Spessart ramp

Routing before and after 2017
Eastern portal of the Schwarzkopf tunnel
Former route (red) and new route (black)
Route number (DB) :	5200 (Würzburg – Aschaffenburg)
Course book section (DB) :	800 (Würzburg – Aschaffenburg)
Route length:	new: ~ 7 km
Gauge :	1435 mm ( standard gauge )
Route class :	D4
Power system :	15 kV 16.7 Hz  ~
Maximum slope :	old: 21.7 ‰ new: 21.0  ‰
Minimum radius :	new: 820 m
Top speed:	old: 70 km / h new: 120/150 km / h
Train control :	PZB , ZUB262
Dual track :	(continuous)
Legend Main-Spessart-Bahn from Aschaffenburg 78.8 Laufach 175  m B 26 Laufach (river) (Start of the former route) Hain tunnel (745 m) Seebach B 26 Metzberg tunnel (586/629 m) Spessart ramp (22 ‰) Elsbachtal trough Hirschberg tunnel (375/525 m) Schwarzbach Falkenberg tunnel (2623/2619 m) 73.1 Heigenbrücken West (last part of the station) 72.3 Schwarzkopf tunnel (926 m) Lohrbach 71.9 Heigenbrücken (old) 275  m Eastern ramp (5 ‰) Heigenbrücken (new) (End of the former route) Main-Spessart-Bahn to Würzburg Swell:

The Spessart ramp was the incline section of the Main-Spessart Railway between Laufach and Heigenbrücken . The 5.4-kilometer old section with an average gradient of 19 ‰ and the Schwarzkopf Tunnel was decommissioned on June 15, 2017. A shorter route with a lower gradient has been gradually put into operation since June 19, 2017.

Geographical location

The Spessart lies on the shortest connection between the Rhine-Main area and the Bavarian heartland. A railway line leading along here has to overcome the low mountain range . Since tunnels still had to be excavated by hand by miners during the construction of the line in the first half of the 1850s , their construction was extremely expensive, and dynamite was not yet available at that time. So that the vertex tunnel that was ultimately required , the Schwarzkopf tunnel , was as short as possible, the route “outdoors” had to gain as much height as possible beforehand; this is what the Spessart ramp is used for. It overcomes the height difference of 100 meters between Laufach in the Laufachtal and the summit tunnel and was very steep for the time of construction.

history

Planning and construction

The structure was built by the Bavarian State Railroad as part of the Ludwigs-West-Bahn and went into operation on October 1, 1854.

Steam operation

Like the entire Main-Spessart-Bahn, the Spessart ramp was designed with two tracks from the start, even if the second track was only gradually laid until 1873. The steam operation on the Spessart ramp was very complex. In Laufach, a sliding locomotive was added to freight and long-distance passenger trains, and freight trains, if necessary, a third locomotive as well. This also explains some of the railway operations systems that are oversized by today's standards :

• The tracks in Laufach station are extensive. There was a three-track locomotive shed for the sliding locomotives .
• At the western end of the Schwarzkopf tunnel was the apex of the Main-Spessart-Bahn and the Heigenbrücken West station section , which enabled the push-pull locomotives coming from Laufach to be deployed and changed and their return journey as a motor vehicle .
• The small Heigenbrücken also had exceptionally extensive track systems and was an express train station from 1869 to the 1930s so that the pushing locomotive could be uncoupled here. Due to the good connection, Heigenbrücken flourished as a place for the summer break .

At the time of the early steam operation, pushed heavy freight trains were often traveling up the ramp at only 6 km / h. This gradually improved with the use of more powerful locomotives. The mallet locomotives , Bavarian Gt 2 × 4/4 (later class 96, type D'D h4v) were used as push locomotives from 1914 . These were replaced by the Prussian T 16.1 (type E h2, later series 94.5–17), and in some cases also by the series 95 (type 1E1 h2, developed as the Prussian T 20) by 1957 .

Electrical operation

151 032-0 is waiting for a train in Laufach station to push it over the Spessart ramp

151 032-0 as a sliding locomotive on the Spessart ramp; in the foreground the construction road for the new line

Former part of the Heigenbrücken West station: this is where the push-pull locomotives move

The electrical operation of the Spessart ramp began on August 26, 1957. Initially, the E 50 series (later the 150 series) was used for push operation for a few weeks , soon replaced by the E 94.2 series (later the 194.5 series). In autumn 1987 the E 50 returned to the Spessart ramp and was used until 2003. Since then, the 151 series has helped heavy trains up the mountain.

The maximum speed with pushed trains was 60 km / h. In the case of particularly heavy trains with up to 3600 tons, two push-pull locomotives were used to push them. Improvements to the power supply ensured that such services no longer required restrictions on operation on the opposite track.

The Mittelweserbahn held from 2004 to 2012 in Laufach to support the sliding locomotive 1020 041 (former Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB)) before. This means that after a long break, a copy of the E 94 series was used again in push mode.

Improvement of the situation

Considerations of avoiding the costly and material-intensive pushing operation and at the same time increasing the maximum speed on the route section lasted for decades. The solutions varied in the proposed new routes, but had in common to lay the route deeper and more in tunnels.

See also : "New building plans" in the Main-Spessart-Bahn article

planning

At the end of the 1990s it was planned to build a new 8.09 kilometer single-track line for 351 million DM . It should extend east of Laufach at route kilometer 77.51 and merge into the existing route between Heigenbrücken and Wiesthal at route kilometer 68.32. With a steepest gradient of 12.5 ‰ and a design speed of 140 km / h, two six-kilometer long tunnels were to be built.

While the new route was primarily intended for freight trains in the direction of Würzburg, passenger traffic was to remain predominantly on the existing route. The Schwarzkopf Tunnel was to be dismantled on a track as part of a renovation.

Implemented variant

On August 28, 2006, the Federal Ministry of Transport finally decided to completely re-route the entire section between Laufach and Heigenbrücken. The decision was based on the Federal Railways Expansion Act , which provided for a new or upgraded line for the Hanau – Nantenbach section. The variant implemented in this way provides for a complete abandonment of the Schwarzkopf tunnel.

The seven-kilometer new route runs through four tunnels in two single-track tubes and trough structures. Heigenbrücken station was replaced by a new breakpoint southeast of today's station at the east portal of the Falkenberg tunnel. At the Laufach stop, new platforms and a new pedestrian underpass were built. The project lies between the route kilometers 69.990 (corresponds to construction kilometers 169.990) and 77.538 (corresponds to construction kilometers 177.068) of the existing section. The new route is almost 500 meters shorter, the greatest gradient should be only 12.5 ‰ and the curve radius 820 meters for a top speed of up to 150 km / h. Track changing operations were set up throughout . In fact, a longitudinal gradient of 21 per thousand was created over 0.9 km. According to the planning approval decision, this concerns the western connection of the new building to the existing structure, where the Wolfszaunweg railway overpass in Laufach should not be structurally changed. Furthermore, an adjoining, already existing ramp up to 20 per thousand steep should be limited to a length of 760 m.

The superstructure is designed in a solid track . A decisive factor in choosing this variant was that the Schwarzkopf tunnel could not be renovated economically. Therefore it should be filled in, but its historical portals should be preserved. Since the height profile of the new route should be flatter than the previous one, heavy freight trains should not be pushed in from Laufach. Ultimately, a longitudinal incline of 21 per mille remains greater than initially communicated, the maximum train weight is thus limited to 1595 or 1765 tons (depending on the locomotive). Heavier trains, which in the past could reach up to 2200 tons with a locomotive pushing them, have since had to use a longer route via Jossa. Incidentally, freight trains initially got stuck on the uphill section of the new line after they had to wait for oncoming trains in Laufach station and start again. The project forms planning approval section 3 of the Hanau – Nantenbach line. The hearing process started on March 2, 2009 and ended in February 2011. The plan approval decision was issued on March 12, 2012 by the Federal Railway Authority .

The single-track, mined tunnel tubes have a usable cross-section of around 48 square meters. The double-track, cut-and-cover tunnels will have a partition between the tracks. The 2.6 kilometer long Falkenberg tunnel reaches an overburden of up to 150 meters.

construction

West portal of the Metzberg tunnel, construction status April 2016

Western threading of the NBS into the existing line east of Laufach

The preliminary explorations for the expansion began in November 2006. Among other things, around 100 core drillings were carried out to a depth of 175 meters. Around 25 of these boreholes will continue to be used for groundwater exploration after the tunnel has been completed. Soundings were carried out and landfill areas examined. There was a considerable dispute between the municipality of Heigenbrücken and the railway after the municipal council decided to refuse access to municipal land for exploratory drilling.

In December 2011, a financing agreement between the federal government and Deutsche Bahn was concluded on the project. From 2012, the federal government invested around 215 million euros in the project from the federal railways requirement plan.

The tunnel work was put out to tender for October 24, 2012. The estimated award amount for the 7 km long section is 350 or 420 million euros. On June 7, 2013, the construction contract for the bypass was awarded to a consortium of the companies Alfred Kunz, Baresel , Leonhard Weiss , Schälerbau (Berlin) and Bauer Spezialtiefbau .

Construction work began in July 2013. The Falkenberg, Hirschberg and Metzberg tunnels will be built using the mining method, the Haintunnel using the open construction method with a center wall. At the beginning of November 2014, work began on the 629-meter-long Metzberg tunnel, which will also be carried out in two separate tubes. The Falkenberg tunnel was broken through in December 2015 after a construction period of 21 months.

Commissioning of new building / decommissioning of old building

Test and acceptance runs took place from April 2017. The last freight train that ran over the Spessart ramp with the sliding locomotives stationed in Laufach (151 012 and 151 164) ran on the morning of June 15, 2017, and the last scheduled train across the old Spessart ramp was the ICE 621 from noon on the same day Dortmund to Nuremberg with railcar 403 028. From June 15 to 19, 2017, the new Spessart ramp was linked to the existing network as part of a total closure and the new Heigenbrücken stop was put into operation. From June 24th to 26th, 2017, the second track, with the exception of Laufach station, went into operation. This left a short single-track section until November 6, 2017.

After the new line went into operation, the provision of push locomotives in Laufach was given up. If particularly heavy freight trains, which at the time required two push locomotives, still need a pushing aid, these should be provided with a locomotive that is permanently coupled to the train and which is normally provided in Frankfurt (Main) Ost . Because of a remaining 760 m long ramp with a gradient of 20 ‰ in the eastern entrance to the station in Laufach, several freight trains were stuck that did not carry a second locomotive.

Dismantling the existing line

The demolition of the Heigenbrücken station (km 70.770 to 71.970) was requested from the Federal Railway Office on March 27, 2017.

The locomotive tracks in Laufach station, which had previously served to keep pushing locomotives ready, were also dismantled. This possibility no longer exists.

literature

• Kurt Eckert: Laufach . In: Lok-Magazin . No. 83 . Franckh'sche Verlagshandlung, W. Keller & Co. , 1977, ISSN  0458-1822 , p. 101-106 .
• Joachim Seyferth: The Spessart route and its ramp Laufach-Heigenbrücken . In: Alfred B. Gottwaldt (ed.): Lok magazine . No. 118 . Franckh'sche Verlagshandlung, W. Keller & Co. , 1983, ISSN  0458-1822 , p. 15-20 .
• Rolf Syrigos: Mainline Frankfurt / M – Nuremberg. Mountain & Valley . In: railway magazine . No. 3 . Alba publication, March 2013, ISSN  0342-1902 , p. 31-35 .
• Falk-Friedrich Schindler, Axel Städing: Engineering structures on the upgraded Hanau – Nantenbach line . In: The Railway Engineer . No. 8 . DVV Media Group, Hamburg August 2015, p. 16-19 ( short version ).
• Fritz Traser: Ramp route Laufach – Heigenbrücken. A hurdle called Spessart . In: railway magazine . No. 599 . Alba publication, 2017, ISSN  0342-1902 , p. 40-47 .

Web links

Commons : Spessart ramp  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Information website of the Deutsche Bahn
• Route of new and existing buildings, with permissible speeds and operating points, on the OpenRailwayMap
• Excursion suggestion of the German Society for Railway History (DGEG)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} In the morning dew to the mountains to the tunnel construction site . In: DB Welt , 10/2014, p. 11
2. ↑ ^{a b} upgraded line Hanau - Nantenbach . In: The Railway Engineer . tape 65 , no. 1 , 2016, ISSN  0013-2810 , p. 59 .
3. ↑ Mainpost report
4. ↑ DB Netze - Infrastructure Register
5. ↑ Railway Atlas Germany . 9th edition. Schweers + Wall, Aachen 2014, ISBN 978-3-89494-145-1 .
6. ↑ Fritz Traser: A hurdle called Spessart . In: railway magazine . No. 5 , 2017, ISSN  0342-1902 , p. 42 .
7. ↑ Rolf Syrigos: Spessart without shifting . In: Eisenbahn Magazin . tape 36 , no. 1 , 1998, ISSN  0342-1902 , p. 18th f .
8. ↑ Federal Ministry for Transport, Building and Urban Development (ed.): Green light for the new construction of the Schwarzkopf tunnel . Press release from August 28, 2006
9. ↑ Law on the expansion of federal railways in the version of April 29, 2005 (Appendix 1 to Section 1, No. 16) - BGBl . I p. 1138
10. ↑ ^{a b c} Deutsche Bahn AG (publisher): Schwarzkopf tunnel between Laufach and Heigenbrücken will be bypassed from 2017 . Press release from September 28, 2012
11. ^ ^{A b c} Germany-Frankfurt: Services from engineering offices . Document 2013 / S 211-366884 of October 30, 2013 in the supplement to the Electronic Official Journal of the European Union
12. ↑ ^{a b} Björn Kohlhepp: Schildbürgerstreich? Trouble about the new railway line in the Spessart. In: mainpost.de. February 8, 2019, accessed on February 9, 2019 : "" Deutsche Bahn has always said that the new line should have a continuous gradient of 12.5 per thousand, but on the 900 meters it is 21 per thousand. "" 
13. ↑ ^{a b} Plan approval decision according to § 18 AEG for the extension line (ABS) project Hanau - Nantenbach bypass link Schwarzkopf tunnel (PFA 3). (PDF) Train - km 66.596 - km 80.177 on the route 5200 Würzburg Hbf - Aschaffenburg. Eisenbahn-Bundesamt, March 12, 2012, pp. 276, 295 , accessed on February 10, 2019 (Akztenzeichen 621ppa / 001-2300 # 007- (5200) 66,596 (PFA3H-N) of the EBA branch office in Nuremberg). 
14. ^ Germany-Frankfurt Main: superstructure work . Document 2014 / S 144-259708 of July 30, 2014 in the supplement to the Electronic Official Journal of the European Union
15. ↑ red: KBS 800 Aschaffenburg Hbf - Gemünden (Main) . In: IBSE Telegram 263 (October 2012), p. 3.
16. ↑ Johannes Hirschlach Laufach: Obstacle Spessart ramp . In: sueddeutsche.de . February 18, 2018, ISSN  0174-4917 ( sueddeutsche.de [accessed February 9, 2019]).
17. ↑ Train traffic impaired: freight train stopped again. July 26, 2017, accessed February 9, 2019 . 
18. ^ Government of Lower Franconia: Expansion of the Würzburg-Aschaffenburg railway line: Planning approval for the new construction of the Schwarzkopf tunnel bypass between Heigenbrücken and Laufach opened . Press release 095/09 from March 2, 2009
19. ↑ The mountain can grow . In: Main-Echo , February 16, 2011
20. ^ Deutsche Bahn: exploration work for the bypass of the Schwarzkopf tunnel begins . Press release from November 23, 2006
21. ↑ No access to the train . In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , January 11, 2000
22. ↑ Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Development (Ed.): Financing agreement for bypassing the Schwarzkopf Tunnel concluded  ( page no longer available , search in web archives ). Press release 275/2011 from December 30, 2011
23. ↑ rp: "Spessart baseline": Tunnels advertised . In: Eisenbahn-Revue International 12/2012, p. 578
24. ^ D-Nuremberg: Construction work for railway lines . Document 2011 / S 113-187535 of June 15, 2011 in the electronic gazette of the European Union
25. ^ D-Frankfurt am Main: Construction work for tunnel . Document 2012 / S 170-281712 of September 5, 2012 in the supplement to the Electronic Official Journal of the European Union
26. ^ DB Mobility Logistics AG (ed.): Construction work to bypass the Schwarzkopf tunnel between Laufach and Heigenbrücken was awarded . Press release 075/2013 from June 12, 2013
27. ↑ Main Post article from October 13, 2014
28. ↑ Ceremonial opening of the Metzberg tunnel. Press release. DB Projektbau GmbH, December 4, 2014, archived from the original on December 19, 2014 ; Retrieved December 19, 2014 . 
29. ↑ Breakthrough at the Falkenberg tunnel . In: Eisenbahn-Revue International . No. 2 , 2016, ISSN  1421-2811 , p. 62 f .
30. ↑ db / schr / kar: Spessart-NBS before the start of operations . In: Eisenbahn-Revue International 6/2017, p. 305.
31. ↑ kar / schr: Pushing operation on the old Spessart ramp ended . In: Eisenbahn-Revue International 8-9 / 2017, p. 423.
32. ↑ New route starts in stages . In: Netznachrichten . No. 1 , March 2017, ZDB -ID 2548162-9 , p. 6 ( dbnetze.com [PDF]). New route starts in stages ( Memento from March 27, 2017 in the Internet Archive )
33. ↑ db / schr / kar: Spessart-NBS before the start of operations . In: Eisenbahn-Revue International 6/2017, p. 305.
34. ↑ ^{a b c} schr: Operational false start of the new line in the Spessart . In: Eisenbahn-Revue International 10 (2017), p. 527.
35. ↑ Determination of the failure to carry out an environmental impact assessment (UVP) in accordance with Section 3a of the Environmental Impact Assessment Act (UVPG) for the project "Dismantling Heigenbrücken Station, km 70.770–71.970, route 5200 Würzburg Hbf-Aschaffenburg Hbf". (PDF) (No longer available online.) In: eba.bund.de. Federal Railway Office, March 27, 2017, formerly in the original ; accessed on May 20, 2017 .  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )