Plauen – Cheb railway line

	from Leipzig Bayer Bf
0.400	Plauen (Vogtl) above Bf	407 m
	to Hof Hbf
1,850	Syratal Viaduct (210 m)
2.814	Plauen (Vogtl) West	386 m
5.983	Plauen (Vogtl) - Straßberg
6.165	Rosenbach Bridge (88 m)
7.670	Pumpkin	352 m
	from Gera Süd
9.450	Weischlitz	355 m
12.397	White magpie
	Elstertalbrücke Pirk ( federal motorway 72 )
13,395	Pirk	368 m
13,877	White magpie
	by Herlasgrün
19.831	Oelsnitz (Vogtl)	391 m
26.608	Dog green	420 m
29.175	Rebersreuth	425 m
29,593	White magpie
	from Aš
33.137	Adorf (Vogtl)	444 m
	to Chemnitz Hbf
35,952	Rauntal Viaduct (111 m)
36.299	Bad Elster	473 m
39.580	Sole	518 m
41,559	Murmur	540 m
44.747	Former border between Germany and Czechoslovakia
45.284	former border between Czechoslovakia and Germany
46.300	Vertex	606 m
46.390	Bk Hengstberg
47.614	State border between Germany and the Czech Republic
48.137	State border between the Czech Republic and Germany
48.900	Brambach Sanatorium
49.927	Bad Brambach	576 m
51.325	State border between Germany and the Czech Republic
51.850	State border between the Czech Republic and Germany
52.080	State border between Germany and the Czech Republic
53.550	Plesná formerly Fleißen (Böhm)	545 m
55.525	State border between the Czech Republic and Germany
57.269	Schönberg (b Bad Brambach)	530 m
59.459	State border between Germany and the Czech Republic
60.030	Vojtanov formerly Voitersreuth	510 m
	from Oberkotzau
62.480	Abzw pork bags
63.280	Žírovice - Seníky until 2008 Františkovy Lázně-Seníky
64.600	Antonienhöhe-Stöckermühle
67.150	Františkovy Lázně formerly Franzensbad	448 m
	from Tršnice (formerly BEB )
68.750	Františkovy Lázně- Aquaforum since 2007
70.760	Bk Lehenstein
~ 73.200	Egerviadukt (348 m)
	von Chomutov (formerly BEB )
74,335	Cheb used to be Eger	463 m
	to Nürnberg Hbf
	to Plzeň (–Wien FJB) (formerly KFJB )
	to Wiesau (Oberpf) (formerly Bayerische Ostbahn )

The Plauen – Cheb railway is a partially double-track main line in Saxony and the Czech Republic , which was originally built and operated by the Royal Saxon State Railways . It runs from Plauen via Weischlitz , Adorf / Vogtl. , Bad Brambach and Františkovy Lázně (Franzensbad) to Cheb (Eger) .

history

Prehistory and construction

Escaped Saxon locomotives in Eger during the German War of 1866

Today's main line Plauen – Cheb has its origins in the Voigtland state railway from Herlasgrün via Falkenstein / Vogtl, which opened on November 1st, 1865 . and Oelsnitz to Eger.

A direct route from Plauen to Bohemia had been planned beforehand, which was then implemented. In May 1868, the construction of the railway was approved by the First Chamber of the Saxon State Parliament , but the preparatory work did not begin until the following year. In October 1871 the construction of the route from Plauen to Oelsnitz began . In order to cope with the height difference from the railway line Leipzig – Hof (Saxon-Bavarian Railway) into the valley of the White Elster , a route on the valley slope was necessary, which made extensive earthworks necessary. In the urban area of Plauen, a larger vaulted viaduct was built over the Syratal . On November 1, 1874, the double-track line was opened. However, the construction was much more expensive than planned, instead of the estimated 1.75 million thalers it cost around 2.35 million thalers. The Oelsnitz – Brambach section had already been expanded to double tracks by 1872, and double-track operations began in 1877 on the Brambach – Voitersreuth section.

In operation of the Royal Saxon State Railways

Level crossing at Jugelsburg shortly after Adorf, 1904

The Plauen – Eger line developed into the most important rail link to Bohemia , especially for traffic from Central Germany and Thuringia . The express trains Dresden - Munich also used the route south via Eger, as it was shorter than the old route via Hof.

A serious railway accident occurred near Rebersreuth on July 23, 1899. A group of wagons broke loose at Bad Elster station and collided with a freight train traveling uphill. The cleanup took a week.

Even after the First World War and the establishment of Czechoslovakia, the line remained in its entirety in the inventory of the Royal Saxon State Railways and the German Reichsbahn as their successor.

After the establishment of the Deutsche Reichsbahn

As part of the route between Pirk and Oelsnitz lay north of the Weißen Elster within the storage area of the Pirk dam , this section of the route was redrawn in 1937/38 a little south of the dam under construction.

After the Sudetenland was annexed to the German Reich in autumn 1938, the previously single-track section from Voitersreuth to Franzensbad was also converted to double-track operation.

In World War II

From 1944 Plauen was the target of Allied air raids. Since the Plauen (Vogtl) train station was also affected, this impaired traffic on the railway line considerably. On April 8, 1945, the Eger station was hit by a severe attack, so that train traffic was no longer possible there. On April 12, 1945, the Egerviadukt was also badly damaged by bombs. At the end of April 1945, train traffic came to a complete standstill. The Wehrmacht then caused further destruction, among other things the overpass of Hofer Straße in Oelsnitz was blown up, various locomotives were made unusable.

After the Second World War

After the Second World War, the line was repaired very quickly, with the first trains running again between Adorf and Bad Elster on May 18, 1945.

State border and infrastructure border between Plesná and Schönberg (2017)

On July 9, 1945, the route sections located on Czechoslovakian territory were transferred to the Czechoslovak State Railways (ČSD) without compensation . On German territory, the line lost its second track as part of the reparations payments to the Soviet Union in 1946. Between Františkovy Lázně and Cheb the route was still interrupted because of the destroyed Egerviadukt. All train traffic in this section had to be handled on the Tršnice – Františkovy Lázně railway line . On May 19, 1951, the bridge was restored. In that year, the Bad Brambach – Vojtanov section was also dismantled onto a track. The Plesná station (formerly Fleißen), located in the Czechoslovak section of the route, was served by ČSD after 1945 with domestic trains from Cheb. For this purpose, privileged through-rail traffic has been set up on the German section of the route near Schönberg . The Schönberg stop (near Bad Brambach) , whose operation would also have required a PED, did not go back into operation after the end of the war.

It was not until 1955 that cross-border passenger train traffic began again. The Karlex express train connection from Berlin to Karlsbad , which was later operated by express railcars of the class VT 18.16 , became famous . The train had previously been hauled by class 75.5 steam locomotives .

The route soon regained its old importance in freight traffic. The ČSD gradually expanded the Vojtanov border station into an efficient border station. At the beginning of the 1980s, the Czechoslovak route section was electrified with the catenary voltage of 25 kV at 50 Hz, which is common in northwestern Bohemia. On October 17, 1983, electrical operations between Vojtanov and Cheb began. The Deutsche Reichsbahn began to rebuild the second track in the German section in the 1970s. Since the end of the 1980s, the Pirk – Adorf and Raun – Bad Brambach sections have been in operation again on two tracks.

Františkovy Lázně station with Vogtlandbahn train (2006)

Since 1997 the Vogtlandbahn has been operating local transport on the Zwickau – Bad Brambach route. Vogtlandbahn trains have been running to Cheb since 2000 and also serve all subway stations in the Czech section. Here are the ČD between Plesná Cheb and the responsible railway company , with the staff at the station Vojtanov changes. The morning train pair Monday to Friday from Cheb to Plesná and back is continuously driven by ČD staff.

In 2004/05 the section Františkovy Lázně – Cheb was renovated by the ČD.

Regional express trains operated by Deutsche Bahn operated from Leipzig to Adorf / Vogtl until the Central German S-Bahn began operating in December 2013 . Since the “ Karlex ” was discontinued in the mid-1990s, there has been no higher-quality train service on the Plauen – Cheb line .

Today the route is mainly used for regional traffic. Since December 2012, only five pairs of trains have been running across borders on the route Zwickau center - Plauen - Bad Brambach - Cheb and back on the Vogtlandbahn line RB2. They are reinforced by additional trains between Plauen and Adorf or Bad Brambach. Ten pairs of passenger trains will run between Plauen ob Bf and Adorf (Vogtl) in the 2019/19 timetable. The route has lost its importance in freight transport. Wood and steel rolls are still being loaded in Oelsnitz. Only occasional diversion trains run across borders.

After a storm on May 24, 2018, the route between Oelsnitz and Adorf was completely closed until October 5, 2018 due to damage to the track. Replacement rail services were set up for the canceled passenger trains.

outlook

In connection with the construction of the City Tunnel in Leipzig , continuous electrification and a double-track expansion have been required for a long time in order to enable passenger train traffic between Leipzig and the upper Vogtland region to be free of transfers in the future.

The two-track expansion of the Plauen – Bad Brambach – state border section and the closure of the Plauen – Vojtanov electrification gap are set as a spatial planning goal in the Saxony 2013 state development plan. The reason given is in particular the freight traffic between northern Germany and the Czech Republic - especially as a comparatively short-term reserve capacity to relieve the Elbe valley route Dresden – Děčín . The advantage of the route via Bad Brambach over the alternative Plauen – Hof – Marktredwitz – Cheb is the 40 km shorter route between Plauen (Vogtl) upper station and Cheb station , which also does not require a change of direction at Marktredwitz station .

An unspecified project proposal " ABS Plauen - Bad Brambach - Border D / CZ (- Cheb)" with project number 1-165 has not been included in the Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan 2030 . Since an expansion of the route would not generate any benefit for national freight transport and no relevant demand potential in long- distance passenger rail transport is expected, the project proposal was assessed as uneconomical and was already ruled out in the initial assessment . The originator of the project registration and the suggested scope of measures are not recognizable.

The non-inclusion of the project proposal in the BVWP 2030 does not fundamentally call into question the expansion target anchored in the State Development Plan Saxony 2013. It was included in the Saxon State Transport Plan 2030 in 2019. However, it means that the Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan 2030 and the federal expansion laws based on it are out of the question as a source of funding for a possible expansion of the route.

In August 2018, the Saxon Ministry of Economic Affairs commissioned a feasibility study for the expansion of the route from Dornier Consulting, Berlin, for 214,000 euros.

Route description

course

simplified elevation profile of the route

In Plauen Vogtland upper station, the line branches off from the Leipzig – Hof railway line and passes the Syratalbrücke before reaching the former Plauen (Vogtl) West station, which has been dismantled to the halt. Then comes Plauen (Vogtl) -Straßberg, the third of a total of seven train stations and stops in the formerly independent city. At the Kürbitz stop, it converges with the Gera Süd – Weischlitz railway line and runs parallel with it to the Weischlitz station . It follows the course of the river Weißen Elster under the Elstertal bridge of the federal highway 72 . From the Pirk train station , the line has again been expanded to two tracks. About Oelsnitz / Vogtl. leads them to Adorf / Vogtl. , where the Chemnitz – Adorf railway branches off from the former Chemnitz-Aue-Adorfer Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft . At Bad Elster the route leaves the Elstertal and winds in many tight arcs through the low mountain range of the Elster Mountains . Shortly before Bad Brambach, the railway crosses Czech territory for the first time. After Bad Brambach train station, the route crosses the national border again, reaches the Czech Plesná train station and then leads back to German territory on the south side of the Kapellenberg massif . The track leads to the Czech border station Vojtanov on a steady gradient . From Vojtanov, the line is electrified. Shortly after Vojtanov, the track of the Aš line leads from the right, which was built as the Cheb – Oberkotzau railway line . The station of the famous Františkovy Lázně spa is of greater importance , from there there are direct express train connections to Prague and further to Slovakia . Shortly before Cheb station , the line crosses the imposing Egerviadukt , once one of the largest bridges in the area of the Royal Saxon State Railways.

Operating points

Vogtlandbahn "Regiosprinter" in the Plauen station above Bf

Plauen (Vogtl) above Bf ⊙

Plauen received a railway connection in 1848 with the opening of the Plauen – Hof section of the Leipzig – Hof railway line. Initially, the tracks were only laid to the north of the reception building, only with the gap between Plauen and Oelsnitz being converted into an island station by 1874 . At the same time, in 1875 it received the addition of the upper station , as the city of Plauen received a second station with the opening of the Gera Süd – Weischlitz railway line .

Due to the increased traffic, the station was continuously expanded up to the turn of the century, but shortly afterwards the facilities were no longer sufficient. A major train station renovation decided in 1913 could never be fully implemented due to the outbreak of the First World War and later due to lack of funds.

At the end of the Second World War, the station was badly damaged by air raids, so that the facilities were characterized by numerous makeshift arrangements until the 1970s. The last war damage was not repaired until 1972 with the opening of the new, striking reception building.

After 1989/90 the importance of the station declined sharply. Of the numerous former long-distance traffic connections, only the Dresden – Nuremberg connection has survived.

Plauen (Vogtl) West ⊙

So far, the station has had four different names:

until April 30, 1901: Neundorf i. V.
until April 30, 1908: Plauen-Neundorf i. V.
until June 30, 1911: Plauen i. V. Westbahnhof
since July 1, 1911: Plauen (Vogtl) West

The Neundorf i. V. was already there when the company opened. In 1875, a wooden waiting hall was added to an existing station keeper's house. For years, the eponymous municipality of Neundorf submitted applications to expand the stop for goods traffic until the facilities were rebuilt in the 1890s. The main track was raised, two new platforms were built and almost a kilometer of track with five switches was laid. On August 1, 1894, after the construction work was completed, the station was elevated to a station, so that freight traffic was also possible.

In the 1900s, a second loading line was built due to increased throughput. Before the First World War, further expansions were necessary because the Neundorf station was supposed to relieve the upper Plauen station. In the end, the station comprised nine tracks, four loading lanes and several private storage sheds near the goods shed. An island platform and the two-and-a-half-story entrance building, which was almost identical to the one in Pirk, served passenger traffic.

After the second track was dismantled, a platform was no longer required. During the GDR era, the station was primarily used for handling coal. In addition to two private traders, the Soviet garrison was also supplied with fuel. Coal was unloaded there until the 1990s, but at last only three tracks were in operation. In 1997 Plauen West was downgraded to an unoccupied stop. All of the remaining tracks were dismantled, the platform modernized and the reception building with the construction of a waiting hall became non-functional.

Plauen (Vogtl) -Straßberg ⊙

Plauen (Vogtl) -Straßberg stop (2019)

The Plauen (Vogtl) -Straßberg stop was put into operation in summer 2004. The only facility is a 120-meter-long platform with a bus shelter. This stop is a need stop.

Pumpkin ⊙

Kürbitz stop, waiting hall (2018)

The Kürbitz stop was put into operation in 1875 together with the Gera-Pforten-Weischlitz railway line, but there was no platform on the Plauen side. After the second track had been dismantled, a platform for the Plauen – Eger railway line was opened on the vacated planum in 1951. This stop is a need stop.

Weischlitz ⊙

Right from the start, Weischlitz station was designed to incorporate the Gera Süd – Weischlitz railway line operated by the private Saxon-Thuringian railway company . The private railway built its facilities east of the existing facilities. It opened its last section of the route Plauen unt Bf – Weischlitz on September 20, 1875.

Even after the Saxon State took over the Saxon-Thuringian Railway Company, the operating situation did not change. The trains to Wolfsfahrzeugth started and ended in the eastern part of the station.

Major renovations took place around 1900, after which the station remained essentially unchanged until the end of the Second World War. After the Second World War, with the dismantling of the second track as a reparation payment, the tracks within the station were also reduced.

There are a total of eight tracks in the station today, six of them on the west side. The loading street track is also located there as the only remaining track for freight traffic.

The locomotive station set up by the Saxon-Thuringian Railway Company with the listed rectangular boiler house and a turntable built later remained in operation until the 1970s.

Weischlitz train station around 1910
Reception building (2013)
Engine shed (2018)
Line to Oelsnitz (Vogtl) and signal box (2018)
Railcar of the Vogtlandbahn to Elsterberg (2018)

Pirk station around 1910

Pirk stop, reception building and signal box (2018)

Pirk ⊙

The Pirk stop has existed since it opened. In 1905 it was elevated to a station. For decades the layout consisted of four tracks with eight points. The station was of greater importance in the 1930s when larger quantities of building materials were unloaded there for the construction of the Pirk dam and the Chemnitz – Hof Reichsautobahn with the Elstertal bridge spanning the Plauen – Eger line . At the end of the 1960s, the Pirk station also served as the central unloading point for the Dröda dam . This stop is a need stop. In the 1980s, Pirk was downgraded to a stop, but the junction is still occupied today.

Oelsnitz (Vogtl) ⊙

The Oelsnitz station initially consisted of only four continuous tracks, plus a locomotive station, where locomotives were stationed for leader and replenishment services. It was not until the Plauen – Oelsnitz gap was closed that the station was expanded extensively in the early 1870s. It was expanded several times until around 1900, then it remained essentially in this form until the end of World War II. The only major operational change was the closing of the locomotive station in 1925, as there were now enough powerful locomotives available. After the end of the war, some tracks were dismantled, but major dismantling measures were only taken after the Lottengrün – Oelsnitz section was closed in 1951. Although numerous tracks have been removed since 1989/90, six have been preserved to this day, including two loading road tracks.

Oelsnitz station around 1910
Station building, track side 2018
Track side 2019

Haltpunkt Hundsgrün (2019)

Dog green ⊙

The Hundsgrün stop was set up in 1876 at the endeavors of the Hundsgrün community . Previously there was only one railroad crossing with gates. The gatekeeper's house received a waiting room extension. Shortly before the turn of the century, a new waiting room was built. In 1911 Hundsgrün was elevated to the status of a train station; the station had previously been converted accordingly. A goods track connected on one side was built east of the main line. There was no massive goods shed, only a car body was set up.

In the mid-1970s, the loading track was expanded and Hundsgrün was downgraded to a stop. Only one block remained. It was closed at the end of the 1990s, and the unoccupied stop was then modernized. This stop is a need stop.

former Rebersreuth stop (2019)

Rebersreuth ⊙

The Rebersreuth stop was set up on November 13, 1949 at route kilometers 29.18, it was thus directly behind the road bridge built in 1913 at km 29.06 ( 50 ° 21 ′ 3 ″ N, 12 ° 13 ′ 47 ″ E ), over the today the federal highway 92 leads. The facilities of the stop, which only consisted of a platform and a wooden waiting hall on the planum of the former second track, were paid for by the community of Rebersreuth .

The breakpoint was closed on September 30, 1979, because the station did not want to be converted for the double-track expansion. This hold no longer exists.

Adorf (Vogtl) train station

Adorf (Vogtl) ⊙

With the integration of the Chemnitz – Aue – Adorf and Asch – Adorf routes, Adorf developed into a regional rail hub. The trains on the line from Erlbach / Markneukirchen also ended in Adorf.

In addition, Adorf was important as a locomotive station and later as an independent railway depot . These systems are used today by the Vogtland Railway Association in Adorf.

Bad Elster ⊙

Bad Elster stop, station building (2008)

The Elster station (since May 1, 1880 Bad Elster station) consisted of three continuous tracks and several butt tracks when the line was opened. In addition to the reception building and a goods shed, a boiler house was built for the towing and pushing locomotives stationed there. After the construction of the boiler house in Adorf station, the building was no longer used after 1880 and was demolished in 1883. This stop is a need stop.

The station acquired further operational importance as an express train stop as well as the start and end point of passenger trains in the direction of Plauen. Up until the turn of the century, the station was expanded several times due to the increased traffic, after which it remained relatively unchanged until the 1960s. In the summer of 1970, freight traffic was completely relocated to the Adorf wagon load hub. Bad Elster has only been a stopping point since 1971, and all systems that are no longer needed have been removed.

Sole ⊙

Sohl stop (2019)

For years, the authorities refused to build a stop because it was difficult for the trains to start on the track, which rose sharply in a narrow curve. The breakpoint was only approved after the Second World War, among other things because the municipality of Sohl made the necessary building land available free of charge, financed further expenses and the population helped with the construction. After only half a year of construction, the halt was opened on November 23, 1948. This stop is a need stop.

Raun ⊙

The inhabitants of the village of Raun tried to get a station on the railway line since 1866. On July 7, 1889, the Raun stop was opened on a trial basis. Four years later the initially provisional waiting room was replaced by a massive building. A block post has existed here since 1894, and since 1977 it has been a junction or transfer point for the transition to the two-track operation from there. This stop is a need stop.

Block Hengstberg

From 1880 onwards, the route for the push-pull locomotives was extended considerably from Adorf . That is why the Hengstberg block post was set up near the apex in 1811. The point connection there between the two tracks made operations much easier. In the 1890s, the switch connection was relocated about 300 meters in the direction of Plauen and a signal box was built for the now remote-controlled switches. With more powerful locomotives, only a few trains had to be pushed in after 1927, and the number of trains declined with the global economic crisis. Therefore, the block post was dissolved in 1930.

After the annexation of the Sudetenland, more trains had to be pushed in again, as a result of which the Deutsche Reichsbahn had a new signal box built next to the old one at short notice and put the block section back into operation. After the second track had been dismantled, the block was closed in 1946. Both signal box buildings were preserved until the 1990s, after which they were demolished without a trace.

Brambach Sanatorium

After the Second World War, the spa facilities were used by the Soviet occupying forces. In 1947, they wanted a stopping point near the spa, which opened in September 1948. In addition, there was a loading track from Bad Brambach train station, which was used primarily for handling fuel and mineral water.

The breakpoint was closed in 1957, the facilities were removed in 1960.

North-west exit of Brambach station, before 1910

Bad Brambach ⊙

So far, the station has had three different names:

until October 7, 1922: Brambach
until October 7, 1933: Bad Brambach
until September 28, 1963: Radiumbad Brambach
since September 29, 1963: Bad Brambach

Initially, only one goods loading point was to be built in Brambach, but the chief engineer arranged for a train station to be built. Brambach station was initially the smallest intermediate station on the route. The station facilities have been continuously expanded since the 1870s. From 1924 Bad Brambach was a long-distance traffic stop, after the Second World War it was also a border station .

Today there are still four tracks in the station, and the two signal boxes are also in operation.

Plesná ⊙

Since the population of the village of Fleißen had significantly delayed the construction of the route, they were not given a station for the time being. Only in 1897 was a stop approved by the Saxon state. Construction work began in the spring of 1913 and the station was opened in the summer of 1904. In the following years, the station was expanded again, and two connecting railways branched off there. Freight traffic was still carried out until 1990. Today Plesná is just a simple stop. This stop is a need stop.

Schönberg (b Bad Brambach) ⊙

The inhabitants of Schönberg am Kapellenberg were economically and socially strongly influenced by Bohemian influences due to the exposed location of the place. In order to strengthen the relationship between the place on the southern slope of the Elster Mountains and Saxony, the Schönberg stop (b Bad Brambach) was inaugurated on October 1, 1912. The facilities of the southernmost railway station in Saxony only comprised a wooden waiting room, two platforms and a free pass.

The stopping point was closed in 1945, the waiting hall was still used by the railway maintenance office until the early 1980s.

Voitersreuth station around 1900

Vojtanov ⊙

Voitersreuth station was a border station from the start . When the company opened, it had five continuous tracks, as well as the second largest reception building and the largest goods shed of all intermediate stations. The reception building with an area of 1149 square meters consists of two three-storey pavilions connected by a flat central building. The station was expanded in 1877 and around 1910. The station building was partially destroyed by fire in 1889 and rebuilt in the same form.

With the annexation of the Sudetenland and the resulting double-track expansion, the station lost all important operational functions in October 1938. Vojtanov has only been a border station again since 1955.

Abzw pork bag ⊙

The junction of pork bags at km 62.48 was set up in October 1938 after the double-track expansion to Voitersreuth. It consisted of a signal box that served the track connection between the Plauen – Eger line and the one to Oberkotzau, and two platforms for staff. The ČSD dismantled the track connection between the two lines in 1945 and dissolved the operating site. The signal box building was demolished, only a memorial stone erected in 1938 on the occasion of the route expansion is preserved.

Later there was again a track connection at the former junction of pigs' bags, which was expanded again after 1990 due to the reduced volume of traffic.

Žirovice-Seníky ⊙

The Žirovice-Seníky stop was built in the 1980s. The only facilities are a 45-meter-long platform, a sign and a seat. This stop is a need stop. Only trains on the Cheb - Vojtanov - Plesná (- Bad Brambach - Plauen - Zwickau) line stop here.

Antonienhöhe-Stöckermühle

The Antonienhöhe-Stöckermühle stop was only served between 1883 and the First World War during the spa period. The 80 meter long platforms with the waiting halls were later completely removed.

Františkovy Lázně station with its typical narrow platforms (2006)

Františkovy Lázně ⊙

When the line opened, Franzensbad station was the largest intermediate station and at the same time the first connection point with the parallel Hof – Eger line. Even then, the facilities comprised five continuous tracks and 30 points. The Buschtěhrad Railway (BEB) opened the Tršnice – Františkovy Lázně railway in 1871 , which created a direct connection to Prague. This increased the importance of the now enlarged Franzensbader Bahnhof as traffic.

The station has remained essentially unchanged since around 1900. A project from the 1910s to relocate the freight transport facilities outside the city was not implemented. Only the station entrances were adapted to the new security technology and with the electrification the old Austrian form signals were replaced by light signals.

Františkovy Lázně-Aquaforum ⊙

The Františkovy Lázně-Aquaforum stop has only existed since 2007. It was set up after the stretch of the Františkovy Lázně-Cheb section was renovated and serves to improve the development of the spa facilities. This stop is a need stop.

Cheb ⊙

The station was established in 1865 as a community station of the Bavarian Eastern Railway Company , the Royal Bavarian State Railways and the Voigtländischen state railways. It was built by the Royal Bavarian State Railways. In 1870 the BEB was added with the Chomutov – Cheb railway , in 1872 the Kaiser Franz Josephs Railway with the Plzeň – Cheb railway and in 1881 the Nuremberg – Cheb railway . Each railway company had its own facilities and buildings in the station, for example there were four different locomotive sheds. Numerous special regulations between the individual companies simplified the complicated operation at the shared station somewhat.

Due to the regulations after the Second World War, the respective state had to take over the operational management on its territory, the special status of the station with the operational management by the Deutsche Reichsbahn ended. The Československé státní dráhy took over the station completely in 1946.

Civil engineering

Syratal Bridge ⊙

The Syratalbrücke at 1,850 kilometers of route is the second largest viaduct on the route. The eleven-arched granite bridge structure is 210 meters long and 33 meters high. The clear width is between 10 and 17 meters.

(Kloschwitztal Viaduct) Rosenbach Bridge ⊙

The five openings of the Kloschwitztal Viaduct at km 6.165 had a clear width of 15 meters. The viaduct had a total length of 96 meters. At the end of the Second World War, the first arch of the bridge was blown up by the Wehrmacht, and later it was rebuilt in almost unchanged form. Only the pillars were reinforced a little.

In 2009 the Kloschwitztal viaduct was demolished and replaced by a new building, which is now called Rosenbachbrücke and has a clear width of 88 meters and a height of 12 meters.

Rauntal Viaduct ⊙

With the Rauntal Viaduct at route kilometers 35.952, the railway bridges the Rauntal with the Rauner Bach and the B 92 . It cost almost 60,000 thalers and is 111 meters long. The clear width is between 12 and 18 meters, the clear height between 8 and 13 meters.

Egerviaduct ⊙

The approximately 350 meters long and 25 meters high Egerviadukt is the largest bridge structure on the route. Larger retaining walls are attached to the bridge on both sides.

Vehicle use

Traction vehicles

Class III was initially used for passenger transport, while goods traffic was handled with class V. In the 1870s, the types H VI , H VIa and K VIII were also used for express trains, the type H IIIb for passenger trains, the types H V and Schw V for freight trains and the types H VII , H III and H IIIb for mixed trains.

At the end of the 1890s, locomotives of the class VIII V 1 were used for the first time, they hauled the express trains until the 1920s (then already under their DR number 13.15 / 71). Class VIII V 2 (class 36.9-10) ran before passenger trains in the same period . Even the class IIIb (class 34.77-78), which had taken over large parts of the passenger train traffic before 1900, stayed on the line until the 1920s. At this time, the classes V (series 53.82) and V V (series 53.6–7) were still used in freight train traffic. The classes VII T and V T were only used as shunting locomotives.

Even before the First World War, locomotives of the class XII H2 (class 38.2–3) were used between Plauen and Eger, this class almost completely replaced the other classes in the years that followed and shaped the layout of the route over the next few decades. In freight traffic, the classes IX V (class 56.5–6), XI V (class 57.0–2) and XIII H (class 58.4) replaced the previously dominant classes.

After the establishment of the Deutsche Reichsbahn, vehicles from other state railways were also used on the route. The 38.2–3 series was supplemented by locomotives from the 38.10–40 series , the 58.4 series with identically constructed locomotives from the 58.10–21 series.

After the Second World War, class 75.5 and 86 tank locomotives also ran on the line, and the trains were also hauled by class 50 . The series 52 and 58 were also used in freight transport and express trains were formed from different railcars. The change in traction began in the 1960s when all steam locomotives (except for the class 50) were replaced by diesel locomotives of the series V 180 (used from 1966) and V 200 (from 1968).

The 132 series was also used from the 1980s, and has only been used in freight traffic since the late 1990s. Since then, passenger traffic has been handled by RegioSprinter , RegioShuttle RS1 and Desiro from Vogtlandbahn. Most of the time, RegioShuttle operate on the RB2 line between Zwickau and Cheb . Alternatively, RegioSprinter railcars also run within Germany.

On the Czech side, the morning pair of trains from Cheb to Plesná runs with ČD class 814 railcars . ČD series 814 and 844 railcars operate between Cheb and Františkovy Lázně and on to Aš . Cross-border railcars of the RegioShuttle type are also used on the OPB2 line , but also diesel railcars of the 648 series .

dare

Steam heating was introduced for passenger trains in the 1880s. Between 1893 and 1895 the passenger coaches were fitted with compressed air brakes, so that each coach had a proper emergency brake. As early as 1886, travelers were able to give an emergency signal to the engine driver with a communication line leading to the locomotive. Express trains were electrically lit from 1905, and electric lighting on passenger trains lasted until November 1913.

literature

G. Jahn: The Voigtland State Railway Herlasgrün-Eger. A cultural-historical memorandum to commemorate the manufacture and opening of this track in 1863 - 1865 . Oelsnitz 1865 ( digitized version )
Erich Preuß , Reiner Preuß : Saxon State Railways. transpress Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, Berlin 1991, ISBN 3-344-70700-0 .
Wilfried Rettig : Plauen / V – Cheb (Eger) - The PE railway line in the Euregio-Egrensis , Verlag Jacobi, Fraureuth 2007, ISBN 978-3-937228-01-3
Wilfried Rettig: The railways in Vogtland - Volume 1: Development, main lines, vehicles, depot and buildings , EK-Verlag, Freiburg 2001, ISBN 3-88255-686-2

Web links

Commons : Plauen – Cheb railway line - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

↑ Wilfried Rettig: Plauen / V – Cheb (Eger) –The PE railway line in the Euregio-Egrensis , p. 7 ff.
↑ ^a ^b Wilfried Rettig: Plauen / V – Cheb (Eger) –The PE railway line in the Euregio-Egrensis , p. 13
↑ Wilfried Rettig: Plauen / V – Cheb (Eger) –The PE railway line in the Euregio-Egrensis , p. 153 ff.
↑ Wilfried Rettig: The railways in Vogtland - Volume 1: Development, main lines, vehicles, depot and high-rise buildings , p. 64
↑ State Development Plan 2013 (PDF; 1.5 MB) Saxon State Ministry of the Interior , 2013, pp. 91, 94 , accessed on October 28, 2016 .
↑ Project Information System (PRINS) 2030 on a draft Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan Other projects (rail) that are not part of the BVWP 2030th Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure , 2016, accessed on October 28, 2016 .
↑ Ulrich Riedel: The Free State calculates the expansion of the railway to Cheb. In: Free Press. January 9, 2019, accessed January 15, 2019 .
↑ Wilfried Rettig: The railways in Vogtland - Volume 1: Development, main lines, vehicles, depot and high-rise buildings , p. 59
↑ Wilfried Rettig: Plauen / V – Cheb (Eger) –The PE railway line in the Euregio-Egrensis , p. 26
↑ Tracks in service facilities - as of October 1, 2012 (PDF; 172 kB)
↑ Wilfried Rettig: The railways in Vogtland - Volume 1: Development, main lines, vehicles, depot and high-rise buildings , p. 63
↑ Wilfried Rettig: Plauen / V – Cheb (Eger) - The PE railway line in the Euregio-Egrensis , p. 30 ff.
↑ Tracks in service facilities - as of October 1, 2012 (PDF; 164 kB)
↑ Wilfried Rettig: Plauen / V – Cheb (Eger) –The PE railway line in the Euregio-Egrensis , p. 43 f.
↑ Wilfried Rettig: Plauen / V – Cheb (Eger) –The PE railway line in the Euregio-Egrensis , p. 47
↑ Wilfried Rettig: Plauen / V – Cheb (Eger) –The PE railway line in the Euregio-Egrensis , p. 108 ff.
↑ ^a ^b Wilfried Rettig: Plauen / V – Cheb (Eger) –The PE railway line in the Euregio-Egrensis , p. 110
↑ Wilfried Rettig: Plauen / V – Cheb (Eger) –The PE railway line in the Euregio-Egrensis , p. 113 f.
↑ ^a ^b Wilfried Rettig: Plauen / V – Cheb (Eger) –The PE railway line in the Euregio-Egrensis , p. 114
↑ Wilfried Rettig: Plauen / V – Cheb (Eger) –The PE railway line in the Euregio-Egrensis , p. 115

[1] Wilfried Rettig: Plauen / V – Cheb (Eger) –The PE railway line in the Euregio-Egrensis , p. 7 ff.

[Plauen–Cheb,_Bahnlinie_in_Euregio-Egrensis,_S._13-2] Wilfried Rettig: Plauen / V – Cheb (Eger) –The PE railway line in the Euregio-Egrensis , p. 13

[3] Wilfried Rettig: Plauen / V – Cheb (Eger) –The PE railway line in the Euregio-Egrensis , p. 153 ff.

[4] Wilfried Rettig: The railways in Vogtland - Volume 1: Development, main lines, vehicles, depot and high-rise buildings , p. 64

[5] State Development Plan 2013 (PDF; 1.5 MB) Saxon State Ministry of the Interior , 2013, pp. 91, 94 , accessed on October 28, 2016 .

[6] Project Information System (PRINS) 2030 on a draft Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan Other projects (rail) that are not part of the BVWP 2030th Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure , 2016, accessed on October 28, 2016 .

[7] Ulrich Riedel: The Free State calculates the expansion of the railway to Cheb. In: Free Press. January 9, 2019, accessed January 15, 2019 .

[8] Wilfried Rettig: The railways in Vogtland - Volume 1: Development, main lines, vehicles, depot and high-rise buildings , p. 59

[9] Wilfried Rettig: Plauen / V – Cheb (Eger) –The PE railway line in the Euregio-Egrensis , p. 26

[10] Tracks in service facilities - as of October 1, 2012 (PDF; 172 kB)

[11] Wilfried Rettig: The railways in Vogtland - Volume 1: Development, main lines, vehicles, depot and high-rise buildings , p. 63

[12] Wilfried Rettig: Plauen / V – Cheb (Eger) - The PE railway line in the Euregio-Egrensis , p. 30 ff.

[13] Tracks in service facilities - as of October 1, 2012 (PDF; 164 kB)

[14] Wilfried Rettig: Plauen / V – Cheb (Eger) –The PE railway line in the Euregio-Egrensis , p. 43 f.

[15] Wilfried Rettig: Plauen / V – Cheb (Eger) –The PE railway line in the Euregio-Egrensis , p. 47

[16] Wilfried Rettig: Plauen / V – Cheb (Eger) –The PE railway line in the Euregio-Egrensis , p. 108 ff.

[Plauen–Cheb,_Bahnlinie_in_Euregio-Egrensis,_S._110-17] Wilfried Rettig: Plauen / V – Cheb (Eger) –The PE railway line in the Euregio-Egrensis , p. 110

[18] Wilfried Rettig: Plauen / V – Cheb (Eger) –The PE railway line in the Euregio-Egrensis , p. 113 f.

[Plauen–Cheb,_Bahnlinie_in_Euregio-Egrensis,_S._114-19] Wilfried Rettig: Plauen / V – Cheb (Eger) –The PE railway line in the Euregio-Egrensis , p. 114

[20] Wilfried Rettig: Plauen / V – Cheb (Eger) –The PE railway line in the Euregio-Egrensis , p. 115