Schifferstadt – Wörth railway line

map

Schifferstadt – Wörth
Route number :	3400
Course book section (DB) :	677
Route length:	50 km
Gauge :	1435 mm ( standard gauge )
Route class :	D4
Power system :	15 kV, 16.7 Hz  ~
Maximum slope :	<10  ‰
Top speed:	140 km / h
Dual track :	(continuous)
Legend from Ludwigshafen (Rhine) S 1 S 2 S 3 S 4 0.000 Schifferstadt to Neustadt (Weinstrasse) S 1 S 2 2,314 Schifferstadt south 2.710 Schifferstadt municipality (Awanst) 7.780 Speyer north - west Hafenbahn, formerly from Heidelberg Speyerbach 9.075 Speyer Hbf 10.200 Speyer South (planned) to Heidelberg (1938–45) 12.740 Berghausen (Palatinate) 14,147 Heiligenstein (Palatinate) 19,120 Lingenfeld from Landau (Palatinate) 22,524 Germersheim S 3 S 33 S 4 S 51 S 52 Industrial track to the port Queich 23.926 Germersheim center to Graben-Neudorf S 33 25.400 Germersheim Bundeswehr Depot (Awanst) 25,569 Germersheim South 27.518 Sondernheim Industrial track for the former americ. Fuel storage 32,486 Bellheim Am Mühlbuckel 33.015 Bellheim train station 36.236 Rülzheim train station 36.500 Rülzheim Klingbach 37.628 Rülzheim leisure center Rottenbach 41.175 Rheinzabern train station 41.783 Rheinzabern Rappengasse 42,335 Rheinzabern Old Roman Road 44,306 Jockgrim train station 47,600 former Rbd limit 48.728 Wörth (Rhine) Zügelstrasse from Landau (Palatinate) S5 from Wörth Badepark 49.900 Wörth (Rhine) to Karlsruhe S 5 S 51 S 52 and to Lauterbourg

The Speyer line or railway line Schifferstadt – Wörth is a continuously double-track, electrified main line in Rhineland-Palatinate . Between Schifferstadt and Germersheim it is part of the network of the S-Bahn RheinNeckar ; between Germersheim and Wörth (Rhine) part of the Karlsruhe Stadtbahn network .

The first section between Schifferstadt and Speyer was opened in 1847, the extension to Germersheim in 1864. The opening of the last section to Wörth am Rhein followed in 1876. From 1906 to 1914 it was used for long-distance traffic , which was caused by the First World War and the subsequent reorganization of Alsace. Lorraine came to a standstill. In the period from 2003 to 2010, the line was electrified.

history

Beginnings and development of the Schifferstadt – Germersheim section

The original plan was to first put a north-south railway line into operation within the Palatinate (Bavaria) . Instead, however, the Palatinate Ludwigsbahn, which ran in an east-west direction from the Rheinschanze (from 1853: Ludwigshafen ) to Bexbach , was built between 1847 and 1849 and was mainly used to transport coal. Instead of a route to the Rheinschanzinsel, on which at that time only the city of Mannheim had a fortification on the left bank of the Rhine, a tour was considered to Speyer , which was then the Palatinate capital. This alternative was dropped because even then the traffic flow was tending towards Mannheim. In 1838, however, it was decided that Speyer should be connected to the main line via a branch line.

The Palatinate Ludwig Railway Company opened the branch line to Speyer in Schifferstadt at the same time as the Ludwig Railway section Rheinschanze - Neustadt on June 11, 1847 .

In the period that followed, plans for a north-south connection were in progress. Two variants were up for discussion: One should run from Neustadt via Landau to Wissembourg in Alsace and from there on to Strasbourg . The other was to run the branch line to Speyer via Germersheim and Lauterbourg to Strasbourg. The first variant prevailed because France hesitated and in the case of the first variant, the then denser settlement of the region prevailed as an argument against a route along the Rhine plain.

On March 14, 1864, the extension of the branch line to Germersheim, costing a total of one million guilders, took place after the fortress there had previously delayed further construction.

Closing the gap to Wörth and further development

In the same year, a committee met in Rülzheim that advocated an extension of the route to Wörth . In addition to representatives from Rülzheim, it included representatives from Germersheim, Bellheim , Rheinzabern , Wörth and Maxau . It was initially unclear whether the city of Germersheim should be bypassed to the west or east. The first variant would have been longer and more expensive. However, the Franco-German War delayed the implementation of the project.

The community of Kandel , which had been connected to Karlsruhe by the railway line from Winden since 1864 , requested a route across its area. However, the management of the Palatinate Railways , to which the Ludwig Railway Company had belonged since 1870, rejected it on November 20, 1871, since such a route would require a detour that would have weakened the importance of this main line. Kandel did not give up at first, however, and had memoranda written according to her wishes. Nevertheless, the variant via Wörth prevailed. This was approved on March 15, 1874. The construction of the line went without major problems, so that it was opened on July 25, 1876 together with the continuation via Lauterbourg to Strasbourg. Unlike the Schifferstadt – Germersheim section, the newly opened section was operated in the name and for the account of the Palatinate Maximiliansbahn-Gesellschaft .

From 1875 the Schifferstadt – Speyer section was open, and in 1906 the line from Schifferstadt to Lauterbourg was double-tracked. The express trains from Berlin to Strasbourg, which previously ran via Neustadt and the Palatinate Maximiliansbahn , from now on ran via Speyer and Germersheim, as this route was shorter and there was enough capacity for it on the new track.

On January 1, 1909, the route, together with the rest of the Palatinate, became the property of the Royal Bavarian State Railways .

Development after the First World War

After the First World War , Alsace-Lorraine fell back to France , which also ended long-distance traffic , as the newly founded Deutsche Reichsbahn wanted to see the trains within the Reich for as long as possible. Instead, long-distance traffic used the Rhine Valley Railway . The Reichsbahn assigned the route to the newly created Reichsbahndirektion Ludwigshafen in 1922 . In 1936, when the latter was dissolved - with the exception of the Wörther train station - the line changed to the Mainz direction . From the latter walked after the Second World War the Bundesbahndirektion Mainz forth. In 1971 this was also dissolved, so that the line was part of the Karlsruhe Federal Railway Directorate until the rail reform . Until 1980 there was also an express train from Strasbourg to Ludwigshafen, which mainly served the French military .

With the establishment of the S-Bahn between Schifferstadt and Germersheim, the line to Germersheim was electrified and the stations and stops were modernized. Since December 2010, Karlsruhe Stadtbahn vehicles have been in use between Germersheim and Wörth and on to Karlsruhe .

Between Germersheim and Wörth, the platforms of the stations that already existed before 2010 have a length of 160 m, unlike other light rail platforms in the Karlsruhe Transport Association (KVV), so that the commuter trains to and from BASF can stop there. The usual platform length for a triple traction is 120 m. During the 2007 summer vacation, both directional tracks including all sleepers were completely replaced in the entire Germersheim – Wörth section. Due to ammunition finds from the Second World War in the track bed at Jockgrim , the construction work was extended by a week. The route was also completely closed during the 2010 Easter holidays. At that time, the platforms were partially renewed and electrification began. Furthermore, the route was closed from July 5, 2010 to December 12, 2010 due to construction work.

Route

The 50 km long railway line begins in Schifferstadt , where it branches off to the left of the Palatinate Ludwig Railway (as seen from Ludwigshafen) . It initially runs in a straight line southeast along the outskirts of Schifferstadt and through the Speyer Forest between Schifferstadt and Speyer . Then they reached the city of Speyer, where it turns to the south first, after a few hundred meters by the still there as Industriebahn used railway line Heidelberg Speyer opens into it.

While still in the urban area of ​​Speyer, it makes another bend to the south-west, in order to lead almost in a straight line past the municipality of Römerberg , whose development area it borders to the west. Shortly before Lingenfeld , it makes a left curve and then runs south between the buildings of Lingenfeld and the Lingenfeld Altrhein . On this path, coming from the right in the opposite direction, the disused Germersheim – Landau railway joins it, which runs parallel to it on the left until reaching Germersheim .

In Germersheim itself, its course is unusual: behind the exit of the train station it makes an S-shaped double curve and runs east around the old town , instead of cutting through the urban area of ​​Germersheim directly in a southerly direction (the old town is far enough to the east that this would have been possible historically). About halfway to the south, the Bruhrain Railway , which had been running parallel until then, branches off to the left in the direction of the Rhine . The Speyer line makes another S-curve and leaves Germersheim behind.

Then it reaches the Germersheim district of Sondernheim , at the southern end of which it makes a bend to the west to Bellheim . There she changes her direction of travel again to the south and runs towards Rülzheim . At the northwestern end of the village area it makes a long S-curve and then runs further south, cuts through Rheinzabern and Jockgrim , and joins the Winden – Karlsruhe railway in Wörth am Rhein . She continues with the Bienwaldbahn towards Lauterbourg .

Operating points

Schifferstadt

Schifferstadt station : The Speyer line (left) branches off from the Palatinate Ludwig Railway (right).

→ Main article : Schifferstadt railway station

The station Schifferstadt is the starting point of the railway line Schifferstadt-Wörth. It is located on the north-western outskirts of Schifferstadt . The branch line to Speyer was opened at the same time as the Ludwigsbahn section Rheinschanze - Neustadt , making Schifferstadt the first railway junction within the Palatinate .

Schifferstadt south

→ Main article : Schifferstadt Süd station

The Schifferstadt Süd stop is located on the southern outskirts of Schifferstadt, near the school center . It was only built after the Second World War .

Speyer north-west

The Speyer Nord-West stop connects the Speyer-Nord and Speyer-West districts to the railway network.

Speyer main station

Speyer main station

→ Main article : Speyer Hauptbahnhof

From 1847 to 1864, Speyer main station was the terminus of the branch line that began in Schifferstadt at that time . Its station building was destroyed in World War II, which is why it was given a new one in the late 1950s. The former goods shed is still preserved and is located south of the station building. However, despite the fact that freight traffic is still taking place, it is no longer important for rail operations and is currently empty.

Speyer South

In the south of the city of Speyer, as part of the " Rheinland-Pfalz-Takt 2015 " and the second expansion stage of the S-Bahn Rhein-Neckar, the additional stop Speyer Süd is to be built. After a ten-year delay, the Speyer city council decided in August 2012 to build the breakpoint at the level of Dr.-von-Hörmann-Straße in the immediate vicinity of the special area Speyer-Südwest .

Berghausen (Palatinate)

The former train station and current stop at Berghausen (Pfalz) is located on the western edge of Berghausen, a district of Römerberg . The former station building and the goods shed no longer have any significance for rail operations.

Heiligenstein (Palatinate)

The former train station and current stop at Heiligenstein (Pfalz) is located on the western edge of Heiligenstein, a district of Römerberg. The former station building and the goods shed no longer have any significance for rail operations.

Lingenfeld

The former Lingenfeld train station has now been dismantled to a stopping point. For historical reasons - the village has grown very rapidly since the railway was opened - it is, however, very decentralized on the extreme northeastern edge of the village. Its station building - just like the goods hall - no longer has any significance for rail operations. The Germersheim – Landau railway, which also ran through Lingenfeld , never had a stop in this village, although it crossed it centrally.

Germersheim

View of the station from the track side, around 1905

→ Main article : Germersheim train station

The Germersheim station is a formerly double, but now only a single separation station , also at the far end of the city in the north. Some of its tracks are already on the Lingenfeld district. He caused some turning points in the company. The original station building east of the railroad tracks is also a listed building . In 1864 he was first terminus, with the opening of the railway line Germersheim-Landau he became the railhead . This situation only changed when the Schifferstadt – Germersheim to Wörth line was tied south in 1876. A year later, the Bruhrain Railway Bruchsal - Rheinsheim was tied through to Germersheim. As a result, it was initially an important hub in long-distance traffic in the east-west direction , and from 1906 also in the north-south direction. When Alsace-Lorraine fell back to France after the First World War , it lost its importance for north-south traffic. It has been part of the RheinNeckar S-Bahn network since 2006 and the Karlsruhe Stadtbahn network since 2010 . In this context, its platforms have been upgraded to accommodate the disabled.

Germersheim center / Rhine

The Germersheim Mitte / Rhein stop is in the east of the city of Germersheim and serves as a closer access to the city center. He is also on the on the Bruhrain Railway trains running trains south of the Rhine-Neckar S-Bahn served. It was built at the end of 2010 as part of the integration of the Germersheim – Wörth line into the Karlsruhe Stadtbahn network and - as the Bruhrainbahn runs a little higher on an embankment - is laid out like a combined wedge and tower station like the Ludwigshafen Hauptbahnhof .

Germersheim South / Nolte

This is followed by the Germersheim Süd / Nolte stop in the southeast of the city of Germersheim, which primarily provides easy access to the main production site of the Nolte Group in the southeast of Germersheim. It was built at the end of 2010 as part of the integration of the Germersheim – Wörth line into the Karlsruhe light rail network.

Sondernheim

Then comes the Sondernheim stop in the eponymous district of Germersheim. This is centrally located in the local area. Its former reception building is also a listed building.

Bellheim Am Mühlbuckel

The Bellheim Am Mühlbuckel stop is located in the northeast of Bellheim . It was built at the end of 2010 as part of the integration of the Germersheim – Wörth line into the Karlsruhe light rail network.

Bellheim train station

→ Main article : Bellheim train station

The former station and current stop at Bellheim is located in the southeast of Bellheim. Its former reception building is also a listed building. He used to own a siding in a NATO tank farm and one in the Kardex office furniture factory . As part of the integration into the Karlsruhe Stadtbahn network, the island platform was replaced by a side platform .

Rülzheim (train station and stop)

→ Main article : Rülzheim train station

The community of Rülzheim has a stop ( Rülzheim train station ) in the middle of the S-curve in the north of the village. This was built around 250 meters northeast of the former train station . The reception building of the former train station is also a listed building. It now serves as a restaurant . In addition, the former goods hall is still there.

Rülzheim leisure center

The Rülzheim Leisure Center stop is near the “Moby Dick” adventure pool. It was built at the end of 2010 as part of the integration of the Germersheim – Wörth line into the Karlsruhe light rail network.

Rheinzabern train station

Rheinzabern train station around 1910

→ Main article : Rheinzabern train station

The former train station and today's stop at Rheinzabern is located in the north of the municipality of the same name .

Rheinzabern Rappengasse

The Rheinzabern Rappengasse stop is located in the center of Rheinzabern. It was built at the end of 2010 as part of the integration of the Germersheim – Wörth line into the Karlsruhe light rail network.

Rheinzabern Old Roman Road

The Rheinzabern Alte Römerstraße stop is located in the south of Rheinzabern. It was built at the end of 2010 as part of the integration of the Germersheim – Wörth line into the Karlsruhe light rail network.

Jockgrim

→ Main article : Jockgrim train station

The former train station and today's Jockgrim stop is located in the center of the local community of the same name . Its former reception building is also a listed building.

Wörth (Rhine) Zügelstrasse

The Wörth (Rhein) Zügelstraße stop is located in the north of the urban area of Wörth am Rhein, not far from the separation of the Schifferstadt – Wörth railway line from the line to Winden . It went into operation at the regular timetable change for 2011/2012 on December 10, 2011, and thus only one year after the opening of the light rail service between Wörth and Germersheim.

Wörth (Rhine)

→ Main article : Wörth railway station (Rhine)

The Wörth (Rhein) train station is located southeast of the core city of Wörth. Originally it was called Wörth i / Pfalz . It was opened in 1864 as a through station on the Winden – Karlsruhe railway line. When the Schifferstadt – Germersheim line was tied through to Wörth in 1876 and at the same time the line to Strasbourg was opened as its immediate continuation , it had become a railway junction . The station building is also a listed building.

business

passenger traffic

Today the route is mostly operated as a passenger route. In the 1950s, class 33.2 railcars from Landau were used.

Operationally, the line is divided into the section Schifferstadt - Germersheim and the section Germersheim - Wörth : The S-Bahn RheinNeckar offers the lines S3 Germersheim - Schifferstadt - Ludwigshafen - Mannheim - Heidelberg - Bruchsal - Karlsruhe Hbf and S4 Germersheim - Schifferstadt - Ludwigshafen - Mannheim –Heidelberg – Bruchsal with a common approximate half-hourly service (each is clocked every hour). Electric multiple units of the 425.2 series run there . Between Germersheim and Wörth operate motor coaches of the series GT8-100C / 2S and GT8-100D / 2S-M least every hour as rail lines S51 (Germersheim- Wörth (Rhein) - Karlsruhe Albtalbf - . Karlsruhe Europaplatz / Post Gallery (Karlstr) ) and S52 (Germersheim – Wörth (Rhine) –Karlsruhe Entenfang– Karlsruhe Marktplatz (Kaiserstraße) ). In addition, individual journeys on the Rhein-Neckar S-Bahn to Wörth (Rhine) will be extended early in the morning and late in the evening.

Furthermore, the regional express line RE 4 runs from Mainz main station to Karlsruhe main station every two hours on the Schifferstadt – Wörth railway line. This only serves the Schifferstadt , Speyer Hbf and Germersheim train stations . In Germersheim the trains switch to the Bruhrainbahn to Graben-Neudorf . As with the Rhein-Neckar S-Bahn, class 425 multiple units have been used here. Class 429 Stadler Flirt multiple units have been used on this connection, which is now part of the new Süwex network, since March 2015 .

Freight transport

Freight traffic takes place exclusively through private railway companies . Above all, the ports of Speyer , Germersheim and Wörth are served here; through trains continue to run, mainly to the Upper Rhine mineral oil refinery in Karlsruhe and to BASF . The other stations no longer play a role in this regard. In Bellheim, a NATO tank farm once had a siding .

Vehicle use

The Ludwigshafen depot was primarily responsible for vehicle deployment .

See also

• Local transport in Speyer

literature

• Fritz Engbarth: From the Ludwig Railway to the Integral Timed Timetable - 160 Years of the Railway in the Palatinate . 2008 ( online [PDF; 4.1 MB ; accessed on December 1, 2012]).
• Wolfgang Fiegenbaum, Wolfgang Klee: Farewell to the rails. Disused railway lines from 1980-1990 . Transpress Verlag, Stuttgart 1997, ISBN 3-613-71073-0 , p. 216-219 .
• Heinz Sturm: The Palatinate Railways (= publications of the Palatinate Society for the Advancement of Science. Volume 53). New edition. pro MESSAGE, Ludwigshafen am Rhein 2005, ISBN 3-934845-26-6 .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Heinz Sturm: The Palatinate Railways . 2005, p. 58 .
2. ↑ Heinz Sturm: The Palatinate Railways . 2005, p. 90 .
3. ↑ Heinz Sturm: The Palatinate Railways . 2005, p. 143 .
4. ↑ Heinz Sturm: The Palatinate Railways . 2005, p. 165 .
5. ↑ Heinz Sturm: The Palatinate Railways . 2005, p. 186 f .
6. ↑ Heinz Sturm: The Palatinate Railways . 2005, p. 16 .
7. ↑ Wolfgang Fiegenbaum, Wolfgang Klee: Farewell to the rail. Disused railway lines from 1980-1990 . 1997, p. 216 .
8. ↑ Wolfgang Fiegenbaum, Wolfgang Klee: Farewell to the rail. Disused railway lines from 1980-1990 . 1997, p. 219 .
9. ↑ Heinz Sturm: The Palatinate Railways . 2005, p. 211 .
10. ↑ kbaystb.de: Railway stations and their pictures in Bavaria (left bank of the Rhine) - Railway station: Speyer - Main railway lines: Schifferstadt - Speyer (opening 11.06.1847) - Speyer - Germersheim (opening 14.03.1864) - Speyer - ship bridge (to Schwetzingen - Heidelberg) (Opening December 10th, 1873) - Local railway line: Speyer - Geinsheim (narrow gauge) (Opening August 26th, 1905) . Retrieved September 27, 2013 . 
11. ↑ kbaystb.de: Railway stations and their pictures in Bavaria (left bank of the Rhine) - Railway station: Berghausen (Pfalz) (km 12.8) - Main railway line: Germersheim - Lauterburg (border) (opening July 25, 1876) . Retrieved September 27, 2013 . 
12. ↑ kbaystb.de: Railway stations and their pictures in Bavaria (left bank of the Rhine) - Railway station: Heiligenstein (Pfalz), km 14.2 Main railway line: Speyer - Germersheim (opening March 14, 1864) . Retrieved September 27, 2013 . 
13. ↑ kbaystb.de: Railway stations and their pictures in Bavaria (left bank of the Rhine) - Railway station: Lingenfeld, km 19.2 - Main line: Speyer - Germersheim (opening March 14, 1864) . Retrieved September 27, 2013 . 
14. ↑ ^{a b c d e} General Directorate for Cultural Heritage Rhineland-Palatinate (ed.): Informational directory of cultural monuments - district of Germersheim. Mainz 2020, p. 8 (PDF; 6.5 MB).
15. ↑ kbaystb.de: Railway stations and their pictures in Bavaria (on the left bank of the Rhine) - Railway station: Rülzheim (km 36.5) - Main line: Germersheim - Lauterburg (border) (opening July 25, 1876) . Retrieved September 27, 2013 . 
16. ↑ kbaystb.de: Railway stations and their pictures in Bavaria (left bank of the Rhine) - Railway station: Wörth i / Pfalz - Main railway lines: Winden – Rhine (Maximiliansau, then Pfortz) (opening March 14, 1864) Germersheim – Lauterburg (border) (opening July 25, 1876 ) . Retrieved September 27, 2013 . 
17. ^ General Directorate for Cultural Heritage Rhineland-Palatinate (ed.): Informational directory of cultural monuments - district of Germersheim. Mainz 2020, p. 38 (PDF; 6.5 MB).
18. ↑ db58.de: diagram 4 for VT 33.2 Bw Landau . Retrieved November 24, 2013 . 
19. ^ Fritz Engbarth: From the Ludwig Railway to the Integral Timed Timetable - 160 Years of the Railway in the Palatinate (2007) . 2007, p. 39 .