Born line

Olten-Rothrist
Route length:	5.5 km
Gauge :	1435 mm ( standard gauge )
Power system :	15 kV 16.7 Hz  ~
Maximum slope :	10  ‰
Minimum radius :	1000 m
Legend from Basel and Aarau 39.3 Olten 396 m to Solothurn old route via Aarburg Kessiloch Bridge 218 m Borntunnel 810 m Aare bridge Ruppoldingen 320 m Bridge A1 Pfaffneren 183 m old route from Olten to Aarburg 45.2 Rothrist 407 m New line to Mattstetten – Löchligut to Langenthal – Bern

As Born Line , named after the mountain Born , which opened on April 2, 1981 by-pass line is the station Aarburg - Oftringen referred. This connects the Olten train station directly with the Rothrist train station . Today it is the access route to the new Mattstetten – Rothrist line and belongs to the Olten – Bern line . The name "Ruttiger" line can also be found from the construction and opening times , as the line runs past the Rutigen settlement. This name was quickly replaced by the name Bornlinie.

The route shortens the distance between Olten and Rothrist from 7016 meters to 5971 meters.

history

The route of the old railway line Bern - Langenthal - Olten, which was opened on March 16, 1857 between Aarburg-Oftringen and Herzogenbuchsee by the Swiss Central Railway , no longer met the needs of the rational management, as it was there from June 9, 1856 opened Olten – Lucerne railway branches off. Above all, the passage in Aarburg-Oftringen, which was limited to 40 km / h, was an obstacle to operation for the Bern- Zurich city ​​express trains . The only two-lane Olten – Aarburg-Oftringen line had also reached its performance limit because it had to accommodate all trains to and from Bern and Lucerne. Therefore, the SBB decided to build a new line between Olten and Rothrist at the same time as the modernization of the Olten train station.

Construction of the line began in 1976. In the 1977 budget, an amount of CHF 11 million was reserved for this construction site for the year, with a total of CHF 69.5 million being estimated.

Carlos Grosjean , President of the SBB Board of Directors, opened the line on April 2, 1981. The opening train was pulled by the Re 6/6 11624 “Rothrist”, which had been covered with decorative strips. First-class cars EW I + II and the two EW-I saloon cars were used as cars. Scheduled operations began on May 31, 1981.

The route has been designed for a maximum speed of 140 km / h. Concrete sleepers and heavy rails with a weight of 60 kg / m were laid, which today allows driving with an axle pressure of 22.5 tons (route class D4). The route, which is only 5.5 kilometers long, saved 3-4 minutes of travel time between Zurich and Bern. In addition, together with the renovation of the train station in Olten, there will be a significant increase in the number of possible train routes on the lines from Olten to Bern and Lucerne.

Buildings

The route has three longer bridges and a tunnel. Immediately after the Olten train station exit, the Aare is crossed on the 169-meter-long Kessiloch bridge; If you add the flyover over the cantonal road to the east, you get a total length of 281 meters. The route then leads past the Rutigen retirement home in Schönmatt, where a noise barrier was built during the construction of the route. The 810-meter-long Borntunnel is then reached. Comprehensive slope stabilization measures with rock anchors were necessary for its portals. Immediately afterwards it goes on the 320 meter long Ruppoldinger Aare bridge again over the Aare and shortly afterwards on the Pfaffneren -autobahnbrücke over the A1 . Finally the Rothrist train station is reached. With regard to the new line, the introduction was carried out without intersections at the beginning of the 2000s.

The 810 meter long Borntunnel had to be excavated for 100 meters using a freezing process. This was the first time this method was used in a large tunnel project in Switzerland. The Borntunnel was broken through on February 1, 1978.

The six-span Ruppoldinger Aarebrücke was at her completion of the shell end of November 1978, the prestressed concrete - girder bridge with the largest span of all railway bridges of this type in Switzerland.

Rothrist station received a new goods shed and a new reception building in connection with the construction of the Bornlinie. These were available between March 5 and April 1, 1979. The old buildings were then demolished. In the same year, an intermediate platform with an underpass was built.

Operational

The route is primarily used by the long-distance passenger trains Olten – Bern. The freight trains that run between Olten and Bern via Langenthal or the new line also usually use this route. Only the regional trains continue to use the old route via Aarburg-Oftringen station.

literature

• Anton Jedelhauser: The new SBB line Olten-Rothrist. In: Schweizer Ingenieur und Architekt, Vol.99 (1981), pp. 1058-1063.
• Report from RP; Railway buildings in the area of ​​Olten Railway Amateur 5/81 pages 281–285

Individual evidence

1. ↑ So z. B. In EA 5/81 p. 284 deviates from today's place name with two tt
2. ↑ SBB newsletter 12/1976
3. ↑ EA 5/81 S, 282
4. ↑ SBB newsletter 03/1978
5. ↑ SBB newsletter 02/1979
6. ↑ SBB newsletter 04/1979

Remarks

1. ↑ The exit speed towards Rothrist could be increased in July 1978 through modifications from 40 km / h to 60/65 km / h.