Bremgarten–Dietikon railway

The Bremgarten - Dietikon railway (BD ) is a former private railway company in Switzerland who built a narrow-gauge line from Bremgarten in the canton of Aargau to Dietikon in the canton of Zurich. Later, she has a monopoly on the standard gauge line from Bremgarten to Wohlen and provided with a three -rail track so that a continuous operation of Wohlen to Dietikon was possible, as the line is part of the S17 S -Bahn Zurich today. It is particularly important for commuter traffic to and from Zurich. Monday to Saturday is the day of the morning rush hour up to around nine clock in the evening quarter -hourly ( between West and Bremgarten Dietikon ). Among the remaining times the trains run every half hour. Since the merger with the neighboring Wohlensee Meisterschwanden train the company BDWM called transport.

The tariff structure of Aargau route part is integrated into the collective A-Welle, that the Zurich route part in the Zurich Transport Network.

Route

The route begins at Wohlen station in a covered platform opposite the main train station ( altitude 426 m). After a few meters the track goods threaded into the distance; From here there is a three-rail track (1000 mm for passenger trains, 1435 for freight trains ). The track is rising up to 451 m in height and then moves through the Bremgarterwald. The stop Erdmannlistein nestled in the forest and is exclusively for excursion traffic. After 6.6 km the Bremgarten Westbahnhof is reached ( 404 m); here also ends the three-rail track for the standard gauge freight.

Up to this point the route rather flat (up 1.5 % slope) is, has wide curve radii (minimum 300 m) and is similar to the route of her rather an ordinary SBB line as a narrow gauge railway. It is the route of the former Wohlensee Bremgarten train. After Bremgarten Westbahnhof the character of the route changes completely. After two very tight bends the Reuss is crossed with a 156 -meter long bridge. On Bremgarten station ( 389 m) is the operational center with custody and administration.

From here the route is always to the right of the main road through densely populated areas. The route ascends up to 5.6 %. After four tight turns the station Berikon - Widen is reached ( 551 m ) on the Mutschellen - pass. From this vertex of the path it will now go downhill. After a sharp left turn just before Rudolfstetten the slope is gradually flatter. Between Reppischhof and Stoffelbach the railway line for a few hundred meters switches to the left side of the road. After the mountain peace stop follows as a conclusion a tram -like section where the track is laid out on the street. The route ends at Dietikon station ( 391 m) in a covered platform beside the SBB railway tracks.

Stations, stops and Structures

History

The distance between Wohlen and Bremgarten West was built by the Wohlensee Bremgarten train as standard gauge branch line of the Southern Railway Aargau (Aarau - Wohlensee Red Cross ). On bridging the Reuss was abandoned at that time for reasons of cost. The line was opened on September 1, 1876, powered by steam locomotives. In 1882 there were through trains Brugg- Lenzburg - Wohlensee Bremgarten. The newly created SBB took over the branch line on 1 January 1902.

The route to Wohlen had three disadvantages for Bremgarten: The schedule was bad, the station was too far from the center and there was no connection to Zurich. The city Bremgarten left in 1895 develop a project for an electric tram to Dietikon. Construction began in 1901, the rails were laid exclusively on the road. On 1 May 1902, the line was opened.

But there were still between Bremgarten and Bremgarten West is a gap of about one kilometer, passengers had to change trains in a stagecoach. The BD led to the SBB negotiations and was able in 1910 to sign a lease for the Wohlensee Bremgarten train. The line was electrified and received an additional meter gauge track, over the Reuss was a bridge. The continuous operation between Wohlen and Dietikon could be taken on February 8, 1912.

From 1930, the line was disconnected on the Mutschellen gradually from the street. After 1950, the little train changed thanks to new rolling stock and new technical facilities into a modern suburban railway. The opening of the S -Bahn Zurich on May 27, In 1990, a surge in development. The track has been integrated into the S- train network, the schedule was compacted and it emerged three new stops with alternatives. Since 1995, there is a double track section between Rudolfstetten Hofacker and Berikon - Widen, who two years later was extended to the stop Belveder.

Future

For many years, there is a project for a tunnel between mountain peace and Dietikon to pick up the tram -like portion can. But in times of tight finances is one such project ( whose usefulness is disputed by the way ) is probably not feasible. Significantly more realistic, however, appears a shortcut to the planned light rail Limmat.

A bottleneck is the intersection on the Mutschellen. From Dietikon railway crossing just before the entrance to the station Berikon - Widen the road to Berikon respectively. Birmensdorf. The train blocked the already congested intersection additionally, which often leads to the peak times to long traffic jams. Medium term, a complete redesign of the intersection is planned. One idea is a large roundabout with a railway viaduct that crosses the intersection, similar to this has already been implemented in Zufikerrank 2007/ 08. Also, a relocation of the railway Trasses under the road is considered. A level -free transition between rail and road is favored in any case, but is associated with very high costs.

Rolling stock

( italics sold or scrapped )

Vineyard Plant Part:

  • ABe 4/8 5001-5014 " diamond " ( 2010-11 )
  • BDe 8/8 7 (1969 ) (equipped with ZSI -127 )
  • Be 4/8 21-25 (1993 ) from 2011 use in WSB after reconstruction
  • Tm 2/2 51 and 52 ( 1967-68 )

Standard gauge Plant Part:

Pictures

BDe 8/8 on the tram -like section by Dietikon

Seen Reussbrücke in Bremgarten from the west side

Train in the station square in Wohlen

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