Nahe Valley Railway

		Left Rhine route from Koblenz
	0.0	Bingen (Rhein) Hbf ( Keilbahnhof )
		Left Rhine route to Mainz
		B 9
	2.7	Munster-Sarmsheim
	4.0	former route from Hindenburgbrücke
		A 61
	5.9	Laubenheim (Nahe)
	8.0	Langenlonsheim
		Hunsrückquerbahn to Stromberg (Hunsrück)
	11.5	Bretzenheim (Nahe)
		B 41
	14.6	Bad Kreuznach Gbf formerly: Kreuznach Stadtbahnhof
		Nahe (a total of 13 × on the route)
		Strategic railway from Gau Algesheim
	16.2	Bad Kreuznach ( wedge station )
		Kreuznach Bad (until 1905)
		(Route to Bad Münster formerly four-track)
		Near
	20.1	Bad Munster am Stein
	20.4	Alsenz Valley Railway to Hochspeyer
	20.5	B 48
	20.7	former Glantalbahn to Homburg (Saar)
	22.2	Great Norheim tunnel (235 m)
	22.5	Small Norheim tunnel (76 m)
	23.3	Norheim
	25.9	Niederhausen (Nahe)
	31.2	Waldböckelheim
	33.5	Booser Tunnel (424 m)
		former Glantalbahn (today handcar service )
	35.3	Staudernheim
	38.4	Bad Sobernheim
	42.7	Monzingen
	47.0	Martinstein
	49.2	Hochstetten (Nahe)
		B 41
	53.0	Kirn	189 m
	56.5	Kirn-Sulzbach (formerly Kirnsulzbach)
	60.5	Fischbach-Weierbach
	63.8	Nahbollenbach
	65.6	Fallen rock tunnel (201 m)
	67.9	Idar-Oberstein	264 m
	68.5	Homerich Tunnel (388 m)
	69.2	Enzweiler Tunnel (466 m)
	70.2	Enzweiler
	73.5	Sonnenberg (Nahe) (closed in 1963)
	73.6	Frauenberg tunnel (407 m)
	75.3	Kronweiler
	75.5	Copper Tail Tunnel (211 m)
	77.3	Bockspiel tunnel (120 m)
	77.7	Nohen
	79.2	Brämerich Tunnel (209 m)
	80.7	Heimbach (Nahe)
		Route to Baumholder
	81.3	Jahresodt tunnel (125 m)
	82.1	Mausemühle tunnel (145 m)
	83.7	Hoppstädten (Nahe)
		former route from Birkenfeld
	85.7	Neubrücke (Nahe)
		A 62
		Nahe (a total of 13 × on the route)
		State border Rhineland-Palatinate / Saarland
		B 41
	89.6	Nohfelden
		former Westrichbahn of Schwarzerden
	91.8	Turquoise mill	364 m
		Hochwaldbahn to Hermeskeil
		Walhausen (Saar) / Brunnenstrasse
	94.6	Walhausen (Saar)
	96.0	Vertex	384.4 m
	98.6	Namborn
		B 41
	100.9	Hofeld
	103.0	Baltersweiler
		St. Wendel / Kelsweilerstraße
		former line from Tholey
		Blew
	106.3	St. Wendel
		Blew
	108.1	Oberlinxweiler
		Blew (2 ×)
	111.2	Niederlinxweiler
		Blew (2 ×)
		Ostertalbahn from Schwarzerden (museum transport)
	114.8	Ottweiler (Saar)
	117.9	Wiebelskircher Tunnel (313 m)
	118.5	Wiebelskirchen
		Route from Homburg (Saar)
	120.6	Neunkirchen (Saar) Hbf ( Keilbahnhof ) 257 m
		Fischbachtalbahn to Schiffweiler
	123.1	Neunkirchen Hbf Abzw
		former route to Neunkirchen-Heinitz
		King's Pit
		former connection to Schiffweiler
		B 41
	124.9 0.0	Landsweiler speeches
		Talking pit
	1.9	Itzenplitz pit (1860–1958)
	127.5	Wayside shrine
		(former route until 1955)
	127.7	Wayside shrine tunnel (old, 481 m)
	127.9	Wayside shrine tunnel (new, 341 m)
		(former route until 1955)
	130.5	Friedrichsthal (Saar) center
	129.6	Friedrichsthal (Saar)
		Sulzbachtal bridge, A 8
	130.8	Sulzbach (Saar) - Altenwald
	133.1	Sulzbach (Saar)
		Start of the freight bypass
	136.4	Dudweiler
	138.5	Hunting joy
		A 623
	139.0	Saarbrücken Rbf Nord (Abzw)
		Saarbrücken central station / Hgbf
	140.9	Saarbrücken Hbf Srg
		Saarbrücken Rbf West (Abzw) GUB

		Palatine Ludwig Railway from Homburg and the Sarreguemines line

	141.9	Saarbrücken central station (Bft)	208 m
		Fischbachtalbahn to Wemmetsweiler
		Forbacher Bahn to Metz
		Saar line to Trier

Swell:

The Near Talbahn is a two-pronged , partially electrified railway main line in Rheinland-Pfalz and in the Saarland which about 100 kilometers along the close lead. It was built by the Rhein-Nahe-Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft (RNE) and connects Bingen am Rhein on the left Rhine route with the Saarland capital of Saarbrücken . The section from Bad Kreuznach is part of the regionally important traffic axis between the two state capitals Mainz and Saarbrücken.

history

Construction of the Nahe Valley Railway

First initiatives and opening of the Neunkirchen – Saarbrücken section

As early as 1839 there were plans to build a railway connection between the Saar and the Middle Rhine , which could not be realized due to high construction costs.

First, the Neunkirchen – Saarbrücken section was created as a continuation of the Palatinate Ludwigshafen – Bexbach Ludwigshafen Railway, which was completed in 1849 and which was tied through to Neunkirchen as early as 1850. The main line was intended to transport coal from the Saar area to the Rhine. While the Palatinate initially considered setting St. Ingbert , which was then still Bavarian, as the western end point, this was dropped under pressure from Prussia , which only wanted a long-term connection to Saarbrücken via its own territory. Therefore, Bexbach was targeted, from where the extension could later take place via Neunkirchen and the Sulzbachtal. In addition, Prussia wanted to see the coal mines in Holzhauertal and Landsweiler-Reden connected to the railway network.

In this way, the management of the " Königlich-Saarbrücker-Eisenbahn " built the section from Bexbach via Neunkirchen, Saarbrücken to Forbach in France, which was then also considered part of the Forbacher Bahn . Traffic between Neunkirchen and Saarbrücken was finally started in 1852.

Creation of the Bingerbrück – Neunkirchen section

In 1856, the Rhein-Nahe Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft (RNE) was founded by private capital to build the local line . It was intended to economically develop the Nahe valley and its surroundings through the connection in Bingerbrück to the left Rhine route of the Rheinische Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft (RhE) and the Hessian Ludwigsbahn and to open the Middle Rhine for the Saar coal through the connection with the Saar district. The financing could only be secured through a state interest rate guarantee of four percent. For this purpose, the Prussian state took over the construction and operation by contract of June 18, 1856 and granted the private railway the concession on September 4, 1856. According to Prussian will, the route should be strictly based on the course of the eponymous Nahe .

However, while the territory of two countries had to be crossed in two places: the rule Meisenheim , which at that time to Landgraviate Hesse-Homburg was one, as well as the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg belonging Principality of Birkenfeld . Especially with the state of Oldenburg , Prussia fought over the line management. While Oldenburg would have liked to see the detour via the city of Birkenfeld , the Prussian side insisted on a route in the Nahe valley. At the same time, an initiative from the neighboring Palatinate considered a further variant in which the planned route would have left the Nahe valley at Staudernheim and followed the Glan to Altenglan via Kusel, either via St. Wendel or through the Ostertal . For tactical and traffic-political reasons, Prussia was initially open to these efforts, which led to Oldenburg giving in and accepting the route along the Nahe within its territory. After the railway line had been contractually secured, construction of the 120-kilometer single-track line could begin in 1857.

Track construction

Local train of the DB with diesel locomotive BR 212 062-4 near Staudernheim, Nahe Valley Railway, 1986

The first 16-kilometer section from Bingerbrück (today: Bingen Hbf ) to Kreuznach went into operation on July 15, 1858. This was followed by the sections to Oberstein on December 15, 1859 and via Birkenfeld (today: Neubrücke) and St. Wendel to Neunkirchen (Saar) on May 26, 1860 with a length of 52 and 53 kilometers respectively. In Neunkirchen there was a connection to the Königlich-Saarbrücker Railway . On November 16, 1852, 21.2 kilometers to Saarbrücken had already been built. In the Zeitschrift für Bauwesen , born in 1861, there is a comprehensive report on "The construction of the tunnel near Wiebelskirchen" (see web links ).

The Royal Railway Directorate of Saarbrücken took over the administration and operation of the railway during construction. The railway line became the regional lifeline and promoted industrialization in this agricultural area in the upper Bliestal and Nahe valley, which is characterized by high unemployment, rural exodus and emigration.

On the Rhine in Bingerbrück, the line was connected to the Hessian Ludwig Railway to Mainz on October 17, 1859 and on December 15, 1859 downstream to the Left Rhine Line of the Rheinische Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft (RhE). At the beginning of November 1861, the step across the Rhine to Rüdesheim followed with the Bingerbrück – Rüdesheim trajectory . Since 1856 the railway line of the Wiesbadener Eisenbahngesellschaft ended there , which in the same year renamed the Nassau State Railway through nationalization.

Further development

Arthur von Mayer describes the 121-kilometer stretch of the Rhein-Nahe Railway Company as "the most expensive railway in Germany, which is explained by the infinitely difficult construction work", which included a large number of tunnels, bridges, dams and cuts. This resulted in construction costs of over a million thalers per mile, a record amount at the time. The resulting financial disaster was supposed to be sorted out by Albert Maybach , who was responsible for it in the Prussian Ministry of Commerce, which was in charge of railway supervision.

Initially there was a close competitive relationship with the Palatinate Ludwig Railway, as both routes were primarily used to transport coal from the Saar. In addition, Prussia tried to influence the traffic flows from the north-western Palatinate to the Nahe. In this way, for example, the Heimbach train station was created, from which a road into the Palatinate town of Kusel was built. The Rhein-Nahe Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft expressly pointed out that this station served this city specifically. However, the station lost its importance in 1868 when the Landstuhl – Kusel railway branching off from the Ludwigsbahn was opened.

After the start of operations, the company's income fell far short of expectations. Since the passenger traffic, which was only lively to the health resorts of Kreuznach and Münster am Stein, did not meet the expectations of the builders, neither dividends nor interest on the debt could be earned. Therefore, the Prussian state had to step in every year because of its interest guarantee. The attempt by the state to sell the railway to the RhE after the war of 1866 failed for these reasons.

For strategic reasons , a line to Kreuznach was built from Gau Algesheim in 1902 for which a new train station had to be built. From then on, the old Kreuznach train station only served as a freight station.

The Birkenfeld train station in the Nahe valley was five kilometers from the capital of the Principality of Birkenfeld. Therefore, the RNE built a railway from the station, renamed Neubrücke, to the city at the expense of the city of Birkenfeld and also took over the management of the Birkenfeld railway , which opened on October 15, 1880. On March 27 and 28, 1901, the electrical route block between Bad Münster and Kirn went into operation in two sections .

On February 10, 1914, “when darkness fell” between Bingerbrück (today: Bingen Hauptbahnhof) and Bad Münster am Stein, new “double light pre-signals ” were put into operation, which corresponded to the model of the form signal still in use today .

The double-track expansion soon followed as an important railway line to the French border. The connection to the Hindenburg Bridge between Rüdesheim am Rhein and Bingen-Kempten, which was built between 1913 and 1915 and destroyed in 1945, was also made for strategic reasons. It connected the Nahe Valley Railway with the right Rhine route by a branch at Münster-Sarmsheim. Because of the great military importance of the line, the Prussian state acquired the railway with effect from April 1, 1881. The RNE was dissolved. From July 1, 1883, it belonged to the Royal Railway Directorate in Cologne, on the left bank of the Rhine.

From 1965 to 1979 the so-called Munzinger Express also operated between Staudernheim and Bad Kreuznach .

operator

Until the timetable change on December 14, 2014, the train connections were operated by DB Regio Südwest. Today, the Regentalbahn and its subsidiary vlexx GmbH operate the train connections on the Nahe route from Saarbrücken in the direction of Mainz and Frankfurt. It uses LINT 81 and 54 locomotives . The traffic on the section from Bad Kreuznach to Bingen will continue to be operated by DB Regio Südwest.

Connection over the Rhine

From Laubenheim a line led to the Hindenburg Bridge , which for thirty years (1915–1945) led traffic across the Rhine to Rüdesheim and Geisenheim . Some of the old railway embankments can still be seen.

New tunnel construction

The old wayside shrine tunnel (481 m) was abandoned because there was a safety pillar of coal under it, which the former Saargruben (later: Saarbergwerke AG ; today: DSK ) wanted to dismantle. In 1955, the new wayside shrine tunnel (341 meters) was built, which leads around the former tunnel in a 600-meter radius.

Accidents

On January 16, 1918, the embankment between Kirn and Hochstetten (Nahe) was washed away by a storm from the Nahe and slipped. The tourist train 243 derailed, its locomotive, the van and three passenger cars crashed into the river. 38 people died and 25 others were injured.

On September 12, 2015 at 6:05 a.m. on the level crossing in Monzingen, a car was caught by the regional express train passing through. The five occupants of the car died.

Recent developments

The Nahe Valley Railway forms one of the main axes of local rail passenger transport in Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland. During the last fundamental renewal of the superstructure in 2004/2005, heavier rails ( UIC 60 profile ) were installed on concrete sleepers in order to obtain approval for use by tilting trains . The railway stations in Rhineland-Palatinate, previously in a deplorable condition, are gradually being completely renovated (such as Neubrücke (Nahe), Kirn, Monzingen, Bad Sobernheim and, from 2011, after years of disputes with the railway, also the Bad Kreuznach train station). With the widening, re-lining and partial lengthening of the tunnels near Heimbach and the associated slope protection measures, the renovation of the tunnels on the route has now begun.

In Saarland, all stations except Neunkirchen were equipped with electronic destination displays.

At times, the expansion of the line for the north branch of the high-speed connection Paris – Eastern France – Southwest Germany was under discussion. It was later decided to run this via the Palatinate Ludwig Railway, as the costs for the necessary electrification on the tunnel-rich Nahe valley route would have been too high.

Rhineland-Palatinate Clock 2015

Railcar type LINT 81 from vlexx GmbH at Mainz main station

With the Rhineland-Palatinate-Takt 2015 concept presented in mid-2008 , the connection to the Nahe Valley Railway has improved further. By electrifying the route from Türkismühle to Neubrücke (Nahe), the Saarbrücken – Türkismühle regional train was extended to become the Saarbrücken – Neubrücke regional train. This measure was implemented as early as the 2014/2015 timetable change. The timetable therefore contained a line closure between St. Wendel and Neubrücke (Nahe) from July 28, 2014 to September 4, 2014. Buses operated as replacement rail services .

In addition, due to the lack of service , the regional train stop in Hoppstädten (Nahe) is only served by a bus that takes travelers to Neubrücke.

Heimbach, Nohen and Kronweiler were connected to the RB network by a continuous regional train from Baumholder to Idar-Oberstein or Kirn , which reactivated the nine-kilometer branch line from Heimbach to Baumholder for passenger traffic. The additional stops in Heimbach (town) and Ruschberg will also be served again. The infrastructure operator of the branching line is RP Eisenbahn .

There are now three trains per hour between Idar-Oberstein and Kirn. In addition to the Baumholder – Kirn regional train, which provides a connection in Kirn to the fast Nahe Express from Saarbrücken to Mainz / Frankfurt am Main, there is also a continuous regional train from Idar-Oberstein to Mainz Hauptbahnhof . This should even run every hour and start in Neubrücke (Nahe) during rush hour on working days .

The following are planned and are being examined as new stops on the nearby route - in addition to Baumholder , Heimbach Ort and Ruschberg on the branch line that branches off:

Idar-Oberstein Business Park
Idar-Oberstein globe
Bad Sobernheim school center
Niederhausen
Bad Kreuznach Rheingrafenstrasse
Bad Kreuznach Michelin
Planned and
Mainz Schott AG

The Nahe Express from Frankfurt am Main to Saarbrücken is to be winged or coupled in Bad Münster am Stein every hour . One unit should continue to Kaiserslautern .

Something should also be changed on the Bingen – Bad Kreuznach section. Every two hours the regional train from the Alsenz Valley Railway (from Kaiserslautern) runs from Bingen as a regional express on to Koblenz Hbf . In addition, the reactivation of the Hunsrückquerbahn to Hahn Airport has increased traffic ; A regional express runs every two hours from Langenlonsheim and Bingen to Frankfurt, and an hourly regional train with stops in Langenlonsheim, Laubenheim and Münster-Sarmsheim continues to Bingen. According to media reports, the reactivation of the Hunsrückquerbahn from Langenlonsheim to Frankfurt-Hahn Airport will not only be delayed until 2018 ^[obsolete] , but may also be canceled entirely. Nevertheless, Infrastructure Minister Roger Lewentz announced that he would continue the planning process. ^{[obsolete] In the} long term, a cross-connection between Langenlonsheim and Gensingen was originally planned for the express trains from Hahn Airport to Frankfurt, but this has since been discarded.

Route

Between Bad Kreuznach and Türkismühle , the route mainly runs on the north side along the Nahe. Twice on the only four-kilometer section between Bad Kreuznach and Bad Münster am Stein and eleven times from Idar-Oberstein, the river is crossed in the narrowing valley. In the St. Wendel - Neunkirchen (Saar) Hauptbahnhof section , the route runs along the Blies.

The Nahe Valley Railway runs largely parallel to federal road 41 , which it crosses several times along its route. The first crossing takes place north of Bad Kreuznach. From Bad Sobernheim , the railway line and road run parallel through the Nahe valley, which leaves the road in Idar-Oberstein in the Enzweiler district. A second, much shorter parallel section exists between Neubrücke and Nohfelden .

South of Namborn, the federal road crosses the railway line one more time. Both then again follow the course of the Blies between St. Wendel and Ottweiler . To the west of Neunkirchen, the road crosses the railway line one last time. As far as Saarbrücken, the federal highway was replaced by federal autobahn 8 and federal autobahn 623 , which cross the railway line once.

Route expansion

The route from Türkismühle (kilometer 89.0) to Saarbrücken Hauptbahnhof was electrified throughout 1969, while the Saarbrücken – Neunkirchen route via Fischbach-Camphausen ( Fischbach Valley Railway) has been electrically operated since 1965.

Due to tunnel renovation work in sections with an increase in the inner radius of the tunnel from four to five meters in the years 2007 to 2013, operations between Neubrücke and Idar-Oberstein were single-track for several months in the construction site area.

In the summer of 2012, the section between Neunkirchen and Saarbrücken was closed due to track renewal and repair work on the wayside tunnel. Regional express and freight trains were diverted via the Fischbachtalbahn, the remaining passenger traffic was replaced by buses while the work was being carried out.

The section between Türkismühle and Neubrücke (Nahe) was electrified in summer 2014 and closed for six weeks.

Between 2021 and 2024, Deutsche Bahn plans to renovate the Homericher and Enzweiler tunnels and adapt them to today's standards. In the 392 or 465 meter long tunnels, the track spacing will be increased from 3.5 meters to four meters. When the work is complete, the Homerich tunnel will be 394 meters long and the Enzweiler tunnel 476 meters long. In addition to an increase in speed of up to 160 km / h, precautions are also being taken for later electrification of the section of the route. Escape routes and access routes are being built in accordance with the guidelines of the Federal Railway Authority . A new inner shell made of reinforced concrete is installed using the "tunnel-in-tunnel method" with a so-called tunnel driving portal and is intended to prevent wet spots inside the tunnels. While the train traffic continues to roll on a track in the middle of the tunnel, work on widening is taking place around the enclosure. Necessary explosions are carried out during train breaks.

business

Regional train of the class 628 in Mainz main station on the way to St. Wendel (2009)

A LINT of the vlexx as RE3 to Saarbrücken shortly before Walhausen (Saar).

The Saarbrücken – Türkismühle section has been operated on a tight schedule for a long time, since electrification mainly with push-pull trains made of Silberling wagons with class 140 and 141 electric locomotives . Rail buses of the types VT 95 (795) and VT 98 (798) were often used north of Türkismühle .

The continuous express trains from Saarbrücken via Idar-Oberstein, Bad Kreuznach and Bingen or Mainz to Frankfurt am Main were also mostly made of silver coins, which were run on the electric sections with steam locomotives of the 01 series , and later with diesel locomotives of the 220 and 218 series .

As early as 1960 there were long-distance trains between Paris Est and Frankfurt am Main , which only stopped in Saarbrücken, Neunkirchen, St. Wendel, Neubrücke, Heimbach, Idar-Oberstein, Kirn, Sobernheim, Bad Münster, Bad Kreuznach, Bingerbrück and Mainz.

In 1985 the route was upgraded. The express train D 258/59 Paris Est – Frankfurt was taken from the Alsenztalbahn Kaiserslautern – Bad Kreuznach and now drove its French Corail wagons over this route, from Saarbrücken to Frankfurt am Main continuously hauled with the 218 series. In 1988 a pair of express trains Saarbrücken-Frankfurt-Kassel-Göttingen followed, which was also carried over this route. In 1990 this long-distance traffic was discontinued.

vlexx 620-410 (LINT 81) as RE 3 from Frankfurt to Saarbrücken in Türkismühle

Today there is continuous traffic from Frankfurt (Main) to Saarbrücken, known as the “ Nahe Express ” (RE 3). Every second train is connected to and from Frankfurt (Main) Hauptbahnhof, with a stop at the airport regional train station . By 2014, perverse tilting trains of Series 612 , since the change of operator in December 2014 sets vlexx trains of the type LINT 54 and 81 without tilting technology, meaning a journey times on the track but extended only slightly.

On the section Neubrücke (Nahe) –Saarbrücken the DB regional train line RB 73 runs with electric multiple units of the series 425 and 426 and on the section Heimbach – Mainz the vlexx lines RB 33 and RB 34 with diesel multiple units of the type LINT 54 and 81.

Operating points

Bingen (Rhine) central station

The Bingen (Rhein) Hbf train station is located in the Bingerbrück district , which was an independent municipality until 1969. For this reason it was given the appropriate name. Since it has been the city's most important train station since it was incorporated into Bingen am Rhein , it was given its current name in 1993.

Munster-Sarmsheim

The Münster-Sarmsheim stop is located on the northeastern outskirts of Münster-Sarmsheim . It was only later named Münster b. Bingen opened on November 1, 1902 and in 1903 in Münster b. Renamed Bingerbrück . In 1928 the name was changed to Münster-Sarnsheim .

Langenlonsheim

Langenlonsheim train station is in the north of Langenlonsheim . From 1889 to 1984 here via chain Simmern to Hermeskeil leading hunsrückquerbahn from which today only to Stromberg (Hunsrück) in freight transport is operated.

Bretzenheim (Nahe)

The Bretzenheim (Nahe) stop is located on the southern outskirts of Bretzenheim . Until 1913 it was 500 m further north. On May 1, 1913, the new stop - with the station building - was put into operation.

Bad Kreuznach freight yard

At the time the local line was opened in 1858, this was the provisional terminus and a passenger station. It was called Kreuznach Stadtbahnhof . When it was extended to Oberstein , it became a through station . After the construction of the Bad Kreuznach station , it lost passenger traffic , but remained as a freight station . In the meantime there was a connection to the Kreuznacher Kleinbahnen .

Bad Kreuznach

Bad Kreuznach train station is centrally located within the city center of Bad Kreuznach .

Kreuznach Bad

Kreuznach Bad was the second train station in Bad Kreuznach. It was opened on June 1, 1864 in order to better develop the southern part of the city with the spa area. The station was, however, in an unfavorable location, as there was little room for expansion for the city. But this seemed necessary to do justice to the increasing numbers of spa guests. It was given up in 1905 when the Bad Kreuznach train station was completely expanded.

Bad Munster am Stein

The station Bad Münster

When the Kreuznach – Oberstein section opened, Bad Münster am Stein station was initially a through station. With the continuous opening of the Alsenz Valley Railway in 1871, it became a separation station . In 1904 the Glantalbahn , built for strategic reasons , was added. This made it the hub of three double-track lines. Because of its importance as a strategic railway junction, it was bombed during World War II.

The entrance building is a listed Art Nouveau building , some of which contains half-timbered houses. It was completed around 1910 as part of the strategic railway construction. With regard to its architecture, the fact that Bad Münster is a health resort was consciously taken into account. The Glantalbahn section Odernheim- Bad Münster was shut down as early as 1961 , only the rail connection to the Niederhausen power plant branching off in this area was still served until 1992. The station had already been closed as a freight tariff point at the end of the 1980s.

Norheim

The Norheim stop is located in the center of the Norheim community .

Staudernheim

With the opening of the Kreuznach – Oberstein section, Staudernheim station was initially a through station. In addition, it was the only operating site in Hessen-Homburg . After the lower Glantalbahn was connected to Staudernheim station in 1897, it was expanded. With the opening of the strategic route to Bad Münster, the section between Odernheim and Staudernheim was temporarily essentially a connecting curve ; after the Odernheim – Bad Münster section was closed in 1961, it regained importance.

Bad Sobernheim

Bad Sobernheim train station

Bad Sobernheim train station is located in the south of Bad Sobernheim, not far from its center. Until 1995 it was called Sobernheim , only when the city was given the title Bad did it get its current name.

Monzingen

The Monzingen stop is located on the southern outskirts of Monzingen .

Martinstein

The Martinstein stop is located on the southern outskirts of Martinstein .

Hochstetten (Nahe)

The Hochstetten (Nahe) stop is located on the southeastern edge of Hochstetten .

Kirn

Kirn train station is located on the southern outskirts of Kirn .

Kirnsulzbach

The Kirnsulzbach stop is located in the south of Kirn-Sulzbach .

Fischbach-Weierbach

Fischbach-Weierbach train station

The Fischbach-Weierbach stop is located in the southeast of Fischbach ; Weierbach is located further to the southwest.

Idar-Oberstein

View of Oberstein train station around 1910

At first the Idar-Oberstein station was only called Oberstein . It was put into operation in December 1859 as the terminus of the section coming from Kreuznach. Just six months later, it became a through station with the connection to Neunkirchen . It is located in the south of the city of Idar-Oberstein .

Kronweiler

The Kronweiler stop is centrally located within Kronweiler.

Nohen

The Nohen stop is centrally located within Nohen.

Heimbach (Nahe)

Heimbach (Nahe) train station is located around three kilometers northwest of the local community Heimbach , which despite its name lies outside the Nahe valley. It is already part of the district of Hoppstädten-Weiersbach . The railway line to Baumholder , which has been reactivated since the timetable change on December 14, 2014, branches off from here.

Hoppstädten (Nahe)

The Hoppstädten (Nahe) stop is in the east of Hoppstädten. Since the timetable change on December 14, 2014, only a few regional trains have stopped at this station. Hoppstädten will then be connected to the railway network mainly by bus to Neubrücke.

Neubrücke (Nahe)

Neubrücke railway station (Nahe)

The Neubrücke (Nahe) train station is located in the southeast of Neubrücke (Nahe) . The Birkenfeld railway , which has since been dismantled, branches off from here and connected Birkenfeld (Nahe) to the railway network. With the timetable change on December 14, 2014, after the electrification of the local line to Neubrücke, it will serve as the final stop of the RB 73 from Saarbrücken.

Nohfelden

The Nohfelden stop is located on the western edge of Nohfelden / Nahe .

Turquoise mill

The Türkismühle train station is located on the northeastern edge of Türkismühle . It was put into operation in 1860 with the opening of the section between Oberstein and Neunkirchen. In 1889 it became the end point of the Hochwaldbahn coming from Trier . In 1936 the Türkismühle – Kusel railway was added . Both branches have meanwhile lost passenger traffic. After the electrification of the local line to Neubrücke (Nahe), the train station is no longer the final stop of the RB 73 from Saarbrücken since the timetable change on December 14, 2014.

Walhausen (Saar)

The Walhausen (Saar) stop is located on the southern outskirts of Walhausen (Saar) .

Namborn

The Namborn stop is located on the northeastern outskirts of Namborn .

Hofeld

The Hofeld stop is centrally located within Hofeld .

Baltersweiler

The Baltersweiler stop is located on the south-eastern outskirts of Baltersweiler .

St. Wendel

DBAG class 425/426 in St. Wendel station

The St. Wendel train station is located in the center of the city of St. Wendel . The now dismantled St. Wendel – Tholey railway branched off from him .

Oberlinxweiler

The Oberlinxweiler stop is located on the eastern edge of Oberlinxweiler .

Niederlinxweiler

The Niederlinxweiler stop is not far from the center of Niederlinxweiler .

Ottweiler (Saar)

The station Ottweiler (Saar) was taken opening 1860 of the route section between the upper stone and Neunkirchen in operation. It was not until 77 years later when the Ostertalbahn to Niederkirchen opened it became a hub station, which one year later was linked to Schwarzerden and is now a museum railway . Especially for this purpose, the reception building was converted and an island platform was built for the branch line. In this context, he was also given an underpass for pedestrians .

Wiebelskirchen

The Wiebelskirchen stop is to the west of Wiebelskirchen , right at the end of the tunnel . It used to be a block post .

Neunkirchen (Saar) central station

The Neunkirchen (Saar) Hbf train station is located on the northern outskirts of Neunkirchen (Saar) . It was opened in 1850 and is now a wedge station . It is also the end point of the Fischbachtalbahn , which runs parallel from here at a distance of about two kilometers from the Nahe Valley Railway to its two endpoints, Saarbrücken , and the Homburg – Neunkirchen railway line . The tracks of the Nahetalbahn are numbered 1 to 3, the tracks towards Homburg / Wemmetsweiler with 25 to 27. The former platform tracks 4 and 7 to 9 were on the Fischbachtalbahn and the Nahe Valley Railway. Trains from / towards Schiffweiler cross the Nahe Valley Railway today. The Neunkirchen – Neunkirchen-Heinitz railway line , which mainly served the Dechen and Heinitz mines, has now been closed . The station is also a hub for freight traffic; the freight tracks extend over a large area along all routes. The station used to be a hub for coal and steel trains, general cargo and other goods traffic to and from Neunkirchen, today mainly steel trains go to and from Saarstahl AG . There are eight sidings to Saarstahl, a gas loading station and a petrol station for diesel locomotives, and a track construction company and the Bexbach power station each have a connection.

In the station there is a central signal box of the type Sp Dr S60 , which was built in 1965. In addition to Neunkirchen station, it also controls the stations on the Sulzbach line (Dudweiler, Sulzbach, Friedrichsthal, Landsweiler-Reden) and Bexbach station on the line to Homburg and their signal boxes.

The station is barrier-free and equipped with lift systems, and the city is making efforts to make the station more attractive. However, there has been a lack of passenger information on the platforms since the old drop-leaf indicators were dismantled. There are platform loudspeakers, which the dispatcher in Neunkirchen uses.

Landsweiler speeches

The Landsweiler-Reden train station is located on the southern outskirts of Landsweiler-Reden . It used to be called speeches . The train station is across from the now disused Reden mine . The route used to run on three tracks to Neunkirchen to the (now partially closed) western part of Neunkirchen main station (Schlawerie), separated into passenger traffic (tracks still in place today) and goods traffic from the two pits Itzenplitz and Reden (today only the embankment still exists). There was also a branch line to the Itzenplitz mine in the neighboring village of Heiligenwald. The station was in a desolate condition until 2016, when it was completely renovated in spring 2016. In the station building there is an interlocking of the type Sp Dr S60 , which is controlled remotely from the central interlocking in Neunkirchen during regular operation.

Wayside shrine

The wayside shrine is located on the north-western outskirts of wayside shrine, immediately in front of the wayside tunnel. There used to be two block signals here.

Friedrichsthal center

The barrier-free stop Friedrichsthal Mitte not far from the center of Friedrichsthal (Saar) was opened in 2004. It is located on the other side of the wayside shrine tunnel.

Friedrichsthal (Saar)

Friedrichsthal (Saar) train station is located in the southwest of Friedrichsthal. The station building is left to decay.

Sulzbach (Saar) Altenwald

The Sulzbach (Saar) Altenwald stop is located at the level of the Sulzbach district of Altenwald .

Sulzbach (Saar)

Sulzbach (Saar) train station is located in the center of Sulzbach (Saar) . A siding to the Altenwald mine used to branch off from it , and there were also several connections and a small freight station here. Today, most of the extensive facilities have been dismantled; seven tracks still exist. The signal box for Sulzbach and Friedrichsthal is located in the station building and is controlled remotely from Neunkirchen.

Dudweiler

The Dudweiler train station is located in the center of the Saarbrücken district of Dudweiler . A siding to the Dudweiler mine used to branch off from him . The building is only used as part of the underpass to the platform and for the signal box and is badly run down. The signal box is remote-controlled from Neunkirchen. The freight railway to Saarbrücken marshalling yard begins at the station, which is why the Dudweiler-Jägersfreude section has three tracks.

Hunting joy

The Jägersfreude stop is located in the center of Saarbrücken's Jägersfreude district . Until after the turn of the millennium, Jägersfreude was also a branch point, which was controlled by the signal box in Saarbrücken Hbf. Thus, the freight trains between Dudweiler and Saarbrücken could use three tracks, because the parallel (single-track) freight bypass route goes over here to the Saarbrücken marshalling yard. Today the four turnouts and block signals that belonged to the junction have been dismantled. At the same time, the first points of the Saarbrücken marshalling yard are located at the level of the platform. The junction was abandoned when the signal box at Saarbrücken Hbf was rebuilt and relocated to Karlsruhe.

Saarbrücken main station

The station Saarbrücken central station has existed since 1852 and was initially St. Johann Saarbrücken . Today it is the most important train station in Saarland . In addition, it is more other endpoint railway lines as the Fischbach Talbahn , the Forbacher web , the Saar route which Mannheim-Saarbrücken railway and railway Saarbrücken-Sarreguemines . The Saarbahn runs from Saargemünd to Lebach in front of the station .

literature

R. Brumm: The Rhine-Nahe Railway. A detailed report on the planning, construction and operation of the Rhein-Nahe-Bahn Bingerbrück, Bad Kreuznach, Bad Münster a. St., Sobernheim, Kirn, Idar-Oberstein, St. Wendel, Neunkirchen. Edition Nahetal, Bad Kreuznach 1987, ISBN 3-926421-00-2
Hans-Joachim Emich, Rolf Becker: The railways on Glan and Lauter . Self-published, Waldmohr 1996, ISBN 3-9804919-0-0 .
Fritz Engbarth: 150 years of railways between Bad Kreuznach and Idar-Oberstein - the attractive regional express line along the Nahe is celebrating its birthday . 2009 ( Page no longer available , search in web archives: Part 1 (PDF; 1.0 MiB) [accessed on September 21, 2013]). or Part 2 ( Memento from December 26, 2015 in the web archive archive.today ) (PDF; 2.0 MiB)@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.der-takt.de

Heinz Sturm: The Palatinate Railways (= publications of the Palatinate Society for the Advancement of Science . Volume 53 ). pro MESSAGE, Ludwigshafen am Rhein 2005, ISBN 3-934845-26-6 .

Web links

Commons : Nahetalbahn - collection of images, videos and audio files

Information on the Rhineland-Palatinate Clock 2015
The construction of the tunnel near Wiebelskirchen on the Rhine – Nahe railway. (Article in ZfB 1861):
- Zeitschrift für Bauwesen 1861, Issue 3, pp. 415–424. : Text with explanatory sketches (pdf pages 25–30)
- Zeitschrift für Bauwesen 1861, Atlas, sheets 47–48 : sketches and drawings (longitudinal and transverse profiles, pdf pages 49–50)

Individual evidence

D Deutsche Reichsbahn (Hrsg.): Manual of the German railway lines. Berlin 1935. (Reprint: Dumjahn, Mainz 1984, ISBN 3-921426-29-4 )

↑ 1850/15 and 1852/12
↑ 1850/15 and 1852/12
↑ 1858/06
↑ 1859/35
↑ 1860/04
↑ 1852/12

further evidence:

↑ DB Netze - Infrastructure Register

↑ Railway Atlas Germany . 9th edition. Schweers + Wall, Aachen 2014, ISBN 978-3-89494-145-1 .

↑ | Information and pictures about the tunnels on route 3511 on eisenbahn-tunnelportale.de by Lothar Brill

↑ Fritz Engbarth: 150 years of the railways between Bad Kreuznach and Idar-Oberstein - the attractive regional express line along the Nahe has its birthday part 1 . 2009, p. 5 .

↑ Heinz Sturm: The Palatinate Railways . 2005, p. 165 .

↑ Heinz Sturm: The Palatinate Railways . 2005, p. 114 .

^ ^A ^b Hans-Joachim Emich, Rolf Becker: The railways to Glan and Lauter . 1996, p. 16 .

↑ Fritz Engbarth: 150 years of the railways between Bad Kreuznach and Idar-Oberstein - the attractive regional express line along the Nahe has its birthday part 1 . 2009, p. 5 f .

^ Karl Ottmann: Albert von Maybach . In: Men of the German administration. Cologne 1963, pp. 181-194 (186).

↑ Hans-Joachim Emich, Rolf Becker: The railways to Glan and Lauter . 1996, p. 7 .

↑ Eisenbahndirektion Mainz (Ed.): Collection of the published official gazettes from March 23, 1901. Volume 5, No. 13, Announcement No. 139, p. 83.

↑ Eisenbahndirektion Mainz (Ed.): Official Journal of the Royal Prussian and Grand Ducal Hessian Railway Directorate in Mainz of January 24, 1914, No. 5. Announcement No. 50, p. 33.

^ ZSPNV Süd: "ZSPNV Süd: Rhineland-Palatinate cycle on the Nahe, in Rheinhessen and the Palatinate is being improved" from February 29, 2012 ,. Retrieved March 11, 2012

^ Martin Weltner: Railway disasters. Serious train accidents and their causes. Munich 2008. ISBN 978-3-7654-7096-7 , p. 14.

↑ Blue light service for accident victims in Monzingen 2015

↑ rp-eisenbahn.de

↑ Rhein-Zeitung of September 11, 2011: Bahn zum Hahn: Train has left ( page no longer available , search in web archives )@1@ 2

↑ Verlagsgruppe Rhein Main GmbH & Co. KG: Plan approval procedure for reactivating the Hunsrück Railway should be completed by the end of 2017 . ( Allgemeine-zeitung.de [accessed on October 7, 2016]).

↑ Construction project Homericher and Enzweiler Tunnels. In: BauInfoPortal of Deutsche Bahn. Retrieved January 5, 2018 .

^ Eisenbahndirektion Mainz (Hrsg.): Collection of the published official gazettes from November 1st, 1902. 6th year. No. 63. Announcement No. 521, p. 584.

^ Eisenbahndirektion Mainz (Hrsg.): Collection of the published Official Gazette 7 (1903). Mainz 1904. Official Gazette of July 11, 1903. No. 37. Announcement No. 393, p. 347.

↑ Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft (ed.): Official Gazette of the Reichsbahndirektion in Mainz of October 27, 1928, No. 48. Announcement No. 601, p. 295.

^ Eisenbahndirektion Mainz (Ed.): Official Journal of the Royal Prussian and Grand Ducal Hessian Railway Directorate in Mainz of April 12, 1913, No. 18. Announcement No. 213, p. 113.

^ Bad Kreuznach Güterbahnhof ( memento from May 18, 2015 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on March 2, 2012

↑ Eisenbahndirektion Mainz (Ed.): Official Gazette of the Royal Prussian and Grand Ducal Hessian Railway Directorate in Mainz of May 6, 1905, No. 25. Announcement No. 250, p. 200.

↑ ^a ^b der-takt.de

↑ ostertalbahn.homepage.t-online.de: The Ostertalbahn and the Ostertal - rail travel and hiking . Retrieved May 1, 2013 .

^ Map of the Mainz Railway Directorate from January 1, 1940

[7] 1850/15 and 1852/12

[8] 1850/15 and 1852/12

[11] 1858/06

[12] 1859/35

[13] 1860/04

[14] 1852/12

[1] DB Netze - Infrastructure Register

[2] Railway Atlas Germany . 9th edition. Schweers + Wall, Aachen 2014, ISBN 978-3-89494-145-1 .

[3] | Information and pictures about the tunnels on route 3511 on eisenbahn-tunnelportale.de by Lothar Brill

[4] Fritz Engbarth: 150 years of the railways between Bad Kreuznach and Idar-Oberstein - the attractive regional express line along the Nahe has its birthday part 1 . 2009, p. 5 .

[5] Heinz Sturm: The Palatinate Railways . 2005, p. 165 .

[6] Heinz Sturm: The Palatinate Railways . 2005, p. 114 .

[EmichBecker16-9] A ^b Hans-Joachim Emich, Rolf Becker: The railways to Glan and Lauter . 1996, p. 16 .

[10] Fritz Engbarth: 150 years of the railways between Bad Kreuznach and Idar-Oberstein - the attractive regional express line along the Nahe has its birthday part 1 . 2009, p. 5 f .

[15] Karl Ottmann: Albert von Maybach . In: Men of the German administration. Cologne 1963, pp. 181-194 (186).

[16] Hans-Joachim Emich, Rolf Becker: The railways to Glan and Lauter . 1996, p. 7 .

[17] Eisenbahndirektion Mainz (Ed.): Collection of the published official gazettes from March 23, 1901. Volume 5, No. 13, Announcement No. 139, p. 83.

[18] Eisenbahndirektion Mainz (Ed.): Official Journal of the Royal Prussian and Grand Ducal Hessian Railway Directorate in Mainz of January 24, 1914, No. 5. Announcement No. 50, p. 33.

[19] ZSPNV Süd: "ZSPNV Süd: Rhineland-Palatinate cycle on the Nahe, in Rheinhessen and the Palatinate is being improved" from February 29, 2012 ,. Retrieved March 11, 2012

[20] Martin Weltner: Railway disasters. Serious train accidents and their causes. Munich 2008. ISBN 978-3-7654-7096-7 , p. 14.

[21] Blue light service for accident victims in Monzingen 2015

[22] rp-eisenbahn.de