Backnang – Ludwigsburg railway line

	from Schwäbisch Hall-Hessental
0.000	Backnang	278 m
	to Waiblingen
4,726	Burgstall (Murr)	241 m
8.515	Kirchberg (Murr)	217 m
11.070	Erdmannhausen	234 m
13.711	Marbach (Neckar)
	to Heilbronn
14.657	Viaduct (345 m)
	Connection to the Marbach power plant
	Neckar
15.270	Benningen (Neckar)	221 m
19.376	Freiberg (Neckar) (until 1975: Beihingen-Heutingsheim)	251 m

	from Stuttgart
25.700	Bietigheim-Bissingen	220 m
	to Würzburg
	to Bruchsal
22,000	Connection of Amprion + EnBW substation Hoheneck
22,370	Favorite park	278 m
	from Würzburg
	from Markgröningen
24,474	Ludwigsburg	295 m
	to Stuttgart

The Backnang – Ludwigsburg railway line ( course book route 790.4–5) is a railway line on the northern edge of the Stuttgart region that tangentially connects Backnang with Ludwigsburg . The line originally leading to Bietigheim was opened in 1879 as part of the Murrbahn project as a branch of the Waiblingen – Schwäbisch Hall-Hessental railway line and left the current route at Beihingen-Heutingsheim station, which is now Freiberg (Neckar) . The section between Beihingen-Heutingsheim and Bietigheim (today: Bietigheim-Bissingen) was badly damaged in the Second World War and was not put back into operation.

The route is part of the Stuttgart S-Bahn network . The continuously electrified and partly double- tracked line is also used by freight trains.

course

Backnang – Ludwigsburg

The starting point of the railway line is raised above the Murr located station Backnang . While the line to Waiblingen turns away from the Murrtal at the southwest end of the federal highway 14 and swings to the south, the small Murrbahn to Ludwigsburg runs along the Murr valley and follows the many bends to Kirchberg . Then the route leaves the valley floor and passes behind Erdmannhausen over a two kilometer long and up to eleven meter deep incision the watershed between Murr and Neckar . Behind the adjoining Marbach train station , the former Bottwartalbahn leaves the route in a northerly direction. After 1989, the remnants of this were still used as a connection to the connecting railway to the Marbach power plant , which has now also been closed.

After crossing the 335 meter long Neckar Viaduct, Benningen , located in a loop of the Neckar, is reached. From here the line is now double-tracked (until 2010 only from Freiberg). On the Ludwigsburg-Backnang track, the connecting track to the Hoheneck substation branches off at km 22.0. Passing the Favoritepark and after crossing the federal highway 27 , the route reaches the Ludwigsburg train station . Via a flyover over the tracks of the Stuttgart – Bietigheim-Bissingen line , the line ends today at the S-Bahn platforms.

Freiberg – Bietigheim-Bissingen

The northern branch of the Kleine Murrbahn, which has since been closed, continued from Freiberg in a westerly direction. The route crossed today's federal motorway 81 over a bridge and ran near the Bietigheimer Wilhelmshof over a length of four kilometers through up to 13 meter deep gullies that crossed ice age debris deposits . At the time they were built, these cuts were the deepest of their kind in Württemberg . After crossing under the line from Stuttgart, the line ended on the west side of Bietigheim station. The connecting curve to the east side of the Bietigheim train station is still available together with the entrance to the west side for the relocation of freight wagons to the other side of the station.

history

History and planning

After the opening of the Württemberg railway lines as part of the internal expansion of the 1860s (see also the history of the railway in Württemberg ), the cities of Stuttgart , Heilbronn , Crailsheim and Aalen were connected by a square rail that spanned the north over a large area. With the west and east railways , there was the first east-west transit route through Württemberg from 1854, as further crossings to Bavaria were the Remsbahn from 1863 and the Kocherbahn in 1867 with the connection at Crailsheim that went into operation in 1875. In order to better develop the area spanned by the quadrangle of rails, the construction of a transverse line from Waiblingen on the Remsbahn, near the state capital Stuttgart, to Hall on the Kocherbahn was an option. Together with the Gäubahn , a north-east-south-west line was created through Württemberg.

In a speech on April 28, 1865 , the Württemberg transport minister, Karl von Varnbuler, announced specifically that he wanted to start building the “Murrthalbahn” Hall – Waiblingen with the backnang – Bietigheim line. The Backnang – Bietigheim branch received special attention due to its strategic importance as a transit route. The planning was accompanied by numerous petitions from the neighboring communities, the city of Marbach alone wrote three memoranda in 1864 and 1865 in favor of a railway connection with a connection in Bietigheim or Ludwigsburg.

After the Franco-Prussian War from 1870 to 1871 and the subsequent establishment of the Reich , the Reich government had additional requirements for the route Backnang – Bietigheim from a military-strategic point of view: In Bietigheim, a threading from the north into the train station was planned, which would have meant that trains in east-west direction have here head Make need. In order to enable troops to be transported quickly in an east-west direction from northern Bavaria to the French border, the plans had to be adapted so that the line reached Bietigheim in an arc from the south and crossed the northern railway without any plan using an underpass . Since the station building was previously located on an island between the northern and western lines, a complete renovation of the Bietigheim station had to be taken into account.

With the impending state treaty for the construction of the Kraichgau Railway between Eppingen in Baden and Heilbronn, Württemberg was faced with the unfavorable situation that with the Kraichgau and Kocherbahn a new traffic axis between the Rhine and Bavaria was emerging that would only cover a relatively short distance had to take their own territory. The planned Murrtalbahn was an obvious rival line if a northern bypass around the completely overloaded Stuttgart main station had been created as a connection between the Murrbahn and Westbahn. One such tangential line was the construction of a Backnang – Bietigheim line with a direct connection to the Westbahn - the Untertürkheim – Kornwestheim freight bypass route did not exist at that time, but was only planned from 1890 and went into operation in 1896.

In addition, a five-kilometer branch line to Ludwigsburg was to be built west of the Neckar crossing to be created in order to better connect Marbach and the Bottwartal to Ludwigsburg and Stuttgart. The construction of the Murrtalbahn Hall – Backnang with the two branches to Waiblingen and Bietigheim was determined by a law of March 22, 1873; except for the latter section, construction work should begin as soon as possible. On December 29, 1873, the Baden-Württemberg State Treaty for the construction of the Kraichgau Railway to Heilbronn was signed.

Locomotive 11 of the GES with a museum train in Marbach (June 2004)

Construction of the Backnang-Bietigheim line

By law resolution of June 19, 1874 to release the funds, the construction of the tangential route Backnang – Bietigheim could begin, for which building authorities in Backnang, Marbach and Bietigheim as well as a building department in Marbach were set up. The entire line was built as a single-track main line , but the route was prepared for a double-track expansion.

Some major problems arose during the construction of the route: In the area of the deep cuts between Beihingen-Heutingsheim and Bietigheim, water ingresses and landslides occurred because they proved to be highly water-bearing. To drain off the water, three spring taps were required, which were used to supply the Bietigheim train station with water. The Bietigheimer Wehbach grew strongly due to the construction of the line. Numerous animal remains from the Ice Age were found in the eroded earth. The most elaborate structure on the route was the Marbacher Neckar Viaduct, which was designed as a steel framework construction and had five openings over a length of 345 meters.

The Backnang – Bietigheim line went into operation on December 8, 1879. As a result of the renovation, the Bietigheim train station became the second largest in Württemberg. The opening date of the Murrtalbahn as a whole was May 5th, 1880 - this means that this new east-west axis went into operation on August 7th, 1880 before the Kraichgau Railway was completed.

Railway station building in Freiberg (January 2008)

Construction of the Beihingen-Heutingsheim-Ludwigsburg line

The construction of the Beihingen-Heutingsheim-Ludwigsburg branch was envisaged by law in 1870, but the start of construction was initially delayed due to the strained budget situation of the Württemberg state, the increased wages due to a lack of skilled railway construction workers and profitability problems. It was not until the law passed on August 25, 1879 that the necessary financial resources were released, which also had to be used for a partial renovation of the Ludwigsburg train station. The only stop on the way is the Favoritepark stop. The single-track secondary line went into operation on October 15, 1881, and the conversion of Ludwigsburg station was completed in 1883.

Further development

Steam freight train between Freiberg am Neckar and Benningen, 1972

Although the Ludwigsburg branch was not opened until later, its importance grew significantly in the period that followed: the Bottwartalbahn, which opened in 1894, carried traffic from the Bottwartal towards Stuttgart, and the marshalling yard in Kornwestheim, which opened in 1918, provided freight traffic on the Franconia- Hessental route –Backnang – Kornwestheim.

After the facilities of the Royal Württemberg State Railways were taken over by the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft , from 1921 the under-dimensioned railway stations in Backnang, Burgstall , Marbach and Ludwigsburg had to be expanded. This was accompanied by the double-track expansion of the Favoritepark – Ludwigsburg.

Due to its strategic importance as an east-west axis, the route was repeatedly the target of Allied air raids towards the end of World War II . On a Sunday morning in the spring of 1945, a freight train in the direction of Bietigheim drove through Beihingen, which was bombed by a fighter-bomber behind the bridge at the castle. The wagons tumbled down the slope. After that there was no more train. The deep cuts near Bietigheim were also badly hit by bomb damage. On April 20, 1945, the railway and road bridges as well as all bridges over the Neckar and the Neckar Canal were blown up. In addition, withdrawing German troops blew up the bridge over the Reichsautobahn on April 20, 1945 . The Deutsche Bundesbahn occasionally considered rebuilding the line, but decided against it due to the low expected volume of traffic, caused in particular by the shift in the primary traffic flows from east-west to north-south. After the line had already been partially dismantled, this branch was formally closed on January 15, 1958. The Neckar Viaduct near Marbach was also destroyed in 1945. The reconstruction took place until 1947.

With the formation of the city of Freiberg am Neckar from the municipalities of Beihingen, Heutingsheim and Geisingen, the Beihingen-Heutingsheim station was renamed "Freiberg (Neckar)" on June 1, 1975.

S-Bahn multiple units on the Marbacher Neckar Viaduct (January 2006)

Electrification and integration into the S-Bahn network

Two years after the Stuttgart S-Bahn went into operation with the S1, 5 and 6 lines, the Backnang - Ludwigsburg line experienced a significant upswing with the opening of the S-Bahn on September 27, 1980. Since that day, the S4 line has been serving passenger traffic between Marbach and Ludwigsburg. This was preceded by extensive construction work: the Marbacher Neckar Viaduct had to be replaced by a modern structure, the Freiberg - Favoritepark section was expanded to two lanes, in Ludwigsburg a flyover structure was necessary for the threading into the station in order to enable the clock timetable through unplanned crossings, and the section had to be electrified. Passenger traffic between Backnang and Marbach continued to be served by diesel- hauled trains.

The double-track expansion was part of the 2nd execution contract for the Stuttgart S-Bahn, which was signed in 1975. Construction began in 1976.

Thanks to financial support from the state of Baden-Württemberg, which bore half of the costs, the electrification of the previously unsupported remaining section and the sections between Crailsheim and Backnang could begin on September 12, 1994. After completion of the work it was possible from June 2, 1996 to have electric hauled freight trains run from the Kornwestheim marshalling yard directly in the direction of Nuremberg. Compared to the previous route via the freight bypass to the Stuttgart-Untertürkheim marshalling yard , head there and switch to the routes via Aalen or Hessental, this accelerated freight traffic by 35 minutes.

Construction work for the double-track expansion in Freiberg (Sept. 2009)

Since December 8, 2012, S-Bahn line 4 has continued beyond Marbach to Backnang, replacing the regional commuter trains. For this S-Bahn ring closure, the Freiberg - Benningen section first had to be expanded to double tracks; construction work began in December 2005 and was completed in autumn 2010.

In July 2008 an agreement was reached between the participating municipalities and districts on the financing of the expansion between Marbach and Backnang.

Construction was mainly carried out during a line closure from July to November 2012. In Kirchberg and Burgstall, the infrastructure for fast crossings of S-Bahn and freight trains was upgraded, in Erdmannhausen, Kirchberg and Burgstall, the platforms for S-Bahn operations were converted according to current equipment standards and made barrier-free Provide access via ramps or lifts. New parking spaces for S-Bahn vehicles were created in the Backnang train station.

The estimated total costs for the expansion of the S-Bahn are around 40 million euros, of which around eleven million euros are attributable to the renovation between Marbach and Backnang. The entire project ran under the working title S 40 .

Further operation

On August 8, 2014, a freight train wagon derailed at Burgstall (Murr) station as a result of several track misalignments .

On September 12, 2016, a railway bridge in Backnang was damaged by the improperly folded arm of an excavator that was being transported over the B 14 on a semi-trailer. The train service between Burgstall and Backnang was then interrupted. According to the police estimate, the damage is two million euros. An expert opinion considered the demolition of the bridge to be necessary; it was dismantled in November 2016. At the end of February 2017, a temporary bridge was first used, which was released for rail traffic on March 13, 2017. A final construction will be built in the course of the upcoming expansion of the B 14 to Backnang.

outlook

The route is to be integrated into the Stuttgart digital node by 2030 and equipped with digital interlockings , ETCS and automated driving .

business

The route Backnang - Bietigheim was given the intended task as an east-west axis after its opening in freight traffic. To a much lesser extent this was also true for the long-distance travel: For example, there was the summer timetable 1914 an express train Eger -Bietigheim with coaches from Nuremberg to Paris and a fast train (S-train) Hof -Bietigheim with coaches from Nuremberg to Luxembourg and Trier . These trains circumnavigated Stuttgart Central Station via this route. Starting in 1931, an express train from Nuremberg to Strasbourg ran through coaches from Prague to Paris for two years .

Until the early 1960s, local passenger trains were hauled by class 75.0 ( Württembergische T 5 ) and 93.5 ( Prussian T 14.1 ) locomotives; after these Länderbahn locomotives were taken out of service, standard steam locomotives of the series were used until the end of the Stuttgart steam locomotive in the mid-1960s 64 and 86 are used. They were followed by class 212 diesel locomotives based in Kornwestheim .

In September 1980, the S4 S-Bahn between Marbach and Stuttgart-Schwabstrasse began operations. The original 20-minute cycle was compressed to a 15-minute cycle in 1996. Class 423 railcars serve the S-Bahn traffic .

Until December 8, 2012 there was a 30-minute regional train service on the eastern section of Backnang - Marbach during rush hour, otherwise every hour on weekdays, including Saturdays. A class 426 railcar was used, and a class 110.3 locomotive with three n-cars took over the booster train in rush hour traffic . On Sundays, the places between Marbach and Backnang were only served by buses.

Since December 8, 2012, the S4 S-Bahn has been serving the route every 30 minutes on weekdays until 8 p.m., and every hour thereafter and on weekends.

Since the electrification that took place in 1996, the line has also been used for freight traffic between Kornwestheim and Nuremberg, as electrically hauled freight trains no longer have to use the freight bypass line and head-to-head in the Untertürkheim marshalling yard.

Relics of the Freiberg – Bietigheim-Bissingen line

Landscaping campaign on the old embankment in Freiberg am Neckar

Road bridge over the former route at the Bietigheim-Bissinger Wilhelmshof (April 2007)

The location of the line from Freiberg to Bietigheim-Bissingen, which was not put back into operation after 1945, can still be found today over large parts of the natural environment: In Freiberg, the street "Alte Bahnlinie" runs at the same point, which is still today is crossed by a road bridge.

The section of the railway embankment between Mühlstrasse and the federal highway 81 is designated as a planned natural monument in the land use plan of the city of Freiberg am Neckar. A dry grassland and dry biotope has developed on the high, steep railway embankment . So that it is preserved and not covered with bushes, it is mowed and cleared of bushes twice a year. Volunteers from the Swabian Alb Association and the BUND do this work, supported by specialists and technical equipment from the city of Freiberg am Neckar.

From the federal motorway 81 to the confluence of the railway in Bietigheim, the former railway embankment (with the exception of the interruptions by some country roads) has been designated as a landscape protection area of the old railway line from Bietigheim to Heutingsheim since 1994 . The 17 hectare area was placed under protection because of its importance as a "valuable compensatory biotope" in an intensely agricultural environment that serves as a retreat for many animals and plants, including the partridge .

At Wilhelmshof there is still a road bridge over the former route. For other crossings, for example the federal road 27, the cut has meanwhile been filled in. West of the K 1671 to Tamm, the former line is still available as a pull-out track for the Bietigheim-Bissingen station. It is electrified and, with its underpass, has been used for shunting trips between the western and eastern sides of the station until recently.

literature

Hans-Wolfgang Scharf: The railway in Kraichgau. Railway history between the Rhine and Neckar . EK-Verlag, Freiburg (Breisgau) 2006, ISBN 3-88255-769-9 .
Kurt Seidel: Opening of the S4 Ludwigsburg – Marbach. September 27, 1980 . Press service of the Stuttgart Federal Railway Directorate, Stuttgart 1980.
Peter-Michael Mihailescu, Matthias Michalke: Forgotten railways in Baden-Württemberg . Konrad Theiss Verlag, Stuttgart 1985, ISBN 3-8062-0413-6 , p. 164-165 .
Klaus Warthon: 125 years of the Murrtalbahn . Ludwigsburger Geschichtsblätter, 60, Ludwigsburg 2006. pp. 185–199

Web links

Commons : Backnang – Ludwigsburg railway line - album with pictures, videos and audio files

Representation of the route on the OpenRailwayMap
Excerpt from the course book from 1944

Individual evidence

^ Jürgen Wedler: The Stuttgart S-Bahn 1981 - expanded to six lines . In: The Federal Railroad . tape 57 , 1981, ISSN 0007-5876 , pp. 681-688 .

^ ^A ^b Association Region Stuttgart S-Bahn - S4 Marbach – Backnang

↑ Oliver von Schaewen: S-Bahn ring closure is now financed . In: Stuttgarter Nachrichten , Marbach & Bottwartal edition of July 3, 2008 (No. 153), p

↑ Marbacher Zeitung ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. dated October 30, 2009@1@ 2

↑ Investigation report. (PDF) File number: 60uu2014-08 / 005-332. Federal Agency for Railway Accident Investigation, November 8, 2019, p. 9 , accessed on November 9, 2019 .

↑ Backnanger Kreiszeitung, March 14, 2017: S4 rolls back to Backnang

↑ Phillip Weingand: 66 tons of steel hang on the hook . In: Stuttgarter Nachrichten . tape 72 , November 21, 2016, p. 21 ( online ).

^ A replacement bridge over the B 14 is being installed, newspaper publisher Waiblingen, February 25, 2017

^ Jens Bergmann: Digital node Stuttgart. (PDF) Declaration by DB Netz AG on content and objectives. DB Netz, April 21, 2020, pp. 3, 5 , accessed on April 24, 2020 .

↑ verkehrsrelktionen.de: Disused traffic routes in the greater Stuttgart area

↑ Profile of the LSG 1.18.094 at the State Office for the Environment, Measurements and Nature Conservation

↑ Gerald's web pages: branch lines in and around Baden-Württemberg

[bb-57-681-1] Jürgen Wedler: The Stuttgart S-Bahn 1981 - expanded to six lines . In: The Federal Railroad . tape 57 , 1981, ISSN 0007-5876 , pp. 681-688 .

[vrs-2] A ^b Association Region Stuttgart S-Bahn - S4 Marbach – Backnang

[stz-20080703-3] Oliver von Schaewen: S-Bahn ring closure is now financed . In: Stuttgarter Nachrichten , Marbach & Bottwartal edition of July 3, 2008 (No. 153), p