Witten/Dortmund–Oberhausen/Duisburg railway

The railway Witten / Dortmund -Oberhausen / Duisburg is one of the most important and busiest railway lines in Germany. It is the main axis of the rail passenger and long-distance transport on the east- west axis of the Ruhr region, including traveled by Intercity-Express, InterCity, Regional-Express, Regional Bahn and S- Bahn Rhein -Ruhr.

Strictly speaking, this main line today consists of two parallel, each double-track routes for mainline and S-Bahn, which have at times share a roadbed, in several sections but have completely separate track gradients. The mainline route follows this largely to the historical course of the route, which was built in 1860-1862 by the Bergisch- Märkischen Railway Company subsequent to their original route Elberfeld- Dortmund.

History

The Cologne -Minden Railway Company (short CME) 1845-1847 had the strong hilly country along the Ruhr and Wupper bypassed widely in the construction of their regular route to minimize costs during the construction and operation of the line. So it was but cut off from the coal mines that were on the north bank of the Ruhr to the middle of the 19th century.

The Bergisch- Märkische Railway Company (short BME) had, however, created from 1847 to 1849 with their regular route a railway connection of the highly industrialized area in the valley of the Wupper and the Bergisch Land in an easterly direction and, therefore, did not shrink from the development of the area between the Ruhr and Emscher. With the Ruhr route they particularly wanted to make the lucrative port of coal mines north of the Ruhr.

Construction of the original route

The preferred for this project was the station of Witten, from here began the BME building their course westwards. On 26 October 1860, the first section of Witten BME BME was to Bochum ( Bochum formerly South, Bochum Hbf ( old)) released for passenger traffic.

Few weeks was on March 1, 1862 then the first section of Bochum Steele, Essen BME, opened Mülheim ( Ruhr) BME and Styrum to Oberhausen BME, followed on 1 May 1862 the section of the route BME Styrum to Duisburg in the west initially completed.

In the same year the route was extended from Langendreer BME back east towards Dortmund BME and opened on October 5, 1862 for passenger traffic.

Route Styrum - Ruhrort

In subsequent years, the route has been continuously strengthened and expanded by connecting lines. The construction of the Witten- Duisburg railway line about eating the Bergisch- Märkische Railway in 1862 had opened its own access to the coal mines of the Ruhr and was thus able to offer the previously working there exclusively Cologne - Minden railway competition. To dissipate the coals in the direction of Belgium, the Netherlands and the sea harbors they decided to build a connecting line from Mülheim- Styrum to Ruhrorter port that was completed in 1867.

After the BME had 1864 first took over the operation and later the routes of the Royal Direction of the Aachen- Dusseldorf - Ruhrorter railway including the Trajektes Ruhrort -Homberg, she built partly parallel to the older railroad of the CME from Oberhausen own route to Ruhrort of Styrum about avoiding Erich ( South), which was inaugurated on 4 December 1867.

In Meiderich South Railway Station, the railway met the Ruhrortbahn and followed the course until just next to the railway ferry terminal Ruhr place where until 1907 links to the left bank of the Rhine and the Aachen- Dusseldorf - Ruhrorter Railway Company by the ferry Ruhrort -Homberg existed.

A special company presented the Gleisverschlingung between Dümpten and Ratingsee, which allowed a soft free two-track route to the designed only for single-track operation bridge over the Rhine -Herne Canal.

The passenger had been carried out since the 60s of battery railcar DB Class ETA 150. Passenger traffic on the railway line was discontinued on April 1, 1995, the total decommissioning followed in 1996. The bridge over the Rhine -Herne Canal was demolished after closure.

Route Essen - Bochum - Herne

On November 1, 1874, initially for freight and established two months later on January 1, 1875 for passenger widely parallel to the existing route, inaugurated additional distance, the food of BME BME Wattenscheid to Bochum BME, and with continuous chainage was more about Bochum- Herne - Riemke and Rottbruch to Herne BME (see railway Bochum-Essen/Oberhausen ).

After the relocation of the former main railway station Märkischen ( Bochum BME) 1957 to present Bochum Main Station and the route to Bochum West was shut down. Instead, was well built further West to Bochum in 1979 one kilometer east of a link from the new central train station. The old connection curve is now seemed free.

Since this route is de facto divided into two completely different parts, the western portion is now traversed by the mainline between Duisburg and Dortmund (otherwise follows the remote path of the original route ), while the northern sub-branch today only by a through -bound to Gelsenkirchen regional train ( Good luck -Bahn ) and freight will be used.

Expansion for S -Bahn

As part of the construction of the S- Bahn Rhein -Ruhr early 1970s began, consistently expanding the route at least four tracks. On September 23, 1973, the section between Mülheim- Eppinghofen and Mülheim- Styrum was inaugurated on 10 December 1973 was followed by another section to Duisburg Hbf opening of the S-Bahn intercourse was the long-distance traffic on the section of Mülheim- Styrum after Oberhausen Hbf set.

After the opening of two additional sections on March 11, 1974 between Essen Main Station and Essen- Steele and Food West and the now so designated Mülheim (Ruhr ) Hbf was the S -Bahn line S 1 between Duisburg- Großenbaum and Bochum main station and the line S 3 to the public between Oberhausen Hbf and Hattingen.

The route built between Bochum- Langendreer and Dortmund- Dorstfeld from where again - As the University of Dortmund, founded in 1968, should definitely get connected to the S- Bahn network, until September 24, 1983, a completely new route - partly underground the historic route to Dortmund Central Station follows.

Expansion for long-distance transport

To relieve the completely congested railway Elberfeld- Dortmund between Witten Hbf and Dortmund Hbf, was built under the route number 2125 of the branching point Stockumer street in Bochum- Langendreer to the branching point Luetgendortmund an additional link through the 565 meter tunnel Oberstraße for remote railway line towards Dortmund and inaugurated on 29 May 1988.

Since then, all Intercity and Intercity Express between Wuppertal and Dortmund go as well as the regional train RE 4 on the new track.

Partial closure

Beginning of the 20th century had been used up to four parallel tracks reserved for freight, with its decline after the Second World War on this route these tracks were then gradually decommissioned. Some of them were taken under the S-Bahn and the new building of the new mainline track between Witten and Dortmund again.

On the section between Meiderich South and Mülheim (Ruhr ) Styrum last drove only battery railcars of Class 515 The total traffic was stopped on 1 April 1995, closed permanently, the section just over a year later, on 1 May 1996. The southern platform of the station Meiderich south, the east subsequent embankment and the bridge over the Rhine -Herne Canal were immediately degraded, the remaining tracks are partly still broke.

Current situation

The railway Witten / Dortmund -Oberhausen / Duisburg since its opening was of immense importance for rail transport in the Ruhr and was therefore expanded and modernized over again, sechsgleisige sections were not uncommon. End of the 1950s began with the construction of the overhead line.

Today, the main route between Dortmund and Duisburg is the whole length four tracks ( between Essen and Bochum as well as between Bochum and Dortmund Langendreer partly due to spatially separate routes ) and electrified, permitted line speed is generally 150 to 160 km / h

The routes to and from Witten are two tracks and also electrified, the ties with the West is approved for up to 120 km / h and the eastern with the tunnel Oberstr. for up to 140 or 155 km / h

In November 2013, a mining tunnels were discovered during construction work in the track area of Essen main railway station, which runs 24 feet below the tracks. Fearing shocks the speed limit was reduced to 5 km / hr. Extensive diversions of long-distance trains were needed. The tunnel was filled, thereby however, more voids were discovered under the tracks. The construction work lasted until the end of December 2014.

Train services

Traveled is consistently today only the relation between Dortmund and Duisburg Hbf main station, but this of all types of trains:

Long-distance passenger traffic

It runs in particular the InterCity Express on the hourly east-west connection of the ICE line 10 ( between Berlin and Cologne ) and on the two hourly north-south connection of the ICE line 42 ( between Dortmund and Munich), plus more features of the ICE line 31, ICE line 41 (Duisburg -Essen hourly) and ICE line 91

Also ply the two hourly InterCity IC 30 and IC line - line 51, also various features of the IC line 26, IC 32 and IC line - line 55

See also: List of Intercity - Express railway stations, list of intercity train stations.

Rail transport

The backbone of regional traffic on the railroad - major axis of the Ruhr region is the Regional Express. Between Dortmund and Duisburg Hbf main station every hour of RE 1 "NRW - Express", the RE 6 " Westfalen- Express" and the RE 11 " Rhein- Hellweg - Express".

The line S 1 S-Bahn Rhein- Ruhr comes at 20 -minute intervals also the whole relation between Dortmund and Duisburg, while it uses between Essen and Bochum the original course on Steele, and between Bochum and Dortmund, the new route of 1983. a compaction to a 10 - minute cycle undergoes the S-Bahn in the section between Essen- Steele Ost and Mülheim- Styrum by the S 3 on their way from Hattingen (Ruhr) center in Oberhausen Hbf

The section to Witten Hbf is now navigate only to and from Essen Hbf, on the one hand by the RE 16 " Ruhr -Sieg- Express" via Hagen Hbf after wins, the other by the RB 40 "Ruhr -Lenne -Bahn ", the already ends in Hagen. The section between Duisburg Hbf Essen Hbf and uses the RE 2 " Rhein- Haard - Express", at both stations, he then switches each on the formerly " Rhenish " route.

The shortest stretch drive on the RE 14 " The Borkener " and S 9, both lines come from Bottrop Hauptbahnhof and follow from Essen Dellwig the former railway line Mülheim -Hot -Oberhausen - Osterfeld north, in the amount of the holding point Essen- Frohnhausen the S- Bahn line threading, but without the platform connection and thus without stopping. The RE has no support in Essen in Essen Hbf West and applies until December 2006, he went on to Essen - Steele Ost. The S 9 and continue towards Wuppertal over the connecting curve for Ruhrtalbahn.

Tariff

In the features of local and regional traffic comes when traveling within the transport association Rhein-Ruhr ( VRR) only the composite tariff applies. When driving on the composite boundaries transition rates to the adjacent traffic Communities, and the NRW - tariff apply.

For trips with the features of the remote intercourse of Deutsche Bahn AG must also within the VRR tickets are resolved, mostly with surcharge (IC) or special tariff (ICE).

Special

• The unusual kilometer of the route (starting at kilometer 107.3 in Ruhrort ) is due to the fact that the railway Aachen and Mönchengladbach Mönchengladbach the railway - Ruhrort were counted in the Aachen - Dusseldorf - Ruhrorter Railway Company. The chainage begins in Aachen ( 0.0 km ) On Monchengladbach (km 63.9 ) and Uerdingen Hp ( 93.7 km ) to Duisburg -Homberg (km 105.9 ).
• Although the bridge over the Rhine -Herne Canal, was intended only for a track, the track was twofold in this section until the closure of the route. This was made possible by a Gleisverschlingung in the area of ​​the bridge, which points were saved ( one block locations backup but was of course still required). Following closure of the route, the bridge was demolished.
• During the embankment of the section between Meiderich South and Duisburg- Ratingsee is east of the station road still visible, the railway embankment between Bahnhofstrasse and Sing Street was completely demolished to make room for the ramp of light rail Duisburg, there are now the trams line 903 after crossing under Ruhr and Duisburg- Ruhrorter port back to the surface.