Hunsrück Railway

Simmern – Boppard
DB Regio push-pull train set on the Hubertus Viaduct
Route number (DB) :	3020
Course book section (DB) :	479
Route length:	53.5 km
Gauge :	1435 mm ( standard gauge )
Route class :	CE
Maximum slope :	60.9  ‰
Rack system :	Abbot (until 1931)
Dual track :	-
Legend formerly Hunsrückquerbahn from Langenlonsheim former branch line from Gemünden 0.0 Simmer formerly Hunsrückquerbahn to Hermeskeil 1.8 Schmiedel Tunnel (81 m) 3.5 Keidelheim 5.4 Külz (Hunsrück) 9.6 Alterkülz (last Hp) 13.1 Bell (Hunsrück) 15.1 Kastellaun 18.7 Hollnich 20.9 Ebschied (last Hp) 23.7 Dudenroth 25.7 Linger tap 29.0 Pfalzfeld 33.3 Leiningen (Hunsrück) 38.1 Emmelshausen (temporarily Hp) 40.8 Honor 43.6 Boppard-Fleckertshöhe 46.5 Boppard-Buchholz (formerly Bf) 48.0 Hinterburden tunnel 1 (64 m) 48.3 Hinterburden tunnel 2 (65 m) 49.4 Rauschenloch Viaduct 49.6 Hubertus Viaduct (150 m) 49.7 Rauerberg tunnel (124 m) Steep section (63 ‰) 50.2 Talberg Tunnel (144 m) 51.1 Kalmut Tunnel (124 m) Left Rhine route from Koblenz 52.8 Boppard Hbf Left Rhine route to Mainz 53.5 Boppard South

The Hunsrück Railway is a partially disused secondary railway line , which branches off the Left Rhine Line in Boppard and formerly led to Simmern . There it met the line between Langenlonsheim and Hermeskeil, now known as the Hunsrückquerbahn .

However, the 38-kilometer section between Emmelshausen and Simmern was dismantled. Today the Schinderhannes cycle path runs along this route . The transport company Rhenus Veniro operates regular local rail passenger transport (regional train line 37) on the 15-kilometer section Boppard - Emmelshausen . Since many schoolchildren from the area around Emmelshausen and Boppard-Buchholz are dependent on the trains during school hours , the school line was extended to the Boppard Süd stop .

Name of the route

This route was only given its current name after passenger traffic on the route from Langenlonsheim via Simmern to Hermeskeil, originally known as the Hunsrück Railway , was discontinued . This actual Hunsrückbahn is now called the Hunsrückquerbahn to distinguish it .

history

Planning and opening of the route

At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, the railway lines in the Hunsrück were built. The line from Langenlonsheim to Simmern was opened on October 7, 1889, and the Hermeskeil - Türkismühle line was opened in 1897 . On April 1, the Royal Prussian and Grand Ducal Hessian Railway Directorate in Mainz set up a construction department for the construction of the Simmern – Kastellaun and Simmern – Kirchberg lines . The Simmern – Kastellaun section was opened on October 28, 1901.

Already when planning the railway line from Simmern to Kastellaun, there was already agreement to extend it to the Rhine and Moselle. There were three variants that always required steep inclines, high bridges and numerous tunnels. On the one hand there was the western variant of leading the route via Gondershausen into the Moselle valley and on to Koblenz. The second, eastern variant was a continuation of the railway line via Pfalzfeld through the Gründelbach valley to St. Goar . The third, middle variant, which was finally implemented, also led via Pfalzfeld to Boppard instead of St. Goar. There were two ways of routing here again. One possibility was to lead the route over the Kreuzberg and the Buchenau forester's house in order to then connect it from the southeast to the Boppard train station. However, it was decided to route via Buchholz and connected the railway line from the north-west to the station, which is why the Säuerlingsturm of the medieval city ​​fortifications of Boppard had to be relocated.

On May 18, 1903, the Prussian king authorized the state government to build the line between Kastellaun and Boppard, for which they were allowed to spend a sum of 5,943,000 marks. This amount did not include land acquisition costs or vehicle acquisition costs. While the cost of the Simmern - Kastellaun route was 80,000 marks per kilometer, one kilometer of the Buchholz - Boppard route cost 640,000 marks. These eight times higher costs were due to the height difference of 328.5 meters that this route overcomes and the two viaducts and five tunnels that had to be built. Despite a winding route over 6.3 km, the gradient was 1: 16.5. Therefore the installation of a rack became necessary. The Swiss Abbot system was used. The construction of the line began in March 1905 and in October 1906 the largely flat section Kastellaun - Pfalzfeld was put into operation. For the steep section, however, three years of construction were planned. This section of the route was built by Grün & Bilfinger .

One worker was killed while the Rauerberg tunnel was being built, and another was shot dead in an argument in an inn on Orgelborntag 1906. On January 4, 1907, 13 workers were initially killed in a rock slide near Leiningen. A second rock slide occurred during the rescue operation, killing 5 spectators. A total of 15 people were injured. A memorial stone at the accident site from 1991 commemorates the dead. After the construction of the line had been completed within the estimated time, the last section between Boppard and Pfalzfeld was opened on August 2, 1908. General rail operations began the next day.

business

On the occasion of the opening, responsibility for the line between Kastellaun and Boppard was transferred from the St. Johann-Saarbrücken Railway Directorate to the Mainz Railway Directorate on August 3, 1908 . Locomotives of the Prussian type T 26 were used .

For the winter timetable 1922/23, the (old) 2nd class was no longer available on all trains. They only led the 3rd and 4th grade.

On October 1, 1925, responsibility for the route between km 15.57 and 45.6 was transferred from the Reichsbahndirektion Mainz to the Reichsbahndirektion Trier .

The cog railway was stopped in 1931. This was followed by adhesion operation with class 94.5 steam locomotives , which lasted until May 1956. From May 1956 to the closure of the Emmelshausen – Simmern section, class VT 98 railcars operated on the entire route (from 1968: class 798) with special equipment for use on steep sections.

Partial shutdown

Train made up of Uerdinger rail buses in front of the old Boppard station building in the 1970s

Listed station building of the Emmelshausen train station

Silberling push-pull train in Emmelshausen station (1993)

The passenger traffic Simmern-Pfalzfeld was stopped on May 29, 1983. The Simmern – Kastellaun section experienced a brief renaissance in passenger traffic on October 11, 1986, when a number of special trains traveled this section on the occasion of the large-scale demonstration against the stationing of cruise missiles not far from Kastellaun . Freight traffic was first stopped on May 27, 1983 between Emmelshausen and Pfalzfeld. It was maintained between Kastellaun and Pfalzfeld until December 31, 1994 and between Simmern and Kastellaun until June 1, 1995. On March 1, 1996, the Simmern – Pfalzfeld section was closed. From 1998 the section Emmelshausen – Simmern was gradually dismantled and the Schinderhannes cycle path was created on the former route , which is very popular with cyclists, skaters and hikers.

With the restriction to the Boppard – Emmelshausen section, diesel locomotives with the 213 series were used for the first time from 1983 onwards with two local transport cars (" Silberlinge "), one of which was equipped with a control compartment. The use of the 213 series lasted until 1995, when all ten locomotives of this series were brought together in Thuringia for use on the Rennsteigbahn . Replacement came initially in the form of the 215 series , which was later exchanged for the 218 series diesel locomotives . In addition to the class 218 diesel locomotive, a modernized Silberling intermediate car and a Bybdzf control car ( Wittenberg control car ) were used until April 15, 2011 .

The operation with the heavy diesel locomotives was not without problems. At the end of 2005, operations had to be stopped for a few weeks because the tracks and the wheelsets were damaged. This is possibly a result of the use of this 80 t heavy and 2060 kW locomotive on the tight curves of this steep stretch. Commissioning was possible again by increasing the wheel flange lubrication and after installing wheel flange lubrication systems at the rail arc inlet.

In 2008 the line was completely renovated. The DB Netz AG has invested 9.3 million euros to all the old tracks and sleepers replaced. After the renovation in August 2008, however, signs of wear were again found on the wheelsets, so that the traffic was stopped for several months until February 16, 2009 to investigate the cause.

Change of operator

Rhenus Veniro's regional shuttle in the converted Emmelshausen train station

Rhenus Veniro's regional shuttle at the Boppard depot

Rhenus Veniro's workshop in Boppard, one of the three Regio-Shuttles to the left

The timetable change in December 2009 should Rhenus Veniro the passenger take on the Hunsrückbahn. The special purpose association SPNV Nord in Koblenz awarded the company the contract in February 2008. The transport contract was concluded for a period of 20 years. Rhenus Veniro was to use three vehicles of the type Regio-Shuttle RS1 from Stadler, which were suitable for steep routes and which were modified for this route. Since Rhenus Veniro had still not received approval from the Federal Railway Authority for these new vehicles when the timetable was changed, the DB Regio Südwest route continued to be operated with locomotive- hauled push- pull trains .

The Emmelshausen train station was then rebuilt in the 2010 autumn break. Two new points were installed and a new platform was built on track 1. Since then, the trains have stopped there again. The signal box at the station entrance lost its function in the course of the renovation work.

On April 15, 2011, the last day of school before the Easter holidays, the services of DB Regio were canceled by the SPNV Nord association. During the holidays, the platforms at the stops in Boppard-Fleckertshöhe and Ehr were renewed. Since April 29, 2011, a restricted operating license from the Federal Railway Authority for the three RS1s from Rhenus Veniro (650 350 - 650 352) was valid until December 31, 2011, so that they could now be used. In order to obtain unrestricted approval, however, modifications to the braking system were necessary. Until their implementation, the railcars were not allowed to run with full occupation.

After a few minor improvements by the manufacturer Stadler, Rhenus Veniro started operations as planned on May 4, 2011. However, due to the repair work, not all three trains could be used. For this reason, the route was initially served by a motor vehicle, and additional buses were used for school traffic. From August 8, 2011, the first day of school after the summer holidays, Rhenus Veniro started using two coupled multiple units in school traffic, which resulted in a reduction in the number of additional buses.

In December 2011, one of the three railcars then received unrestricted approval from the Federal Railway Authority. At the beginning of January of the following year, the other two vehicles also received unrestricted registration. Since then, the railcars have also been allowed to drive triple-coupled, which is why no additional buses are used for school transport.

At the beginning of 2012, DB Netz applied for the exemption from railway operations for the section from kilometer 29.140 (near the main road in Pfalzfeld) to kilometer 37.994.

Rates

Due to the location of the Hunsrück Railway in the Rhein-Hunsrück district , the tariff of the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Mosel VRM applies to its trains as well as to journeys within the district, to Koblenz and to other districts that are members of the VRM. The in-house tariff of the operator Rhenus Veniro (VEN) applies to journeys beyond the boundaries of the association , which is also the tariff of Deutsche Bahn AG due to its membership in the tariff association of federal and non-federal railways in Germany TBNE . The valid state tickets for Rhineland-Palatinate , the Rhineland-Palatinate Ticket and the Rhineland-Palatinate Ticket + LUX (including Luxembourg) are also valid on the trains of the Hunsrückbahn. The Quer-durch-Land-Ticket is also valid.

bridges

On the steep section between Boppard Hauptbahnhof and Boppard-Buchholz , the Hunsrück Railway runs over two viaducts with arched arcades: the Rauschenloch Viaduct (route kilometers 49.4) and the Hubertus Viaduct (route kilometers 49.6).

Hubertus Viaduct

The Hubertus Viaduct (Hubertusschluchtbrücke) leads in a curve over the Hubertusschlucht. The structure has six openings over a length of 150 m and a height of 50 m. At the time of construction, it was one of the highest stone arch bridges in Germany.

The bridge was built from embossed red sandstone blocks from the Neckar region . The undersides of the arches with brick blinded . Iron girders for the falsework protrude from the pillars at the level of the fighter . The concluding stepped console frieze on both sides of the bridge carries side paths secured by iron bars. Every second bridge pillar is closed by a stepped cantilevered stone parapet.

Rauschenloch Viaduct

The Rauschenloch Viaduct (Rauschenloch Bridge) has four openings over a length of 78 m and a height of 30 m. It resembles the Hubertus Viaduct in its design, but has no console frieze.

Specialty

In the section from Boppard to Emmelshausen, the Hunsrück Railway is considered the steepest adhesion railway in West Germany (see also: Steep section ). It overcomes a difference in altitude of 336 meters on the six-kilometer route Boppard – Boppard-Buchholz. The gradient is 60.9 ‰ or 1: 16.4.

The leg of the Hunsrückbahn between Boppard and Emmelshausen is as a technical monument since 1990 under monument protection .

Hunsrückbahn hiking trail

Marking of the Hunsrückbahn hiking trail

An approx. 16 kilometer long hiking trail runs between the two train stations Emmelshausen and Boppard Hauptbahnhof and offers u. a. many viewpoints on the railway line.

Web links

Commons : Hunsrückbahn  - collection of images

• Private homepage on the history of the route
• Private homepage on the history of the route
• Images of the tunnel portals

literature

• Jürgen Johann: 100 years of the Hunsrück Railway 1908–2008 Boppard - Emmelshausen . Ed .: City of Boppard & Verbandsgemeinde Emmelshausen . Self-published by the editors, Boppard, Emmelshausen 2008, ISBN 978-3-00-024757-6 .
• Jürgen Rech: The steep stretch from Boppard to Emmelshausen. New era in the Hunsrück . In: railway magazine . No. 7/2011 . Alba publication, July 2011, ISSN  0342-1902 , p. 28-30 .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Eisenbahndirektion Mainz (Ed.): Collection of the official gazettes published on April 1, 1899. Volume 3, No. 15. News, p. 112.
2. ↑ Eisenbahndirektion Mainz (Ed.): Collection of the published official gazettes of October 26, 1901. Volume 5, No. 51, Announcement No. 478, p. 356f and ibid. Of November 2, 1901, No. 52, Announcement No. 494, p. 365.
3. ↑ ^{a b c} Jürgen Johann: 100 Years of the Hunsrück Railway 1908–2008 Boppard - Emmelshausen . Ed .: City of Boppard & Verbandsgemeinde Emmelshausen . Self-published by the editors, Boppard, Emmelshausen 2008, ISBN 978-3-00-024757-6 , p. 159-168 .
4. ^ Hans Joachim Ritzau: Railway disasters in Germany. Splinters of German history. Volume 1: Splinters of German History. Time and Railway, Landsberg-Pürgen 1979, p. 74.
5. ↑ Eisenbahndirektion Mainz (ed.): Official Journal of the Royal Prussian and Grand Ducal Hessian Railway Directorate in Mainz from July 25, 1908, No. 47. Announcement No. 592, p. 506f.
6. ^ Eisenbahndirektion Mainz (ed.): Official Journal of the Royal Prussian and Grand Ducal Hessian Railway Directorate in Mainz of June 13, 1908, No. 36. Announcement No. 441, p. 383; Railway Directorate Mainz (ed.): Official Gazette of the Royal Prussian and Grand Ducal Hessian Railway Directorate in Mainz of July 25, 1908, No. 47. Announcement No. 592, p. 507.
7. ^ Reichsbahndirektion in Mainz (ed.): Official Gazette of the Reichsbahndirektion in Mainz of December 2, 1922, No. 72. Announcement No. 1380, p. 825.
8. ^ Reichsbahndirektion in Mainz (ed.): Official Gazette of the Reichsbahndirektion in Mainz of September 19, 1925, No. 48. Announcement No. 900, p. 510.
9. ↑ Resumption of the Hunsrück Railway. ( Memento from August 3, 2012 in the web archive archive.today )
10. ^ Jürgen Johann: 100 Years of the Hunsrück Railway 1908–2008 Boppard - Emmelshausen . Ed .: City of Boppard & Verbandsgemeinde Emmelshausen . Self-published by the editors, Boppard, Emmelshausen 2008, ISBN 978-3-00-024757-6 , p. 211 .
11. ↑ Award of services on the Hunsrück Railway to Rhenus Veniro.
12. ↑ Rhenus Veniro signs a transport contract for the operation of the Hunsrück Railway. Message on the company's website.
13. ↑ Rhenus Veniro: Hunsrückbahn starts with a new timetable - trains run in cooperation with DB Regio ( Memento of November 7, 2010 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on December 13, 2009.
14. ^ Rhenus Veniro: Rail replacement services on the Hunsrück Railway from April 16, 2011 ( Memento from May 8, 2016 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on April 15, 2011
15. ↑ rhein-zeitung.de: Rhenus Veniro does not start on Sunday ( Memento from May 1, 2011 in the Internet Archive ). Retrieved on June 7, 2016.
16. ^ Rhenus Veniro: New quality on the Hunsrück Railway: Start of operation with modern vehicles on the Boppard - Emmelshausen route on May 4 ( memento of March 9, 2012 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on May 4, 2011.
17. ↑ Rhein-Zeitung.de: 140 schoolchildren can travel by train on Monday.Retrieved on August 6, 2011.
18. ↑ rhein-zeitung.de: December 2011: Licht am Ende des Tunnels Retrieved on January 5, 2012.
19. ↑ rhein-zeitung.de: Hünsrückbahn: signals on green. Retrieved January 5, 2012.
20. ↑ Federal Railway Office - Frankfurt / Saarbrücken branch office -: Public announcement in accordance with Section 23, Paragraph 2 of the General Railway Act - Exemption from railway operations relating to the 3020 Simmern – Boppard section, Pfalzfeld – Emmelshausen section - from January 25, 2012 (Az. 55122 - 551pf / 127 - 2011 # 054; eBAnz AT16 2012 B5 )
21. ^ ^{A b} State Office for Monument Preservation (ed.): The art monuments of Rhineland-Palatinate . tape 8 . The art monuments of the Rhein-Hunsrück district. Part 2. Former county St. Goar, the first town of Boppard I. . Deutscher Kunstverlag, Munich / Berlin 1988, ISBN 3-422-00567-6 , p. 476-477 .
22. ↑ dbnetze.com: Operation on steep routes . ( Memento from July 19, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF, p. 14; 570 kB).
23. ^ Jürgen Johann: 100 Years of the Hunsrück Railway 1908–2008 Boppard - Emmelshausen . Ed .: City of Boppard & Verbandsgemeinde Emmelshausen . Self-published by the editors, Boppard, Emmelshausen 2008, ISBN 978-3-00-024757-6 , p. 207 .
24. ^ General Directorate for Cultural Heritage Rhineland-Palatinate (ed.): Informational directory of cultural monuments - Rhein-Hunsrück district. Mainz 2019, pp. 15, 25, 36 (PDF; 1.7 MB).
25. ↑ Hunsrückbahn hiking trail homepage of the city of Boppard