Freiburg – Colmar railway line
The Freiburg – Colmar railway is a former continuous railway line from Freiburg im Breisgau via Breisach am Rhein to Colmar , which has been interrupted since the Breisach railway bridge over the Rhine was destroyed in 1945. It runs south past the Kaiserstuhl through the Upper Rhine Plain . The line was opened in two sections in 1871 and 1878 as a state-run private railway and was nationalized in 1881. After its respective terminus , the line was or is also called the Breisach Railway , Breisach Railway or Colmar Railway .
Today, the line between Freiburg and Breisach is classified as a single-track , electrified secondary railway line and is served by DB Regio .
history
Planning and construction
As early as 1846, the city of Breisach proposed building a railway from Breisach to Freiburg. In 1860 in Colmar the project of a railway from Freiburg via Breisach, Colmar and Münster over the Vosges to Nancy was presented. At Breisach the Rhine should be crossed with a "flying bridge" ( Gierseilfähre ). On the German side, it was planned to extend the route from Freiburg through the Höllental over the Black Forest towards Ulm and Lake Constance . The planned Colmar-Freiburg railway as part of an international long-distance connection across the Vosges and the Black Forest from Paris to Vienna was never implemented. In 1864 the cities of Breisach and Freiburg decided to take part in a company to build the railway. A railway commission appointed in 1864 planned the construction of a line from Freiburg via Hugstetten , Oberschaffhausen (Bötzingen) and Wasenweiler to Breisach, but the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 , among other things, delayed planning.
On February 11, 1868, the Baden government issued the "Law to Build a Railway Between Freiburg and Breisach" and granted the concession on April 21, 1868. One motivation for building the railway was the transport of wood from the Black Forest to the Rhine and coal from the Saar region to Freiburg. To finance the railway construction, Freiburg and Breisach took out a loan of 1,200,000 gold marks at 4.5% from the Basler Bankierverein . In 1869 the route was changed in favor of a shorter and cheaper route from Hugstetten via Gottenheim to Wasenweiler. The first groundbreaking took place on June 7, 1870. Due to personnel and material bottlenecks caused by the Franco-German War , the line was not opened until September 14, 1871. The operation of the state-run private railway was taken over by the Grand Ducal Baden State Railway .
Extension Breisach – Colmar
After that of Napoleon III. declared and lost Franco-German War , Alsace was part of the Reichsland Alsace-Lorraine from 1871 . As a result of the war, the construction of the railway was delayed for several years. Since Breisach was no longer a border station and the originally planned rooms for customs and border surveillance authorities could be omitted, the station was initially only given a temporary barrack as a reception building in 1871. After a state treaty between the Grand Duchy of Baden and the German Empire in 1874 had regulated the distribution of tasks at the Colmar Railway, construction began in 1875 on the Rhine bridge near Breisach, which was opened to traffic on January 5, 1878. In the concession granted in 1875 to build a railway from Altbreisach to Colmar, it was stipulated that the state railway would lease the entire route of the Freiburg-Breisach railway to the center of the Rhine for an unlimited period if the Grand Ducal Government did not exercise its right of repurchase. On January 7, 1878, the Colmar Railway was opened continuously. The trains took around 70 minutes to travel between Freiburg and Colmar.
State railway time until the line separation
Since interest rates had fallen massively and the state was able to pay the purchase price of 1,687,100 gold marks , the state parliament gave its approval to buy back the route, which was nationalized on December 6, 1881. On September 3, 1882, the train accident at Hugstetten happened , which went down in history as the most serious and momentous railway accident in Germany to date, with 64 dead and 230 seriously injured.
With the construction of the private railway line of the Kaiserstuhlbahn , the Breisacher Bahn was connected to the line to Riegel Ort - Endingen in Gottenheim in 1894 and in 1895 in Breisach to the branch to Endingen - Riegel Staatsbahn. In order to ensure the profitability of the Kaiserstuhlbahn, all freight traffic from Colmar-Breisach in a northerly direction to the Rheintalbahn no longer had to go via Freiburg, but instead directly via the Kaiserstuhlbahn to Riegel Staatsbahn. From 1910, an express train connection between Freiburg and Colmar was set up. In 1914, Breisach received today's station building instead of the temporary barrack. During the First World War , the route between Breisach and Colmar saw a significant increase in traffic due to military traffic. At the instigation of the German military, the branching railway line Neuf-Brisach-Bantzenheim was built in 1917 .
Since Alsace no longer belonged to the German Empire from 1918 , Breisach became a border station again and the importance of the Breisach Railway decreased significantly. During the Second World War , the Rhine bridge near Breisach was blown up for the first time in 1939, repaired and finally destroyed when the Germans withdrew in 1945. Since then, the route to Colmar has been interrupted. Today's road bridge was built on the foundations of the former railway bridge. Two parts of the bridge that were still intact were transported by ship to Neuchâtel on February 1 and 26, 1946, where they were used to repair the Rhine bridge between Neuchâtel and Chalampé, which had also been destroyed, on the Müllheim – Mulhouse railway line . Despite repeated discussions, the reconstruction of the Breisach Bridge has always failed due to the cost of the new construction. In spring 2012, the Trans-Rhin-Rail association was founded , which, in addition to the renovation of the route between Colmar and Volgelsheim, is also involved in the construction of the bridge.
Since the line split
Colmar – Volgelsheim line (French section)
The French railway company SNCF operated passenger services between Colmar and Volgelsheim after the Second World War, but stopped this in 1969. Only two freight trains still run daily from Colmar to the Rhine port at Marckolsheim . The Chemin de Fer Touristique du Rhin association was founded in 1982 and operates museum railroad trips on the French part of the route. This is made possible, among other things, by the fact that the Colmar Chamber of Commerce, as its owner, lends him the Volgelsheim – Marckolsheim route free of charge.
Alt-Breisach – Freiburg route (German section)
In the summer of 1960, the railroad ran 36 passenger trains (including ten railcars) with predominantly one class of car on Sundays, workdays and public holidays. The operation was gradually thinned out by the Deutsche Bundesbahn , which meant that the line was temporarily threatened with closure.
The route has been in the tariff area of the Regio-Verkehrsverbund Freiburg (RVF) since 1994 . The local transport concept presented by the Breisgau S-Bahn in 1995 envisaged the introduction of a S-Bahn service with regular traffic and innovative lightweight multiple units as a pilot route on the Breisacher Bahn. In the same way, the offer of the Kaiserstuhlbahn should be improved and integrated into a common concept.
On June 1, 1997, the management of the Breisacher Bahn was taken over by the Breisgau-S-Bahn (BSB) founded in 1996 , which is a 50% subsidiary of Südwestdeutsche Landesverkehrs-AG (SWEG) and Freiburger Verkehrs AG (VAG). Until the traffic was taken over by the Breisgau S-Bahn, the Breisacher Bahn had always been operated by the state railway, which is still the owner of the line.
Nine diesel multiple units VT 001 to 009 Regio-Shuttle RS1 from Adtranz were procured as vehicles , which, together with the structurally identical, but differently painted, Regio-Shuttles of the SWEG are located in the Endingen depot of the Kaiserstuhlbahn. Between 1999 and 2003 the number rose from 6,000 to 9,000 passengers per working day, and that on a route that was at times threatened with closure under DB management. Together with the Elztalbahn , which was also taken over in 2002 , the BSB was able to more than quadruple its passenger number from 1.5 million passengers in 1999 to around 6.5 million passengers by 2006. In freight transport , the takeover of BSB resulted in a shift in traffic flows, as the freight trains that had previously run from Breisach via the Kaiserstuhlbahn to Riegel-Malterdingen to the Rheintalbahn have since been handed over at the Freiburg freight station . On the basis of a partnership between SWEG and DB Cargo , freight traffic on the Breisacher Bahn, in the Freiburg freight station and in the northern industrial area has been carried out by SWEG since 2007.
The cooperation agreement between RVF and Nahverkehrsgesellschaft Baden-Württemberg (NVBW) of March 11, 2009 includes the electrification of the S-Bahn network in the Freiburg area by 2019. In this first expansion stage of the Breisgau S-Bahn 2020 project , the line was also Freiburg – Breisach electrified to enable a connection between Breisach and Villingen without having to change trains , which also stood in the way of a non-electrified section between Neustadt and Donaueschingen .
On the route in the direction of Breisach, only about two kilometers from the main train station to the Neue Messe / Universität stop are already electrified. Instead of the stop, which was opened in 2000, there was previously the Heidenhof junction , where one or, until 1945, two connecting arcs to the Freiburg freight bypass had run.
Because of the generally different symmetry minute of the route and the shift in the cycle by around 13 minutes from noon, there are different connections to long-distance traffic via the Rhine Valley Railway and, since 1987, to the Höllental Railway at the Freiburg (Breisgau) Hauptbahnhof exit station . In Gottenheim and Breisach there has been a transition to the non-federal branch line of the Kaiserstuhlbahn with the two branches Gottenheim - Riegel Ort - Endingen (KBS 724) and Breisach - Endingen - Riegel-Malterdingen (KBS 723), which runs the Kaiserstuhl to the east, north and east since 1994/1995 to the west.
Train
As part of the Breisgau S-Bahn 2020 project , the route between Freiburg and Gottenheim was electrified from February 1 to the end of November 2019 and went into operation on December 15, 2019. The route from Gottenheim to Breisach followed in February 2020. Until January 2019 in Gottenheim and until December 2019 also in Breisach a mechanical interlocking of the type unit was operated. Both stations are now remotely controlled from the electronic interlocking (ESTW) in Freiburg-Wiehre at the "Breisach" operator station. Since the change to the timetable year 2020 should be every half hour in Gottenheim and hourly in Titisee winged be. Due to problems in Gottenheim after Endingen a. K. to be transferred. In addition, there is only one train every hour between Titisee and Seebrugg on Sundays. But trains are also repeatedly canceled, which is insufficiently communicated. Therefore applies on the line S1 since 17 February 2020, a modified, less complicated timetable concept that until probably June 2020 [date] of the shuttle between God and Home Endingen a. K. remains; This means that the wings / coupling of the trains are no longer required in Gottenheim. The aim is to stabilize the timetable and ensure reliable operation. In June, those responsible then want to return to the old timetable concept.
future
Regional politicians on the German and French sides announced in April 2018 that they would commission a feasibility study for the reconstruction of the railway bridge over the Rhine. This was available in March 2019 and confirmed the project's great potential. However, the federal government does not want to share in its costs, although it has contributed to the costs of the study and this project is explicitly mentioned in the Aachen Treaty . In October 2019 it was announced that another comprehensive study was to begin in the same year, which would deal with the necessary infrastructure expansion, especially on the French side, and various scenarios for the operation of the railway line. In summer 2020, a financing agreement was made for further planning. The French state, the Région Grand-Est, the Département Haut-Rhin, the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure and the State of Baden-Württemberg with its Ministry of Transport are involved. Half of the calculated costs (€ 3.5 million) are borne by the French and German sides. The project is supported with € 1.75 million from the EU's Interreg program. The first results of the new planning phase starting in September 2020 should be presented at the end of 2022.
literature
- Günther Haselier : Connection of Breisach to the railway network . In: History of the city of Breisach am Rhein . Volume 2: The decline of Breisach from 1700 to 1890. Self-published by the city of Breisach am Rhein, Karlsruhe 1971, DNB 540055417 , p. 610-662 .
- Peter-Michael Mihailescu, Matthias Michalke: Forgotten railways in Baden-Württemberg . Konrad Theiss Verlag, Stuttgart 1985, ISBN 3-8062-0413-6 , p. 96-98 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ DB Netze - Infrastructure Register
- ↑ Railway Atlas Germany . 9th edition. Schweers + Wall, Aachen 2014, ISBN 978-3-89494-145-1 .
- ↑ Franz Kaiser (Ed.): The Chamber of Commerce for the Freiburg im Breisgau district and its predecessors: Festschrift on the occasion of the 250 or 50 years of existence . Herder, Freiburg 1930, p. 118 ( preview in Google Book search).
- ^ Günther Haselier: Connection of Breisach to the railway network . In: History of the city of Breisach am Rhein . Volume 2: The decline of Breisach from 1700 to 1890. Self-published by the city of Breisach am Rhein, Karlsruhe 1971, DNB 540055417 , p. 610-662 .
- ^ Günther Haselier: Connection of Breisach to the railway network . In: History of the city of Breisach am Rhein . Volume 2: The decline of Breisach from 1700 to 1890. Self-published by the city of Breisach am Rhein, Karlsruhe 1971, DNB 540055417 , p. 627-629 .
- ^ Johann Hansing: The railways in Baden. A contribution to traffic and economic history . Fleischhauer & Spohn, Stuttgart 1929, p. 8 .
- ^ Karl Müller: The Baden railways in a historical-statistical representation . Hörning and Berkenbusch, Heidelberg 1904, p. 187 f .
- ^ Albert Kuntzemüller : The Baden Railways in the Franco-German War 1870/71 . In: Report of the Realgymnasium with Realschule Mannheim, Lessing School - school year 1913/14 . Masur, Mannheim 1914, p. 35 .
- ^ A b Günther Haselier: Connection of Breisach to the railway network . In: History of the city of Breisach am Rhein . Volume 2: The decline of Breisach from 1700 to 1890. Self-published by the city of Breisach am Rhein, Karlsruhe 1971, DNB 540055417 , p. 648 .
- ↑ Local. In: Freiburg newspaper . January 8, 1878. Retrieved August 26, 2017 .
- ↑ a b Gerhard Greß: Transport node Freiburg and its surroundings in the fifties and sixties . EK-Verlag, Freiburg 1997, ISBN 3-88255-263-8 , p. 62 .
- ^ The renovation of the Freiburg passenger station. In: Second evening paper of the Freiburg newspaper. July 20, 1927. Retrieved August 26, 2017 .
- ↑ a b story. Trans-Rhin-Rail Association Colmar-Freiburg, accessed on November 27, 2012 .
- ^ History of the CFTR. In: cftr.evolutive.org. Retrieved November 27, 2012 .
- ^ Rainer Humbach: Kaiserstuhlbahn . In: Secondary and narrow-gauge railways in Germany then and now . 78th supplementary edition. GeraMond Verlag, 2009, ISSN 0949-2143 , p. 9-10 .
- ^ Rainer Humbach: Kaiserstuhlbahn . In: Secondary and narrow-gauge railways in Germany then and now . 78th supplementary edition. GeraMond Verlag, 2009, ISSN 0949-2143 , p. 10 .
- ↑ Manfred Frietsch & Mario Schöneberg: This is how the electrification of the Breisach Railway in Gottenheim begins. Badische Zeitung, January 25, 2019, accessed on January 26, 2019 .
- ↑ Without changing from Breisach to Villingen. In: Badische Zeitung. July 19, 2011, accessed July 22, 2012 .
- ^ Opening of the “Neue Messe / Universität” stop. (PDF) Zweckverband Regio-Nahverkehr Freiburg, May 19, 2000, accessed on November 16, 2016 (press release).
- ↑ Manfred Frietsch: The electrified Breisgau S-Bahn starts with the new timetable. Badische Zeitung, December 9, 2019, accessed on December 16, 2019 .
- ↑ Manfred Frietsch & Mario Schöneberg: This is how the electrification of the Breisach Railway in Gottenheim begins. Badische Zeitung, January 25, 2019, accessed on January 26, 2019 .
- ↑ Mario Schöneberg: The signal box at Gottenheim station is operated manually for the last time. Badische Zeitung, January 30, 2019, accessed on March 12, 2019 .
- ↑ Manfred Frietsch: S-Bahn between Endingen and Gottenheim continue to run only every hour. Badische Zeitung, December 20, 2019, accessed on December 29, 2019 .
- ↑ Manfred Frietsch & BZ editorial team: Disruptions in the Breisgau S-Bahn continue on the first day after the holidays. Badische Zeitung, January 7, 2020, accessed on January 9, 2020 .
- ↑ Breisgau-S-Bahn: Changed operating concept for more stability of train operations. Ministry of Transport Baden Württemberg, January 10, 2020, accessed on January 25, 2020 .
- ↑ Bärbel Nückless: These are the Fessenheim plans for the time after the nuclear power plant . Badische Zeitung of April 5, 2018, accessed on April 6, 2018.
- ^ Franz Schmider: The disused train connection between Freiburg and Colmar has potential. Badische Zeitung, March 6, 2019, accessed on May 17, 2019 .
- ↑ Setec Prognos (Ed.): Rail connection between Colmar and Freiburg. Study on multimodal mobility. Synthesis report: Summary of the investigation and comparison of the scenarios. March 5, 2019 ( gouv.fr [PDF; accessed April 4, 2020]).
- ↑ Christopher Ziedler: Federal government does not want to pay for the railway line between Freiburg and Colmar. Badische Zeitung, May 17, 2019, accessed on May 17, 2019 .
- ↑ Jelka Louisa Beule: New report on the Freiburg-Colmar-Bahn should cost 5.8 million euros . In: Badische Zeitung . October 1, 2019 ( badische-zeitung.de [accessed July 2, 2020]).
- ↑ Sebastian Wolfrum: 3.5 million euros for planning. Germany and France are promoting the Freiburg-Colmar train route . In: Badische Zeitung, Hochschwarzwald edition . July 3, 2020, p. 19 ( badische-zeitung.de [accessed on July 3, 2020]).