Aachen–Mönchengladbach railway

The railway line Aachen -Mönchengladbach is a major city pair in the Rhineland and Ruhr part of the relation - Belgium. It is traveled daily by passenger and freight trains.

Instrumental in the development of this route were the Aachen- Dusseldorf - Ruhrorter Railway Company and the Bergisch- Märkische Railway Company.

Route

The route has its starting point in Aachen Hauptbahnhof, the common initial or terminal station of the routes coming from Belgium and Cologne with the track to Mönchengladbach. Shortly after its exit signals follows the First opened in 2004 breakpoint Aachen Schanz. In the subsequent Aachen Westbahnhof the used exclusively for freight Montzenroute branches off to Belgium.

After the route is first guided on a high embankment on the western part of Aachen over, followed by a deep incision, in which the former railway station and the control center today About Richterich is. In Richterich station also was the branch to Simpelveld the so-called million line. The following on the transfer station control center Kohlscheid is the end of the 4.2 km long and has a slope of 14 per thousand having Kohlscheider ramp. Previously had heavy trains in the direction of Aachen be pushed by Duke Rath to Kohlscheid to overcome the slope of the ramp. In addition Kohlscheid was the starting point of today almost completely decommissioned railway line Stolberg- Kohlscheid about Wuerselen.

In Herzogenrath the railway line Stolberg- Duke Rath and the railway line Sittard- Herzogenrath branch off, traversed by the euregiobahn. In addition, the Herzogenrather glass factory Saint -Gobain has a connection. In this area, the route runs through the valley of the worm, the sections forms the border with the Netherlands.

The following on the breakpoint Ubach- Palenberg Station Geilenkirchen once served as transfer hubs to the routes of the Geilenkirchener circular path Tüddern and Alsdorf. Currently, testifies only the standard gauge railway siding from West Energy and Transport of the orbit era. From the station, alleviating where a branch line to the city of Heinberg leaves, the terrain is flat. Behind alleviating, ameliorating the section - Brachelen - Baal, the route runs on a high embankment by the Rurniederung, the same river is crossed by a concrete bridge.

With the tower station Baal finally the next node is reached. On that station, the railway Julich- Dalheim crossed by 1980 in the lower part of the railway station with the Aachen -Mönchengladbach railway station in the upper part. Behind the Baal station crosses the route is predominantly rural country of Erkelenzer flare.

In the freight yard Reydt the former railway line Krefeld Rheydt.This and today Mönchengladbach goods shunting path branches off to the busy section between Rheydt Central and Mönchengladbach drive around the main train station on the freight trains to arrive in Viersen - Helena city rail station on track Moenchengladbach Duisburg. Furthermore, there is a parking area for the trains to Siemens test center in Wegberg -Wildenrath.

Between the freight station and the Hauptbahnhof Rheydter the Iron Rhine runs from Dalheim on a main track parallel to the railway line Aachen -Mönchengladbach. In the end, the routes from Cologne Main Station and Dalheim.

The meeting of these routes in Reydt leads to high utilization of the last section of the track to Mönchengladbach Hauptbahnhof. From there, trails lead further to Duisburg and Dusseldorf.

• Railway line Aachen -Mönchengladbach

Station Palenberg 1900

Passage from the time of establishment of the route for the Beekfliess in the embankment between the stations Geilenkirchen and relief

Station Erkelenz

Signals in the form Wickrathberg Station

Mönchengladbach Hauptbahnhof

History

Formation

Planning for the construction of the line was initially by the Aachen- Düsseldorf- Neuss - Railway Company, which received the concession to build the line Aachen - Neuss- Dusseldorf -Oberkassel by the Prussian state on August 21, 1846. As society became like the Ruhr place - Crefeld circle Gladbach Railway Company during the construction of financial difficulties, both were 1850 provides at his own request of the Royal Directorate of Aachen- Dusseldorf - Ruhrorter railroad, but existed as joint stock companies on.

The route was opened in the following sections:

Until 1854, the Aachen- Dusseldorf - Ruhrorter railroad was the sole operator of the route, and remained so until 31 December 1865. Effect from 1 January 1866 took the majority held by the Prussian State Bergisch- Märkische Railway Company ( BME) all routes the Aachen- Dusseldorf - Ruhrorter Railway Company. The latter was resolved with the acquisition by the BME.

The alternative route of about Eschweiler, Jülich and Hottorf ( at Linnich ) was not drawn closer into consideration.

Relocation of the route within Aachen 1910

Originally started the route in Aachen Marschierthor station. This was at the height of Marschiertors at the point where today the workshop Aachen DB Regio is located on the north side of the Aachen main station.

In 1910 a section of the line was due to the demolition of the station Aachen Templerbend, which was replaced by the Aachen West Station, moved to Aachen. The Templerbend station was in a north-south direction immediately behind the present branch of Montzenroute. From there, the route ran after a slight left turn at the foot of Lousberg and Roermonder street towards the north-east directly through today's western outskirts of Aachen city up to that station Richterich. The former course over a high embankment in Lauren Berg is still traceable on aerial photographs today.

Reconstruction in 2007

Between Ubach- Palenberg Rheydt Central and the track in 2007 on the electronic interlocking ( CBI ) Grevenbroich was connected. During the construction in the years 2006 and 2007, inter alia, new Ks signals were set up and the last semaphore signals away at the track in relieving station and between the block location Herrath and Rheydt Central. The stations Wickrathberg, Ubach- Palenberg and Erkelenz were converted to breakpoints, the relieving station to a stop because the breakpoint alleviating the junction point where the railway line Alleviate - Heinberg ( Rheinl ) began on the running line was connected locally. For the resumption of railway passenger services on the route to alleviating Heinberg was rebuilt in the fall of 2013 to a train station.

In Aachen Hauptbahnhof also emerged by 2007 a ​​new electronic interlocking, so also there to replace the old Ks- signals light signals.

Current operating

Is operated regional services on the route from DB Regio NRW. The hourly Wupper -Express ( RE 4 ) and the hourly Rhine - Nier -Bahn (RB 33) put on the section Aachen - Mönchengladbach the basic service. The regional train services all holding up to Kohlscheid the regional express all the stops with the exception of Kohlscheid Brachelen, Herrath and Wickrathberg. From Mönchengladbach use the two separate routes trains (RB 33 continues over the train track Ruhrort -Mönchengladbach to Duisburg and RE 4 on across the railway line to Dusseldorf Dusseldorf - Monchengladbach, then via Wuppertal and Hagen to Dortmund). Since 15 December 2013, the Rhein- Nier - web is winged in alleviating to operate the route to Heinberg. There are also night a direct RE- connection from Aachen to Dusseldorf Airport Terminal Station. In addition, the condensed section is Herzogenrath - Aachen every half hour through the euregiobahn, the hourly further upside of Herzogenrath each to Alsdorf and Heerlen and Monday to Friday twice a day to Geilenkirchen.

The section Mönchengladbach Hbf - Reydt Hbf is also still used by the Rhine Erft Express and the Rhine Erft train to Koblenz and the Schwalm -Nette train to Dalheim.

In long-distance traffic, there were between 1991 and 2001 an Inter Regio towards East Germany, the Aachen Hbf, Mönchengladbach Hbf, Duke Rath and Geilenkirchen ( between 1999 and 2001 also Erkelenz and Reydt Hbf) served, appreciable distance traffic there was in front until 1981 with only the D- train pair 340/341 between Aachen Hbf and Berlin Friedrichstrasse. Since the timetable change on December 13, 2009 shall communicate with the IC 1918 and 1919 and from Berlin for the first time since the cessation of inter-regional re- scheduled long distance with intermediate stops in Mönchengladbach Hbf, Reydt Hbf, Duke Rath and Aachen Hbf on the track.

In freight transport, the route is currently used as an alternative to the Iron Rhine. Trains from Belgium come to the Ruhr by the Montzenroute and drive from Aachen Westbahnhof at least until Reydt Gbf. There is the possibility to use the freight bypass track Mönchengladbach Mönchengladbach Hbf or up and starting from there to drive on the track to Duisburg on.

In the frequency stronger than on the part of the track between Aachen and Mönchengladbach West is the freight train traffic but on the shorter, leading directly through the city center of Aachen part of the track between Aachen West and Aachen Central Station. Reason for this is that the branching already from Aachen Central Station Belgium Westertalstrecke densely covered with people ranges of the short - and long-distance traffic and because of the Ronheider ramp, among other things topographically difficult. Therefore, most of the traveling from or via Cologne freight trains to Belgium and vice versa does not have the Wesertalstrecke, but the Montzenroute be performed.

The local freight traffic on the route is, however, after the closure of the mines of the Aachen coalfield and supply changes on the part of the path, such as the Mora C program, become insignificant and limited (as of February 2014) to occasional fertilizer traffic with Tds - car to the track connecting the western energy and traffic in Geilenkirchen.

• Current operating

The Wupper - Express on the Rurbrücke

Block train between Ubach- Palenberg and Herzogenrath

Mixed freight train on the line between Aachen and Aachen Schanz West