Münster – Warstein railway line

Münster – Warstein
Route number (DB) :	2943/9213 (Münster – Neubeckum) 2940 (Beckum – Neubeckum) 9212 (Beckum – Lippstadt) 9216 Lippstadt – Warstein
Course book section (DB) :	ex 222e Münster – Warendorf / Lippstadt ex 232p Lippstadt – Warstein
Route length:	101 km
Gauge :	1435 mm ( standard gauge )
Maximum slope :	~ 19  ‰
Legend Railway line Wanne-Eickel – Hamburg from Hamburg -0.6 Münster (Westf) central station Railway line Wanne-Eickel – Hamburg to Wanne-Eickel from Münster Ost passenger station until 1949 from the city ​​harbor I urban port railway to the freight yard 35.5 Munster East (Gbf) 35.2 Münster Halle Münsterland (planned) from the city ​​harbor II Dortmund-Ems Canal to Loddenheide 32.7 Münster-Loddenheide (planned) Münster freight bypass railway 31.5 Gremmendorf (Hp planned) 30.8 Establishment of oxygen works AG 29.7 Angelmodde (reaction planned) 27.2 Wolbeck (PV planned) 22.2 Albersloh 21.7 Albersloh (planned) 18.2 Alst 14.8 Sendenhorst (PV planned) 7.8 Tönnishäuschen 5.7 Enniger 0.0 0.0 Neubeckum Pbf railway line Hamm – Minden (main line) from Neubeckum Gbf 1.7 Friedrichshorst 3.0 Roland 5.9 28.6 Beckum 27.6 Beckum Gbf 26.8 Beckum East 22.7 Dünninghausen 18.3 Diestedde 13.9 Wadersloh 10.9 Liesborn 5.3 Cappel North 4.0 Lippstadt West 3.4 Lippstadt North 2.3 Lippstadt North until 1989 1.2 Rhedaer Bahn lip Hamm – Warburg railway from Warburg 0.0 0.0 Lippstadt 80 m Railway line Hamm – Warburg to Hamm Bad Westernkotten 5.3 Erwitte Nord 7.5 Erwitte 110 m 9.7 Soberinghof 12.1 Anröchte 180 m 16.6 Mellrich 18.5 Uelde 290 m 20.7 Vertex 330 m 23.3 Drewer Möhnetalbahn from Brilon Möhne 26.2 Licking 265 m Möhnetalbahn to Soest from Belecke Rbf 30.1 Belecke Lanfer 30.7 Warstein 290 m Industrial railway to Lieth

The Münster – Warstein railway is a standard-gauge railway in North Rhine-Westphalia. It is the main line of the Westfälische Landes-Eisenbahn and is used by it for freight traffic. However, the section between Neubeckum and Beckum is owned by DB Netz AG .

history

After various efforts to connect the area around Belecke and Warstein to the railway network, the Warstein-Lippstädter Railway was founded on November 22nd, 1881. The main shareholder was the Westphalia Provincial Association . For the construction of the line from Warstein to Lippstadt, Kaiser Wilhelm I signed the building permit on March 24th, 1882. On June 27th and 28th, 1882, the state police examination of the building project by the Royal Railway Commissariat took place, which finally took place on October 2nd, 1882 official building permit granted. The railway line between Warstein and Lippstadt was built in 19 months and approved by the state police on October 27, 1883. The opening ceremony took place on October 31st.

After the initial successes, various railway projects were tackled. For this purpose, the name was changed to Westfälische Landes-Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft in 1896, and the company was abbreviated as WLE as before. On October 20, 1898, the line was extended beyond Lippstadt to Beckum . There was a connection to the Neubeckum (then Beckum-Enniger) –Beckum line of the state railway, which went into operation on September 21, 1879. On the basis of a contract with KED Hannover , all operations on this route were carried out by the WLE from then on. However, the legal management of the operation was in the hands of the state railway, and it was not transferred to the WLE until 1958. Since March 18, 1976, the entire administration and sole operational use has been with the WLE, while the DB continues to hold the concession.

The line from Neubeckum to Warendorf was opened on April 15, 1899, and the connection to Münster on September 30, 1903. In Münster there was no direct connection to the state railway, the WLE station was about 700 meters from the main station. Freight wagons were handed over via the municipal port railway. After the passenger station of the Westfälische Landes-Eisenbahn was destroyed in the Second World War, a connecting ramp to the main station was built in 1949 so that the passenger trains could also use it.

Bridge over the Dortmund-Ems Canal in Munster

Due to the decline in passenger traffic and the stagnation in freight traffic, the WLE ran into liquidity problems. In 1970 the WLE was offered for sale to the Federal Railroad, but in 1974 it was finally refused. The state of North Rhine-Westphalia was ready to help if rationalization measures were carried out. This included the cessation of passenger traffic. As a result, track systems were dismantled, stations were sold, but the remaining lines were also renovated and modern locomotives and wagons for limestone traffic were purchased.

passenger traffic

In the beginning, the focus was on the transport of goods, and there was little passenger traffic. Three pairs of trains ran every day. In 1884 64,000 passengers were carried. Before the line was expanded in 1898, 172,000 passengers were carried, followed by 2.2 million in 1913.

In Neubeckum and Lippstadt, the platforms were located directly at the state train station, so that it was easy to change trains. In order to be able to keep up with the competition with road traffic, the first railcars were procured in 1928. Münster was the main destination for passenger traffic, but on the weekends, excursion traffic to the villages was also important. In 1938 there were five or six pairs of trains running, between Neubeckum and Münster even ten. In 1954 there were seven and eleven pairs of trains. In 1974, the WLE only carried around 1,000 people on the route between Neubeckum and Münster in the daily rush hour in the evening and in the morning.

Passenger traffic on this route was discontinued in 1975: for the summer timetable on May 31 on the Beckum – Lippstadt section, for the winter timetable on September 27 the routes Münster – Neubeckum and Lippstadt – Warstein.

Reactivation efforts

As part of the integrated traffic planning of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (IGVP), the reactivation of all route sections between Münster and Warstein for local rail passenger transport (SPNV) was examined. As a result, the reactivation of the Münster – Neubeckum section was included in the state's transport infrastructure plan under the measures of stage 2 (implementation after 2015). At the end of 2010, another study was presented according to which it would be worthwhile to use the section from Sendenhorst to Münster Hauptbahnhof. This study provides for two additional stops, namely at Halle Münsterland and in Loddenheide , as well as a twenty-minute cycle in the city area to Münster-Wolbeck. Two trains per hour should then run to Sendenhorst. A demand of 6,000 passengers is expected on weekdays.

This photo shows the condition of the tracks between Gremmendorf and Angelmodde at about 30 km.

Based on the study, a reactivation for passenger traffic and thus a restoration of the last poorly maintained route is being considered, and corresponding applications have been made. The WLE assumed that it would go into operation at the end of 2023, although delays due to objections were not taken into account. In the meantime, operations are planned for 2024.

The section from Sendenhorst to Beckum is deliberately not taken into account, as a considerably lower number of passengers is assumed there. It should possibly follow in a later stage of implementation.

Angelstrasse / Twenhövenweg level crossing in the Angelmodde district (Münster). The level crossing was provided with a St. Andrew's cross in 2019

In the meantime, the WLE has started planning to reactivate the line. Cost increases of ten million euros occurred because bridges and culverts are in a worse condition than expected. In addition, a very high number of level crossings must be maintained and technically secured; after an initial 23 level crossings, 29 of a total of 52 level crossings are now to be closed when reactivating. The "Petersheide" level crossing had to be upgraded for construction vehicles in a new building area. Between Münster Hauptbahnhof and Loddenheide, the speed is to be increased to 60 km / h, between Loddenheide and Münster-Wolbeck to 80 km / h and on to Sendenhorst to 100 km / h. The costs for reactivating the 21.1 kilometer route are currently estimated at 42.3 million euros. Seven modern stations are also to be built, two of which will be designed as crossing stations. In addition, a two-track encounter section is planned. In 2019, the WLE provided level crossings for pedestrians with St. Andrew's crosses. Individual transitions should be abandoned when reactivating.

In order to accelerate the reactivation, the NWL had developed a first simplified implementation stage. Initially, only the first 4.4 kilometers to Gremmendorf should be reactivated. Up to this point, the trains on the RB 67 line from Bielefeld / Warendorf are to be extended every hour and with technically supported train control operations. The costs should amount to 6.5 million euros. In August 2016, the NWL announced in its association meeting that it would no longer pursue a gradual reactivation. In the case of a self-financed reactivation to Gremmendorf, the later reactivation section Gremmendorf – Sendenhorst would have to be independently assessed again if financed by the public transport law of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Those responsible do not want to take the risk of losing the eligibility of the second construction phase.

Banner of a citizens' initiative against WLE reactivation

As part of the reorganization of the public transport requirement plan, the reactivation project on the WLE route was subjected to a renewed cost-benefit assessment. A positive evaluation is a prerequisite for the eligibility of reactivation by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. For the corridor of the bus route 8 Münster - Gremmendorf - Angelmodde - Wolbeck, a revised concept was announced in relation to the settings, as suggested in the 2010 report. Resistance to a revival of the local rail transport is forming in the Münster city area. Citizens' initiatives are calling for a cycle path to be set up on the route dedicated to goods traffic. The passenger forecasts on which the assessment is based are questioned by the citizens' initiative. In 2017, a special trip was accompanied by protests. The plans for noise protection are being questioned, the information policy of the planners is criticized.

Banner of a citizens' initiative against WLE reactivation

Special trip 2017 in Münster-Wolbeck

A standardized assessment with updated figures was completed in early 2019. The investment costs for upgrading the infrastructure have risen to 42.8 million euros. It was determined that the rail connection could attract 2300 additional passengers who would otherwise not use the local transport offer. In the study, the measure achieved a benefit-cost indicator of 1.3, with line 8 only running to Wolbeck every hour. The project is therefore eligible for funding under the Public Transport Act of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia. The report is criticized by individual local politicians. The city of Münster provided information about the bus concept in 2018 and documented the event. The Landtag's transport committee decided on July 3, 2019 to include the route to Sendenhorst in the state's requirements plan and in the financing plan so that reactivation can be implemented in the coming years.

At the association meeting of the Zweckverband Eisenbahn Personenennahverkehr Münsterland (ZVM) on November 29, 2019, the SPD parliamentary group submitted an application that a feasibility study for the reactivation of the further section of the route from Sendenhorst via Neubeckum and Wadersloh to Lippstadt should be commissioned. The application was unanimously accepted by the association assembly and the investigation is now being commissioned by the ZVM. Responsibility for local rail passenger transport is withdrawn from the ZVM; the NWL takes over the tasks and thus the further planning of the WLE route.

The renewal of the bridge over the Dortmund-Ems canal is delayed with the expansion of the Dortmund-Ems canal to 2027. The reactivation of the WLE line requires a plan approval procedure, since it involves significant legal interventions on the line (e.g. B. Increase in speed etc.). The NWL announced that the planning documents had been handed over to the district government on May 8, 2020. A citizens' initiative provides information about the upcoming plan approval procedure.

Freight transport

Former goods shed at Münster Ost train station

Ramp to the hair strand -Überquerung at a level crossing with Drewer , viewing direction Belecke

Freight traffic was already in the foreground when the route was planned. The most important customers in the early days were the quarries near Warstein, Belecke and Anröchte. The cement works in Erwitte, Beckum and Ennigerloh, established at the end of the 19th century, were also good customers. The stone and cement industry is still one of the best freight customers today. This dependency is also reflected in the transport services. In times of economic weakness, the transport services declined significantly, while they increased considerably in times of upswing. A substantial fleet of freight wagons was kept for this traffic. Even today there are still wagons for transporting limestone from Warstein to the cement works in the Beckum area. Up to six trains a day are still in use for this in 2008. The inclines on the route between Warstein and Uelde are difficult. They only allow relatively short trains and occasionally require the use of push-pull locomotives .

Agricultural transport and a large number of industrial companies were also important, although most of these transports migrated to the streets in the 1960s and 1970s.

The handover to the state railway took place almost equally in Neubeckum and Lippstadt, in Münster around ten percent of the handover traffic was handled. In the course of the centralization of goods traffic, the handover in Lippstadt became almost meaningless, but traffic via Münster increased. But domestic traffic, especially for the cement industry, is also important.

Since 2005 the Warsteiner Brewery has been connected to the Warstein train station via a 4.3 kilometer long track. There are currently three container trains running weekly, two to Munich and one to Berlin.

Westfalen AG in Münster announced that it would give up its location in Gremmendorf by mid-2019. This means the discontinuation of regular freight traffic on that section, as Westfalen AG is the last remaining customer. The connection to Loddenheide has been dismantled and some of the tracks have already been removed.

literature

• Gerd Wolff: North Rhine-Westphalia, northeastern part . In: German small and private railways . tape 6 . EK-Verlag, Freiburg 2000, ISBN 3-88255-664-1 , p. 240-278 .
• Karlheinz Hauke: The Westphalian State Railway . transpress Verlag, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-613-71120-6 .
• Josef Kückmann, Burkhard Beyer: From Warstein to the Münsterland . The history of the Westphalian State Railroad. DGEG Medien, Hövelhof 2009, ISBN 978-3-937189-39-0 .

Web links

Commons : Münster – Warstein railway line  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Description of route 2940 in the NRWbahnarchiv by André Joost
• Reactivation project website

Individual evidence

1. ^ Westfälische Nachrichten: Bundesbahn rejects WLE takeover . Aschendorff, Münster August 31, 1974.
2. ^ Westfälische Nachrichten: Bundesbahn rejects WLE takeover . Aschendorff, Münster August 31, 1974.
3. ↑ On the move quickly - facts about reactivating the WLE route. (PDF) WLE / ZVM, September 9, 2017, accessed on September 15, 2017 (Flyer). 
4. ↑ Dierk Hartleb: Ambitious schedule for the WLE. Retrieved May 11, 2020 . 
5. ↑ detail. Retrieved May 20, 2020 . 
6. ↑ Local traffic plan of the special purpose association local transport Westphalia-Lippe. October 1, 2009, pp. 137-138 , accessed October 25, 2015 . 
7. ↑ Schüßler Plan, WLE: reactivation of the SPNV WLE route Sendenhorst – Münster, meeting of the committee for urban development and the environment of the city of Sendenhorst on September 22nd, 2015. (PDF) September 22, 2015, accessed July 4, 2017 . 
8. ^ BÜ concept. (PDF) ZVM, 2017, accessed on September 16, 2017 . 
9. ↑ Westfälische Nachrichten: Level crossing is made fit for construction vehicles. Retrieved May 10, 2020 . 
10. ↑ Reactivation of the WLE route Münster – Sendenhorst. (PDF) ZVM, WLE, accessed on July 4, 2017 . 
11. ↑ 35th association meeting of the Zweckverband Nahverkehr Westfalen-Lippe TOP 8. (ZIP) September 30, 2009, accessed on October 25, 2015 . 
12. ↑ 41st Association Assembly of the Zweckverband Nahverkehr Westfalen-Lippe TOP 16. (ZIP) August 4, 2016, accessed on July 2, 2017 . 
13. ↑ Reactivation of the WLE route Münster – Sendenhorst. (PDF) ZVM, accessed on July 4, 2017 . 
14. ↑ Realistic passenger numbers? Retrieved July 4, 2017 . 
15. ^ Andreas Hasenkamp: Protest on the edge of the route. Retrieved May 10, 2020 . 
16. ↑ Klaus Baumeister: Residents accuse planners of withdrawing for cost reasons. Retrieved May 11, 2020 . 
17. ↑ Iris Sauer-Waltermann: Discussion on the subject of "noise protection". Retrieved May 11, 2020 . 
18. ↑ NWL, standardized evaluation for the reactivation project Münster - Sendenhorst (WLE), accessed: July 9, 2019
19. ↑ Iris Sauer-Waltermann: Discussion about WLE reactivation continues. Retrieved May 11, 2020 . 
20. ^ City of Münster: Traffic planning - In Münster on the move by bus and train - WLE route. Retrieved May 12, 2020 . 
21. ↑ Local transport: Clear the way for new train connections. Retrieved July 8, 2019 . 
22. ^ Westfälische Nachrichten, Green light for feasibility study - expand WLE route to Lippstadt, author: Beate Kopmann, November 29, 2019
23. ↑ Elmar Ries: The train has left - ZVM loses the rest of its autonomy. Retrieved May 12, 2020 . 
24. ↑ Klaus Baumeister: Work will last until 2027. Accessed on May 11, 2020 . 
25. ↑ detail. Retrieved May 12, 2020 . 
26. ↑ Plan approval | Citizens' initiative against WLE reactivation. Retrieved May 12, 2020 . 
27. ↑ press release. (PDF) Westfalen AG, accessed on July 4, 2017 .