Eppstein tunnel
| New Eppstein tunnel | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 South-east portal of the new Eppsteiner tunnel
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| use | Railway tunnel | |||
| traffic connection | Main-Lahn-Bahn (double track) | |||
| place | Eppstein , Hofheim am Taunus | |||
| length | 339 m | |||
| Number of tubes | 1 | |||
| cross-section | horseshoe-shaped | |||
| construction | ||||
| Client | DB Netz AG | |||
| completion | 2013 | |||
| business | ||||
| operator | DB Netz AG | |||
| location | ||||
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| Coordinates | ||||
| West portal | 50 ° 8 ′ 28 " N , 8 ° 22 ′ 52" E | |||
| East portal | 50 ° 8 '24 " N , 8 ° 23' 6" E | |||
Map with all coordinates: The Eppsteiner Tunnel is located at the western exit of the Eppstein station of the Main-Lahn-Bahn . Despite its name and the location directly at the Eppstein train station as well as the route before and after the tunnel in the Eppstein area, both the historic and the new tunnel are in the area of the neighboring commune of Hofheim am Taunus .
New tunnel
Planning and construction
Various variants were initially discussed in the planning, including a single-track parallel tunnel to the existing one, the old tunnel to be re-clad and also only to be used for one track . Due to the high utilization of the line , however, the railway decided to build a double-track replacement structure running parallel to the existing tunnel, which completely replaces the old tunnel in order to hinder the ongoing traffic as little as possible through the construction work. The decision was made in 2002. On the Easter weekend of 2013, the new tunnel was put into operation.
Building
The Eppsteiner Tunnel is the only tunnel in the course of the Main-Lahn-Bahn, which follows the winding and narrow Dais and Schwarzbachtal in the Eppstein area . The tunnel leads through a rock spur made of phyllite , which creates a particularly narrow loop in the Lorsbach. The new tunnel runs a few meters south of the historic tunnel, a little further down the mountain, and at 339 meters is almost 140 meters longer than its predecessor. In connection with the construction of the new tunnel, the tracks and platforms in Eppstein station were also rebuilt. Another level crossing was built directly in front of the new tunnel, which cannot be dispensed with because of the shape of the terrain. Before it was moved to the west side of the station, there was a track change between the level crossing and the old tunnel.
Historic tunnel
The first Eppsteiner tunnel was built between 1875 and 1877 by the Hessian Ludwigsbahn and laid out with two tracks, although the line was initially only expanded to a single track. The second track did not follow until 1914. For the extension of the Rhein-Main S-Bahn in 1971 to Niedernhausen station , the line was electrified , which the tunnel profile also tolerated. Since the historic tunnel did not have a closed shell, but only a horseshoe-shaped extension, after more than 120 years of operation it was no longer sufficiently stable against ingress of water and mountain pressure . That is why - despite a renovation in 1993 - considerations began in 1996 to fundamentally renew or replace the structure.
The historic southeastern tunnel portal has a sandstone veneer in Rustikaquaderung with stone elements, pilasters , arched frieze , cornice and frieze tooth. The historic tunnel is a cultural monument according to the Hessian Monument Protection Act and the tunnel portal has been preserved. The old tunnel was filled with the overburden from the new tunnel, which had previously been temporarily stored on the site of the former Eppstein freight station , for which the historic, listed freight hall had to be demolished.
literature
- db: Taunus. Bats instead of trains . In: Eisenbahn-Revue International 5/2013, p. 211.
- Railway in Hessen. Cultural monuments in Hessen. Monument topography Federal Republic of Germany . Ed .: State Office for Monument Preservation Hessen . Theiss publishing house. Stuttgart, 2005. Vol. 2.1. ISBN 3-8062-1917-6
- Heinz Hirt (Ed.): 130 years of Eppstein station. From the temporary station building in 1877 to the modern city train station in 2007 . Eppstein 2007. ISBN 978-3-00-022577-2
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ The new tunnel is ready . In: Frankfurter Rundschau from April 2, 2013. Online at fr-online.de.
- ↑ State Office for Monument Preservation Hesse (ed.): Am Stadtbahnhof 1 In: DenkXweb, online edition of cultural monuments in Hesse
- ^ Railway in Hessen, Vol. 2, p. 510.