Railway line Oberoderwitz – Wilthen

		from (Liberec–) Zittau (formerly Löbau-Zittau Railway )
	-0.616	Oberoderwitz Abzw
		to Löbau (formerly Löbau-Zittau Railway )
	0.000	Oberoderwitz (formerly Bf)	311 m
	0.310	EÜ Spitzbergstrasse (26 m)
	2,444	Oberoderwitz Oberdorf	339 m
		from Mittelherwigsdorf – Varnsdorf
	6.654	Hp Abzw Eibau (formerly Bf)
	9.917	Neugersdorf (formerly Bf)	395 m
		from Bakov nad Jizerou (formerly Bohemian Northern Railway )
	13,443	Ebersbach (Sachs)	361 m
		to Löbau
	13.770	EÜ Marktstrasse (12 m)
	14,920	Hempelbachtal Bridge (61 m)
	17.813	EÜ Neufriedersdorf (14 m)
	19,440	Neusalza-Spremberg (formerly Bf)	332 m
	21.025	State border between Germany and the Czech Republic
	22.055	State border between the Czech Republic and Germany
		Narrow-gauge railway from Dürrhennersdorf
	22,930	Taubenheim (Spree) (formerly Bf)	309 m
	26,388	Sohland Viaduct (124 m)
	27,148	Sohland (formerly Bf)	298 m
	27,929	Kaltbachtal bridge (40 m)
	29.740	Viaduct Schirgiswalde (147 m)
	30.160	Schirgiswalde - Kirschau (formerly Bf)	289 m
		from Bautzen
	33.377	Wilthen	298 m
		to Neukirch West (-Bad Schandau)

formerly double-track line

The Oberoderwitz – Wilthen line is a single-track main line in Saxony , which was originally built and operated as part of the South Lusatian Railway . It connects to the Zittau – Löbau railway line in Oberoderwitz and leads in southern Upper Lusatia via Neugersdorf , Ebersbach / Sa. and Schirgiswalde to Wilthen , where it joins the Bautzen – Bad Schandau railway line . The route is part of the national long-distance connection from Liberec via Zittau to Dresden .

history

The Oberoderwitz – Wilthen railway line was planned and built from 1872 as a section of the South Lusatian Railway. The main line of the South Lusatian Railway ran from Zittau via Warnsdorf , Eibau , Ebersbach , Sohland and Neukirch towards Pirna . Two later added branch lines from Oberoderwitz to Eibau and from Neukirch to Bischofswerda later shortened the route and enabled continuous traffic on the Dresden – Bischofswerda – Ebersbach – Zittau route.

Opening dates:

November 1, 1874: (Seifhennersdorf–) Eibau – Ebersbach
May 1, 1875: Ebersbach – Sohland
September 1, 1877: Sohland – Wilthen
October 15, 1879: Oberoderwitz – Eibau

Between Neugersdorf and Ebersbach and between Neusalza and Taubenheim ( Fugauer Zipfel ) the new route crossed Bohemian territory on short sections. The basis for this was a state treaty between Austria and Saxony dated September 29, 1869.

Ebersbach station (around 1900)

In the 1950s, Czechoslovakia planned an exchange of territory in which the entire Fugau region was to be handed over to the GDR. In that case, the railway line would from now on also have run entirely on German territory. However, this project failed for unknown reasons.

Since the mid-1990s, the route has been modernized and renewed in sections. Most of the sidings, sidings and crossings were dismantled. In August 2007, the Saxon Minister of Economic Affairs, Thomas Jurk , informed a small inquiry that the travel time with the regional express between Dresden and Zittau should be reduced to less than 80 minutes in the future, for which a total of 84.6 million euros were allocated to the expansion of the Bischofswerda − Zittau section invest. The expansion was financed by the Free State of Saxony and the Zweckverband Verkehrsverbund Oberlausitz-Niederschlesien (ZVON) and totaled 100 million euros.

As a result of the reduction in travel times achieved, an optimized cycle timetable was put into effect at the end of 2008, which in normal operation on the Dresden – Zittau route only requires one train crossing in the single-track section. This takes place for the regional trains at the odd hour in Ebersbach (Sachs), for the regional express trains at the hour in Wilthen. This means that travel times between Dresden and Zittau are around 90 minutes on the regional express and around 110 minutes on the regional train.

By 2010, almost all of the remaining stations were connected to the Zittau electronic signal box (ESTW) sub-center based in Bischofswerda and equipped with Ks signals . Only the Eibau station was initially left out of the dismantling due to the lack of clarity about the branching line of the DRE towards Mittelherwigsdorf. Between the two endpoints, only Ebersbach (Sachs) is still in operation as a train station, where train crossings can take place. Eibau was finally dismantled in 2016 to a breakpoint with a branch. In addition to Ebersbach (Sachs), Sohland is the only operating site where traffic facilities for freight traffic are still available.

In December 2014 the railway company Vogtlandbahn (today: Die Länderbahn) took over all local public transport services from DB Regio Südost under the Trilex brand . A change in the transport offer and the quality was not associated with this.

In February 2019, the Coal Commission for Structural Change in Lusatia also decided on measures to improve the infrastructure on the rail link between Zittau and Bischofswerda. Specifically, the re-establishment of crossing stations is planned in order to enable a more frequent cycle. According to ZVON, the route is currently "used to capacity with the existing timetable".

A passenger train timetable came into effect on October 15, 2019, which is consistently geared towards the new zero-cycle hub in Zittau. Since then, the regional trains have been crossing every two hours in Wilthen for the usual minute of symmetry .

Route description

course

The line leaves the Oberoderwitz train station, which has now been dismantled to the halt, in a north-westerly direction and initially leads upwards in the Landwasser valley. Shortly before Neugersdorf, it crosses the watershed to the Spree , which it then follows to the end point Wilthen . Shortly before the Ebersbach (Sachs) train station there was originally one of the sections laid out on Bohemian territory; after a border change in the 1920s, the border now runs directly along the track. The second cross-border section at Neusalza-Spremberg still exists today and is over a kilometer long. At Sohland and in Schirgiswalde, the route leads over two viaducts that bridge the side valleys of the Spree.

Operating points

Oberoderwitz

Oberoderwitz station (2012)

The Oberoderwitz station was set up as a stop by the Löbau-Zittau Railway in 1848. The later expansion as an island station with a stately station building was only discovered with the integration of the line towards Eibau in 1879. In the largest expansion after the First World War, the railway system comprised a total of 28 points. On the Wilthen side there were two platform tracks and another main track for freight trains.

After the closure of the Oberoderwitz – Löbau line on December 19, 1999, Oberoderwitz was downgraded to a stop with a branch. The switches and track connections to the Löbauer side were removed, on the Wilthen side only the track on the house platform remained. The remaining B1 interlocking ("Oberoderwitz Abzweig") only secures the branch point on the double-track line from Zittau and the neighboring level crossing.

Oberoderwitz Oberdorf

The Oberoderwitz Oberdorf stop has existed since the line opened. The high-rise buildings consisted of a wooden reception building with a service and waiting room, a free abortion and an official residence III. Class. After setting up the second track, the stop was given a second platform on the opposite side, which could be reached via a covered passenger tunnel. Today, apart from the residential building, all the high-rise buildings have been demolished, and travelers can use a simple shelter as weather protection.

Eibau

Eibau station (2007)

The Eibau station was put into operation on November 1, 1874 as a stop on the South Lusatian State Railway. With the commissioning of the line from Oberoderwitz on October 15, 1879, Eibau became a separation station with five tracks. Eibau had the greatest expansion after the continuous double-track expansion of the line from Oberoderwitz to Ebersbach in 1925 with a total of 22 points.

The reduction of the facilities began immediately after the Second World War, when the second Oberoderwitz – Ebersbach track was dismantled as part of the reparations payments for the Soviet Union. In 1988 Eibau received a new electromechanical interlocking with Hl light signals. In 2016, the remaining side tracks were dismantled and the station was stepped down to the stop with a branch. Associated with this was the decommissioning of the previous signal box and the integration of the control center into the Bischofswerda electronic signal box.

Neugersdorf

Neugersdorf stop (2007)

Today's Neugersdorf stop was put into operation in 1874 as the Alt- und Neu-Gersdorf train station . It was not given its current name until the unified community of Neugersdorf was formed on October 1, 1899. Originally the operating site comprised four tracks. Between 1902 and 1905 the station was finally expanded to eight tracks. It had reached its greatest expansion around 1925 with 15 tracks and 45 points. There were also three private sidings in the station.

The high-rise buildings consisted of the stately reception building, which was expanded in 1912/13 by a large extension for service rooms and the station restaurant, goods sheds and farm buildings.

A first reduction of the facilities took place in 1946, when the second main track and a station track were dismantled. In 1952, further systems for the extraction of track material for "urgent building projects" were dismantled.

After the political change in eastern Germany in 1989/90, the importance of the station declined quite quickly. Goods traffic came to a standstill within a very short time, so that one could do without all side tracks. On June 2, 1999, the station was downgraded to a stop. All facilities except the continuous main track were dismantled by 2000, all auxiliary buildings demolished by 2006. The reception building, which was extensively renovated in 1992, is empty today after ticket issuance closed in March 2000. An interface to intercity bus traffic was created on the former goods area.

Ebersbach (Sachs)

Ebersbach station (2007)

The Ebersbach (Sachs) station has existed since November 1, 1873. The station was designed from the start as a border station at the intersection of the South Lusatian Railway with the Bohemian line from Bakov and on to Löbau. Originally, part of the track system at the eastern head of the station was also on Bohemian territory. Only a border shift, including relocation of the Spree and the extensive renovation of the station facilities in 1926, ended this situation. The Bohemian Northern Railway and its legal successors kk Staatsbahnen and ČSD still owned the facilities and buildings until 1938.

Today the once extensive facilities of the station have been reduced to the minimum necessary for operations. In addition to three platform tracks and a loading track, there is still a special main track for freight trains. It is used in particular for the trains to and from the Czech Republic, which continue to run as required.

Wilthen

At Wilthen station, the Oberoderwitz – Wilthen line joins the Bautzen – Bad Schandau line , which has been closed in the Bautzen – Wilthen section since 2007. The formerly extensive facilities of the station were gradually dismantled after 1990, today only three of the original 15 tracks are still in operation. The stately reception building in an island location is empty today.

Vehicle use

Class 219 (ex DR class 119) in Schirgiswalde on October 21, 1994

The series 38.10–40 in passenger traffic and 52 in freight traffic were formative in the steam locomotive era . From around 1935 onwards, the Dresden – Zittau express train was driven by multiple units consisting of diesel-electric multiple units and sidecars from the Dresden-Pieschen depot. This railcar connection was operated until 1965. Until the end of the 1980s, the Dresden – Zittau express trains generally consisted of a DR class 118 locomotive and modernization express train passenger cars . It was not until 1988 that the fleet of express trains was converted to the Halberstadt type central entry coaches, which were modern at the time. The locomotives of the DR class 110 were mostly used before the passenger trains . Until 1988, local freight trains mostly ran with steam locomotives of the DR class 52.80 . A use of the heavy Soviet large diesel locomotives was not possible due to meter load restrictions on the numerous bridges.

From the beginning of the 1990s, the Romanian locomotives of the DR class 119 were used in front of all trains. After the viaducts had been upgraded and the possible meter loads had been increased, the 232/234 series was also permitted on the line from the mid-1990s . They were mainly used in front of the push-pull trains for local transport.

Around 2000 modern regional railcars replaced the locomotive hauled push-pull trains. Since then, the regional railways have been running vehicles from the 642 series (Desiro) . The regional express trains were formed from vehicles from the 612 series , but due to the lack of track expansion they ran without tilting technology. By order of the ZVON, Desiro has also been used in regional express trains since December 11, 2011. Because of the low volume of traffic, the vehicles mostly run solo.

literature

Erich Preuß , Reiner Preuß : Saxon State Railways . transpress Verlagsgesellschaft, Berlin 1991, ISBN 3-344-70700-0 .
Wilfried Rettig: Railways in the border triangle of Eastern Saxony (D) / Lower Silesia (PL) / Northern Bohemia (CZ) - Part 1: History of the main lines, operating points, electrification and route descriptions , EK-Verlag, Freiburg 2010, ISBN 978-388255-732-9 , Pp. 172-187

Web links

Commons : Oberoderwitz – Wilthen railway line - collection of images, videos and audio files

Route, operating points and some permitted speeds on the OpenRailwayMap
Oberlausitzer Eisenbahnen - route description, track plans, photos
Sachsenschiene - route data, station descriptions, track plans, photos

Individual evidence

↑ R. G. Bl. No. 61/1871
↑ Petr Mikšíček : Tváře Krušnohoří - Faces of the Ore Mountains. fornica graphics, Sokolov 2009, ISBN 978-80-87194-07-2 , p. 60
↑ Bahn-Report 5/2007, Ed .: Interest Group Rail Traffic eV, 91189 Rohr
^ Sächsische Zeitung, Dresden, regional edition Bischofswerda, March 5, 2009
↑ ZVON press release from March 1, 2019
↑ Annual timetable 2020

[1] R. G. Bl. No. 61/1871

[2] Petr Mikšíček : Tváře Krušnohoří - Faces of the Ore Mountains. fornica graphics, Sokolov 2009, ISBN 978-80-87194-07-2 , p. 60

[3] Bahn-Report 5/2007, Ed .: Interest Group Rail Traffic eV, 91189 Rohr

[4] Sächsische Zeitung, Dresden, regional edition Bischofswerda, March 5, 2009

[5] ZVON press release from March 1, 2019

[6] Annual timetable 2020