Gemünden – Ebenhausen railway line

Gemünden-Ebenhausen

Route map

Route number (DB) :

5210, 5233

Course book section (DB) :

803

Route length:

56.3 km

Gauge :

1435 mm ( standard gauge )

Top speed:

80 km / h

Legend

	from Würzburg Hbf
0.0	Gemünden (Main)	159 m
	Franconian Saale
1.3	to Aschaffenburg Hbf
	after lilacs
1.9	Kleingemünden (closed in 1975)
2.3	Kleingemünden (since September 11, 2011)
2.7	Josefshaus (closed in 1922)
5.3	Schönau (closed in 1975)
8.9	Wolfsmünster (formerly the train station)
11.0	Lake meadow
12.1	Graefendorf	167 m
13.8	Hurzfurt (closed in 1922)
15.8	Michelaubrück
17.8	Weickersgrüben
19.9	Morlesau (formerly the train station)	180 m
24.0	The stream
27.5	Hammelburg
29.0	Hammelburg Ost (since Sept. 11, 2005)
31.6	Westheim - Langendorf (formerly the train station)
	2 × Franconian Saale
35.2	Elfershausen-Trimberg	191 m
	Franconian Saale
39.8	Euerdorf (formerly the train station)
46.9 9.4	Bad Kissingen	215 m
1.5	Oerlenbach
	from Meiningen
0.0	Ebenhausen (Unterfr)	295 m
	to Schweinfurt Hbf

The Gemünden – Ebenhausen railway line (also known as the Franconian Saale Valley Railway ) is a single-track, non-electrified branch line in Bavaria . It leads in northern Lower Franconia from Gemünden (Main) via Bad Kissingen to Ebenhausen (Unterfr) and largely follows the Franconian Saale .

Route

Connection of the Saale Valley Railway to long-distance rail transport

The Saale Valley Railway leaves Gemünden (Main) first in a northerly direction on the Gemünden– Jossa track of the older route to Flieden , before it branches off in km 1.3 to the east following the Saale Valley. It runs from Gemünden to shortly before Euerdorf only along the Franconian Saale, the meandering river is almost always visible. The route often describes long curves, leads through the mixed and coniferous forests of the local recreation region and over open landscapes. From Euerdorf, it moves away from the valley floor, in order to switch to the section to Ebenhausen after changing direction in the Bad Kissingen train station located higher up. Some of the stops are served at short intervals, as smaller towns are also served; However, the high acceleration values of the vehicles used today can compensate for this. In the terminal station of Bad Kissingen, the Saale valley course ends historically and geographically. In terms of traffic geography, however, the Bad Kissingen – Ebenhausen section, as part of the former branch line from Schweinfurt, also belongs to the route book route 803. Since the 1970s, the branches from Gemünden and Ebenhausen have shared one track for the last 1.3 kilometers. Before that, both lines ran parallel to the station on their own tracks.

history

The spa town of Bad Kissingen received its first connection to the railway network on October 9, 1871, by means of an approximately twenty-kilometer branch line from Schweinfurt, after efforts to establish a continuous route from Gemünden (Main) to Meiningen had failed. Since then, there has been little hope of opening up the Saale valley by rail, but on July 1, 1884, the Bavarian State Railways opened a second branch line from Gemünden am Main to Hammelburg . After forty years, on April 15, 1924, the gap between Hammelburg and Bad Kissingen was finally put into operation.

A railcar (Lower Franconia Shuttle) on the Saale Valley Railway

The now continuous route was initially of increasing importance. In the car- oriented 1960s, however, the timetable was thinned out significantly. It was only with the introduction of the Bavarian cycle that the Saaaletalbahn had a continuous two-hour cycle, condensed into an hourly service between Bad Kissingen and Ebenhausen.

Current usage

The route is important for tourism , both for the Spessart and Rhön nature parks and for Bad Kissingen, a health resort and spa town. Furthermore, it has the typical task of regional rail lines for commuters and everyday traffic. Wood and the operation of the Bundeswehr barracks in Hammelburg play a particularly important role in regional freight transport . After the opening of the Hammelburg Ost stop on September 11, 2005, the one in Gemünden-Kleingemünden followed on September 9, 2011 . Both stations are primarily used for school traffic .

Vehicles used

Deutsche Bahn AG tilting technology multiple unit VT612 in Bad Kissingen

Deutsche Bahn AG railcar VT 642 in Bad Kissingen

With the delivery of the 614 series in the early 1970s, the Saale Valley Railway received modern vehicles for the first time during the times of the Deutsche Bundesbahn. However, these were withdrawn again at the end of the 1980s, after which the diesel locomotives of the Bundesbahn series V 100 (Deutsche Bahn AG series 212 ), now with a passenger car and a control car , shaped the image of the Saale Valley Railway for a long time . At the turn of the millennium, however, the railway found that the almost 40-year-old locomotives and the not much younger wagons were no longer in keeping with the times. After a short guest performance by various old railcars , the modern diesel railcars of the 642 series took over. When the Bavarian Railway Company , which was responsible for ordering local transport, put out a tender a little later, the Erfurt Railway was able to prevail. When the timetable changed on December 12, 2004, it took over operations on the course book route 803 under the name " Unterfranken-Shuttle ", which provides through trains to the Schweinfurt city station . For this purpose, the EIB has procured twenty Regio-Shuttle RS1 railcars . These one-piece diesel vehicles are equipped with Scharfenberg couplings for quick and easy coupling or disconnection . Panoramic glazing, upholstered seats and air conditioning ensure driving comfort. On the Saale Valley Railway have been selling machines of Deutsche Bahn reduced because the EIB organizes sales through vending machines in train. DB and EIB tickets are mutually recognized, and the “Franconian Saale Valley Ticket” for journeys between Bad Kissingen and Gemünden has been available since the end of 2005.

Bad Kissingen is served every two hours by regional express trains operated by Deutsche Bahn from Würzburg. Diesel multiple units with tilting technology of the 612 series are used

There are connections in Gemünden am Main to Schlüchtern, Aschaffenburg and Würzburg and in Ebenhausen to Erfurt and Meiningen.

The 294 series is mainly used in freight transport . The days of operation are Tuesday and Thursday. Hammelburg is only served from Schweinfurt via Gemünden. The main cargo that is shipped is wood. Bundeswehr troop trains run occasionally.

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b Michael Fillies: First train stops on September 11th at 7.41 a.m. In: mainpost.de. August 10, 2011, accessed April 12, 2016 .

Web links

[Pressemeldung_Kleingemünden-1] Michael Fillies: First train stops on September 11th at 7.41 a.m. In: mainpost.de. August 10, 2011, accessed April 12, 2016 .