Wesel Bf  - Wesel-Feldmark , Marktplatz - Wesel- Flüren  - Diersfordt  - Hamminkeln- Mehrhoog  - Mehrhoog Bf (- Hamminkeln Weststraße - Hamminkeln-Unterbauernschaft, Hasenheim) - Rees - Haldern  Bf  - Rees- Empel  Bf
64 Wesel train station  - Wesel-Feldmark , market square - Wesel Blumenkamp  - Hamminkeln , market - Hamminkeln Weststraße - Dingden  - Bocholt train station  - Bocholt , bus meeting point
66 Wesel Bf  - Wesel-Büderich  - Ginderich  - Xanten  Hospital - Xanten Bf
67 Wesel Bf  - Wesel-Büderich  - Alpen  Bf  - Issum  - Geldern  Bf
68 Wesel Bf  - Wesel-Büderich  - Rheinberg - Wallach  - Rheinberg- Ossenberg  - Rheinberg Town Hall  - Rheinberg- Winterswick  - Moers - Utfort  - Moers, Königlicher Hof  - Moers Bf
72 Wesel Bf  - Wesel-Schepersfeld -Nord - Brünen  - Raesfeld
80 Wesel Post - Wesel Bf  - Friedrichsfeld  Bf  - Hünxe  Business Park - Bucholtwelmen  - Hünxe bus station
81 Wesel Martinistraße - Wesel train station  - Friedrichsfeld train station  - Voerde - Spellen  - Voerde-Mehrum  - Voerde-Löhnen  - Voerde, Rathausplatz
82 Wesel Martinistraße - Wesel Bf  - Wesel-Schepersfeld  - Wesel, Im Buttendicksfeld
83 Wesel-Lackhausen, Konrad-Duden-Straße - Stoppenbergstraße / Feldmark train station  - Wesel Martinistraße - Wesel train station  - Wesel-Fusternberg  - Wesel, Im Buttendicksfeld
85 Wesel Flüren , Waldstrasse - Wesel-Feldmark , Marktplatz - Wesel Bf  - Wesel-Schepersfeld -Nord - Obrighoven , Rosenstrasse - Wesel, Im Buttendicksfeld
86 Rees School  Center - Bergswick  - Mehrbruch  - Mehrhoog Bf  - Bislich  - Wesel Flüren , Waldstraße - Wesel-Feldmark , Marktplatz - Wesel Bf  - Wesel-Schepersfeld -Nord - Obrighoven , Vosshöveler Straße - Wesel, Im Buttendicksfeld
96 Wesel Bf  - Wesel-Feldmark , market square - Wesel Blumenkamp  - Hamminkeln , Markt (- Brünen , Verbandsparkasse) - Hamminkeln Weststraße - Loikum  - Wertherbruch , church

See also

Web links

Commons : Bahnhof Wesel  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

NRWbahnarchiv by André Joost:

Individual evidence

  1. a b c d e Volker Kocks: The Weseler train station . In: Jürgen Becks, Martin Wilhelm Roelen (Ed.): Railways on the Lower Rhine . Wesel 2005, ISBN 3-924380-75-9 , pp. 321-325 .
  2. a b c d e Rolf Swoboda: Venlo Railway. Haltern - Wesel - Venlo . VBN Verlag B. Neddermeyer, Berlin 2010, ISBN 978-3-941712-04-1 , p. 20-22 .
  3. a b c Volker Kocks: The Weseler train station . In: Jürgen Becks, Martin Wilhelm Roelen (Ed.): Railways on the Lower Rhine . Wesel 2005, ISBN 3-924380-75-9 , pp. 325-327 .
  4. a b c d e f g Rolf Swoboda: Venloer Bahn. Haltern - Wesel - Venlo . VBN Verlag B. Neddermeyer, Berlin 2010, ISBN 978-3-941712-04-1 , p. 22-27 .
  5. Volker Kocks: The Weseler train station . In: Jürgen Becks, Martin Wilhelm Roelen (Ed.): Railways on the Lower Rhine . Wesel 2005, ISBN 3-924380-75-9 , pp. 328-331 .
  6. ^ Rolf Swoboda: Venlo Railway. Haltern - Wesel - Venlo . VBN Verlag B. Neddermeyer, Berlin 2010, ISBN 978-3-941712-04-1 , p. 33-34 .
  7. Vincent Frericks: The Venlo - Wesel - Haltern line . In: Jürgen Becks, Martin Wilhelm Roelen (Ed.): Railways on the Lower Rhine . Wesel 2005, ISBN 3-924380-75-9 , pp. 136-138 .
  8. ^ Rolf Swoboda: Venlo Railway. Haltern - Wesel - Venlo . VBN Verlag B. Neddermeyer, Berlin 2010, ISBN 978-3-941712-04-1 , p. 36-42 .
  9. ^ Rolf Swoboda: Venlo Railway. Haltern - Wesel - Venlo . VBN Verlag B. Neddermeyer, Berlin 2010, ISBN 978-3-941712-04-1 , p. 42-46 .
  10. a b c Rolf Swoboda: Venlo Railway. Haltern - Wesel - Venlo . VBN Verlag B. Neddermeyer, Berlin 2010, ISBN 978-3-941712-04-1 , p. 57-60 .
  11. Vincent Frericks: The Venlo - Wesel - Haltern line . In: Jürgen Becks, Martin Wilhelm Roelen (Ed.): Railways on the Lower Rhine . Wesel 2005, ISBN 3-924380-75-9 , pp. 141-143 .
  12. a b c d e f Rolf Swoboda: Venloer Bahn. Haltern - Wesel - Venlo . VBN Verlag B. Neddermeyer, Berlin 2010, ISBN 978-3-941712-04-1 , p. 99-105 .
  13. a b c d e Volker Kocks: The Weseler train station . In: Jürgen Becks, Martin Wilhelm Roelen (Ed.): Railways on the Lower Rhine . Wesel 2005, ISBN 3-924380-75-9 , pp. 335-341 .
  14. ^ André Joost: Route archive 2270 - Oberhausen - Emmerich (border). In: NRWbahnarchiv. Retrieved July 16, 2017 .
  15. ^ Rolf Swoboda: Venlo Railway. Haltern - Wesel - Venlo . VBN Verlag B. Neddermeyer, Berlin 2010, ISBN 978-3-941712-04-1 , p. 78-79 .
  16. Statistical evidence of the buildings of the Prussian State Railway Administration completed in the years 1897–1900 . In: Journal of Construction . Supplement, 1905 ( zlb.de [PDF; accessed on August 26, 2017]). Statistical evidence of the buildings of the Prussian State Railway Administration completed in the years 1897–1900 ( Memento of the original from September 19, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / digital.zlb.de
  17. a b Heinrich Wuwer: 100 years of elevated railway. The railway line Oberhausen - Hamborn - Walsum - Möllen - Spellen - Wesel . Ed .: Heimatverein Voerde. Voerde 2013, p. 75-77 .
  18. ^ Rolf Swoboda: Venlo Railway. Haltern - Wesel - Venlo . VBN Verlag B. Neddermeyer, Berlin 2010, ISBN 978-3-941712-04-1 , p. 187-194 .
  19. ^ A b Rolf Swoboda: Venlo Railway. Haltern - Wesel - Venlo . VBN Verlag B. Neddermeyer, Berlin 2010, ISBN 978-3-941712-04-1 , p. 194-199 .
  20. a b Heinrich Wuwer: 100 years of elevated railway. The railway line Oberhausen - Hamborn - Walsum - Möllen - Spellen - Wesel . Ed .: Heimatverein Voerde. Voerde 2013, p. 15-21 .
  21. a b Volker Kocks: The Wesel train station . In: Jürgen Becks, Martin Wilhelm Roelen (Ed.): Railways on the Lower Rhine . Wesel 2005, ISBN 3-924380-75-9 , pp. 344-345 .
  22. ^ A b Rolf Swoboda: Venlo Railway. Haltern - Wesel - Venlo . VBN Verlag B. Neddermeyer, Berlin 2010, ISBN 978-3-941712-04-1 , p. 209-212 .
  23. ^ A b Rolf Swoboda: Venlo Railway. Haltern - Wesel - Venlo . VBN Verlag B. Neddermeyer, Berlin 2010, ISBN 978-3-941712-04-1 , p. 216-217 .
  24. ^ Rolf Swoboda: Venlo Railway. Haltern - Wesel - Venlo . VBN Verlag B. Neddermeyer, Berlin 2010, ISBN 978-3-941712-04-1 , p. 238 .
  25. ^ Rolf Swoboda: Venlo Railway. Haltern - Wesel - Venlo . VBN Verlag B. Neddermeyer, Berlin 2010, ISBN 978-3-941712-04-1 , p. 239-241 .
  26. a b c d e f g h Rolf Swoboda: Venloer Bahn. Haltern - Wesel - Venlo . VBN Verlag B. Neddermeyer, Berlin 2010, ISBN 978-3-941712-04-1 , p. 254-258 .
  27. Emmerich – Oberhausen upgraded line. Location of the third track and measures in PFA 2.2 (Wesel). (PDF) In: emmerich-oberhausen.de. DB Netz AG, accessed on August 26, 2017 .
  28. Platforms in Wesel are being modernized and raised. In: rp-online.de. Rheinische Post , August 26, 2014, accessed on August 26, 2017 .
  29. ^ Wesel: Bahn wants to fix deficiencies in the station. In: rp-online.de. Rheinische Post , August 17, 2018, accessed on February 27, 2019 .
  30. ^ Fritz Schubert: Letter to the board of directors: SPD wants a stop for ICE in Wesel. Retrieved September 23, 2019 .
  31. Sebastian Peters: New approach: Netherlands want ICE stop on the Lower Rhine. Retrieved September 23, 2019 .
  32. Volker Kocks: The Weseler train station . In: Jürgen Becks, Martin Wilhelm Roelen (Ed.): Railways on the Lower Rhine . Wesel 2005, ISBN 3-924380-75-9 , pp. 341-342 .
  33. Volker Kocks: The Weseler train station . In: Jürgen Becks, Martin Wilhelm Roelen (Ed.): Railways on the Lower Rhine . Wesel 2005, ISBN 3-924380-75-9 , pp. 342-343 .
  34. ^ A b Martin Schack: New train stations. Station building of the Deutsche Bundesbahn 1948–1973 . VBN Verlag B. Neddermeyer, Berlin 2004, ISBN 3-933254-49-3 , p. 140 .
  35. ^ André Joost: Signal box archive Emmerich ESTW-UZ. In: NRWbahnarchiv. Retrieved July 3, 2017 .
  36. ^ Rolf Swoboda: Venlo Railway. Haltern - Wesel - Venlo . VBN Verlag B. Neddermeyer, Berlin 2010, ISBN 978-3-941712-04-1 , p. 132-135 .
  37. ^ Rolf Swoboda: Venlo Railway. Haltern - Wesel - Venlo . VBN Verlag B. Neddermeyer, Berlin 2010, ISBN 978-3-941712-04-1 , p. 153-154 .
  38. RRX target network. NRW every quarter of an hour. In: rrx.de. Ministry of Building, Housing, Urban Development and Transport of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia , accessed on December 13, 2016 .
  39. Evert Heusinkveld: The Kleinbahnen Rees - Empel and Wesel - Rees - Emmerich . Kenning Verlag, Nordhorn 2013, ISBN 978-3-933613-89-9 , pp. 50-64 .
  40. Evert Heusinkveld: The Kleinbahnen Rees - Empel and Wesel - Rees - Emmerich . Kenning Verlag, Nordhorn 2013, ISBN 978-3-933613-89-9 , pp. 64-65 .
  41. Evert Heusinkveld: The Kleinbahnen Rees - Empel and Wesel - Rees - Emmerich . Kenning Verlag, Nordhorn 2013, ISBN 978-3-933613-89-9 , pp. 68-77 .
  42. Evert Heusinkveld: The Kleinbahnen Rees - Empel and Wesel - Rees - Emmerich . Kenning Verlag, Nordhorn 2013, ISBN 978-3-933613-89-9 , pp. 78-89 .
  43. Dieter Höltge, Michael Kochems: Tram and light rail in Germany. Volume 9: Lower Rhine without Duisburg . EK-Verlag, Freiburg im Breisgau 2004, ISBN 3-88255-390-1 , p. 344-350 .