Rosenheim loop

Junction Rosenheim Ost – Junction Rosenheim Süd
An ÖBB-IC on the journey from Salzburg to Kufstein, it will soon reach the south junction. The track on the left leads to Rosenheim train station.
Route number (DB) :	5707
Course book route (ÖBB) :	300
Route length:	1.215 km
Gauge :	1435 mm ( standard gauge )
Route class :	D4
Power system :	15 kV 16.7 Hz  ~
Minimum radius :	264 m
Top speed:	60 km / h
Dual track :	-
State:	Bavaria
Legend from Salzburg 0.000 Junction Rosenheim Ost to Rosenheim Innsbrucker Strasse Miesbacher Strasse from Rosenheim 1.215 Junction Rosenheim Süd to Kufstein

The Rosenheim Loop (in Austria ), also known as the Rosenheim Curve in Germany , is a single-track electrified railway line about 1.2 kilometers in length east of the Rosenheim train station in Bavaria . Together with the Rosenheim-Salzburg and Rosenheim-Kufstein railway lines going from there, it forms a track triangle . The Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) trains run via the Rosenheim curve between Salzburg and Kufstein / Innsbruck (on to Vorarlberg ). It went into operation on February 8, 1982. Since then, there has been no time-consuming turning in Rosenheim station, but also a stop in this city.

history

The first considerations for the establishment of a connecting loop near Rosenheim were made during the negotiations on the State Treaty between Austria and Bavaria on June 21, 1851, which regulates the connection of the railways to be built on both sides. Since there was still no railway connection between the capital of Vienna and the state of Tyrol, it was agreed in Article 1 to build a railway line from Munich to the border near Salzburg and a railway line from Rosenheim to the border near Kufstein on the Bavarian side. In Article 2, Austria committed itself to building a railway line from the imperial border near Kufstein to Innsbruck and from the imperial border near Salzburg to Bruck an der Mur . A connection loop between the two routes near Rosenheim to create a turn-free connection between Salzburg and Kufstein was under discussion. Since Bavaria saw no use in this and the change of locomotives at Rosenheim station was of no consequence in the railway operations at the time , the loop was not built.

With the opening of the Salzburg-Tiroler Bahn in 1872 there was a connection from Salzburg via Zell am See to Innsbruck, which ran exclusively over Austrian territory.

background

Overview of the important transport routes in the region (large map), "Kleines Deutsches Eck " (lu), Rosenheim loop (lo)

The fact that the Rosenheim loop was finally built after more than 130 years had its origin in the fact that the western autobahn was completed in 1967 , so the competition between road traffic on the rail link between eastern and western Austria increased enormously June 1958 the daily express connection " Transalpin " between Vienna and Basel a very successful rail connection existed.

A tour of the Deutsches Eck , d. H. the routes Salzburg – Rosenheim and Rosenheim – Wörgl – Innsbruck promised to cut the travel time between Salzburg and Innsbruck by 78 minutes and made it possible to travel to Salzburg main station without losing time or turning the train . From May 1967, following an agreement between the German Federal Railroad (DB) and the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB), the route of the “Bodensee” (Vienna– Bregenz ) was carried out for the first time in this relation. The "Transalpin" followed in 1969.

The disadvantage of this route was that trains had to be overturned in Rosenheim station , which lost time. Since the connection was also very successful and the number of passengers rose, the capacity of the 4010 railcar was soon no longer sufficient. From May 1977 the Transalpin ran as a wagon train with a locomotive, which made turning in Rosenheim even more complex: the locomotive had to move and a brake test had to be carried out. Here, limited capacities also caused operational problems and caused delays.

state contract

After Josef Dultinger , deputy general director of the ÖBB, knew the problems first hand due to his constant travels between Tyrol and Vienna, he proposed the construction of the Rosenheim loop.

Complex negotiations and administrative procedures, an interstate treaty between the Republic of Austria and the Federal Republic of Germany and other intergovernmental treaties had to be concluded. Although a more generous solution was briefly discussed, the project was reduced to a minimal variant that was ultimately implemented. The State Treaty was signed on April 5, 1979 by the Austrian Transport Minister Karl Lausecker and the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany in Vienna, Horst Grabert . This was followed on May 9, 1979 by an agreement concluded between DB and ÖBB.

In the contracts it was agreed that the entire construction and maintenance costs were to be borne by the ÖBB. The DB had to take over the costs for the planning and construction supervision. Since it was a railway line on German territory, the DB was also responsible for the construction.

Building the loop

After the initial difficulties of the expropriation had been resolved, construction could begin in October 1980. Since the alignment did not pose any significant problems, the construction was completely unspectacular. Only the partial relocation of the Happinger-Au-Straße including the associated water pipe and the construction of a pedestrian and cycle path underpass were necessary for the construction.

Only the adjustments to the security systems were more complex. Both junctions were built using "SpDrS-60 technology" and integrated into the push-button interlocking at Rosenheim station. The block sections adjoining the two junctions were divided by additional self-blocking points in order to ensure the flow of traffic.

The construction costs amounted to around 7.8 million DM or 56 million ATS (according to the conversion rate of 2002: around 4.0 million euros ). The originally estimated costs were thus exceeded by 40 percent.

Technical specifications

From the direction of Salzburg, the Rosenheim Loop branches off the double-track Salzburg – Munich railway line with three switches at the same level before reaching Rosenheim train station, and with three switches at the same height it joins the Munich – Kufstein railway, which is also two-track. The loop itself is single-track and electrified. Contrary to the original plans of 1.740 kilometers, the construction length of the loop track is exactly 1.215 kilometers and is therefore so long that even freight trains can wait between the signals to continue their journey without hindering other rail traffic. Because of the small arc radius of only 264 meters, the loop may only be driven on at a maximum speed of 60 kilometers per hour.

business

Today, one Railjet per hour travels the loop in each direction during the day and two ÖBB Nightjet train pairs run over the loop at night . That makes a total of 18 passenger trains and approx. 10 freight trains per direction and day.

Use

For passenger trains, the travel time reduction achieved with the curve was 17 minutes. Today the travel time between Salzburg and Kufstein is 71 minutes.

opening

Although the Rosenheim Loop is only 1.215 kilometers long, its opening was celebrated as a state ceremony. ÖBB General Director Wolfgang Pycha and the First President and Chairman of the Board of Management of DB Wolfgang Vaerst held ceremonial speeches before the special train left Salzburg's main train station . During the journey of the special train consisting of seven cars over the new loop, the Austrian Transport Minister Karl Lausecker and his German colleague Volker Hauff positioned themselves in the driver's cab of 1044.44 in a photo-appropriate manner . The track was of course spanned for the press with ribbons in the national colors of Germany and Austria, which were cut by the special train. At the same time, the new has reception building of the station Kufstein inaugurated.

literature

• Siegfried Bufe: Salzburg - Bavaria - Tyrol . In: Eisenbahngeschichte 36 (2009), p. 44.
• 40 years of ÖBB traffic across the "German corner". In: Eisenbahn-Revue. 5/2007, p. 245ff.
• Josef Mauerer: Changes to the ÖBB traffic over the Rosenheim loop . In: Eisenbahn-Revue. 12/2009, p. 628f.

Web links

Commons : Rosenheim Loop  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ RGBl. 1852/31. In:  General Reich Law and Government Gazette for the Austrian Empire , year 1852, pp. 103–130. (Online at ANNO ). .
2. ↑ ^{a b c} Bufe, p. 44.
3. ↑ ^{a b} Claus-Jürgen Schulze in Eisenbahnverkehr aktuell , edition from March 1982, p. 3 ff.
4. ^ Journal of Railway Austria , March 1982 issue, pages 42/59
5. ↑ ÖBB-Journal, edition 2/1982, page 21

Coordinates: 47 ° 50 ′ 44 ″  N , 12 ° 8 ′ 5 ″  E