Friedrichshafen – Romanshorn ferry line
The Friedrichshafen – Romanshorn ferry line is an international ferry connection across Lake Constance , operated jointly by Bodensee-Schiffsbetriebe GmbH (BSB), based in Constance, and SBS Schifffahrt AG , based in Romanshorn . The line crosses the lake at its widest point and connects Friedrichshafen on the German shore with Romanshorn in Switzerland all year round . The three ferries used on this line are equipped for the transport of road vehicles and people.
route
The ferry connection bridges the approx. 13 km between Friedrichshafen and Romanshorn in a journey time of 41 minutes and thus saves a detour of approx. 70 km. During the day, ferries run in both directions once an hour. Due to the rail connections on both banks, the departure times are chosen so that the ferries meet at the symmetry minute just before the hour. Customs offices for the clearance of goods are located at both landing stages. Passengers must be able to present valid travel documents when leaving the ship. The route is included in the railway tariffs, and through tickets are also issued.
fleet
The fleet for ferry operations currently comprises three ships, the Romanshorn from 1958, the Friedrichshafen from 1966 and the Euregia from 1996. Until the Euregia was put into service, the ferry traffic from the first two had to be maintained permanently. The timetable requires that at least two ships are in use every day.
All three ships are double-ended ferries , which means that they can sail and maneuver equally well in both directions. The vehicles enter the ferry from one side and can exit the ship forwards on the other bank. Motor vehicles and especially trucks cannot turn on board, the ships are too narrow for that.
ship | Commissioning | Decommissioning | displacement | Capacity passengers | Passenger car capacity | Truck capacity | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Shot | 1929 | 1983 | 293 t (after conversion 351 t) |
350 | 40 | 10 (freight wagons) | |
Romanshorn | 1958 | (in service) | 471 t | 560 | 35 | 6 (instead of cars) | |
Friedrichshafen | 1966 | (in service) | 343 t (after conversion 421 t) |
500 | 44 | k. A. | |
Euregia | 1996 | (in service) | 586 t | 700 | 50 | 9 (instead of cars) |
In addition to their intended use as automobile ferries, the ships are also chartered out for events. The lane deck can then be used for discos, presentations or large banquets.
history
In 1869 the first so-called trajectory connections were established on Lake Constance by the Swiss Northeast Railway Company (NOB). These were connections with ferries that were able to take entire railroad cars. The first connections existed between Romanshorn and Friedrichshafen and between Romanshorn and Lindau . In the following years, more such Lake Constance trajectories were built. In 1902 the NOB became the property of the Swiss Federal Railways . With the outbreak of the First World War , all ferry connections to Austria were canceled.
In 1929 the first car ferry service was started between Romanshorn and Friedrichshafen. For this purpose, the ship Schussen was put into service. With the outbreak of the Second World War , international shipping on Lake Constance was completely stopped. After the war, international traffic was only slowly resumed. The ferry service between Germany and Switzerland was not resumed until 1948, the car ferry service with the Schussen only in 1955. Car and truck ferry traffic between Friedrichshafen and Romanshorn was only started after the ferry service was discontinued in 1974.
In 1982, the SBB and the Deutsche Bundesbahn signed a new contract for ferry operations across Lake Constance. Instead of the aging guns that were retired, the Romanshorn and Friedrichshafen were equipped for this task by the contracting parties. In 1996 the SBB sold the ferry line to the Schweizerische Bodensee Schifffahrtsgesellschaft. In the same year the Euregia began its service.
The two ferries Romanshorn and Euregia run every hour on regular scheduled services . With Friedrichshafen , the BSB has a replacement ferry ready.
See also
- Car ferry Konstanz – Meersburg - the first pure car ferry on Lake Constance
- List of ferry connections in Switzerland
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ According to the timetable ( memento of the original from March 28, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Volker Geiling: Flying visit in the engine room . In: Südkurier from October 1, 2010