Breckenheim–Wiesbaden railway

The railway line Breckenheim -Wiesbaden is a 13 km long railway line in the area of ​​the Hessian capital Wiesbaden. It combines the high-speed line Cologne-Rhine/Main with the Wiesbaden Central Station.

The double-track line was built from the late 1990s as a new line. She went in December 2002. With a scheduled train service from two Fernzugpaaren for each day it is one of the section between junctions Kinzenberg and Breckenheim to the least busy sections of rail passenger transport in Germany (August 2009). In this section wrong neither regional nor freight.

The total cost of the route construction amounted to 279 million euros. Originally had been less estimated 29 million euros. The additional costs took over the German railway.

Course

The route threaded with 0.0 km of track at the tap point Breckenheim, near the Wiesbaden Cross of the Federal Highway 3, which they crossed in the subsequent moving man -north tunnel. After a brief trough in Wallau the moving man - south tunnel, in which the Federal Highway 66 crosses under follows. West of the junction Wallau the surface is reached again. The route runs parallel to the A66 on the north town, on the northern edge of the airbase heritage home by Heritage Home. At kilometer 10 the Ländchesbahn threaded into the distance before the Wiesbaden Central Station is reached at kilometer 13.

History

Background

The connection of Wiesbaden on the new Cologne-Rhine/Main line was provided at the various discussed in the 1980s, high-speed lines variants. Only in the case of a purely left-bank route no connection to the state capital was provided. After the new Cologne-Rhine/Main line was included in the Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan 1985, saw the first considerations of the Federal Railroad before a binding of Wiesbaden ( and Mainz ) on a branch, the other branch should run to the Frankfurt airport. In addition, an extension route Mainz- Mannheim was scheduled to depart the anticipated increase in traffic can.

The state government of Hesse held the remote transport links their state capital Wiesbaden inadequate. Forecasts in the 1990s came from more than 1,000 passengers per day.

At the ( ultimately unrealized ) rechtsrheinischen Cologne -Frankfurt- route along the A 3 for connection of Wiesbaden, a track was initially planned that would be diverted at low houses of the new route to reach the Wiesbaden Central Station. Between the northern edge of the city and the main railway station, the construction of an eleven -kilometer-long tunnel was provided. This variant was a maximum gradient of 25 per thousand basis, which was later raised to 40 per thousand. The city of Wiesbaden thereby invited to waive the continuation of the route to Frankfurt and on to lead all trains on the Wiesbaden Central Station and from there via existing (partly upgraded ) rail lines. Based on this, examined the German Federal Railroad a variety of Trassierungsvarianten between the corridor of the route Niedernhausen Wiesbaden Central Station and low - Hausen Wiesbaden junction (along the A 3). Here, a pitch of up to 40 per thousand has already been taken as a basis. One case developed variant saw, for example, before, between Bierstadt and heritage home, east of the settlement Hainerberg to build a railway station. South of this station heritage home, the track should branch out. Geological studies revealed later in considerable geological difficulties of undercutting of beer townspeople Mountain and Salzbachtals. The train then distanced himself from such variations, searching for geologically favorable solutions, even if this required a head Make the Hauptbahnhof. For a variety of route alternatives were three closely examined:

• A variant of the path envisaged to lead the high-speed line along the A 3 and north of Wiesbaden motorway junction establish a branch route to Wiesbaden. In bundling with the A66 and the route Wiesbaden- Niedernhausen finally the Wiesbaden Central Station should be achieved.
• The so-called best Wiesbaden solution was left as the most favorable of the variants which provided the clean lines of the new line over the Wiesbaden Central Station. From Wiesbaden station the track doing the A 66 should follow to Wiesbaden junction, and reach the Frankfurt airport. While the web it wanted to lead parts of the track in cuts, the city of Wiesbaden was on a continuous route in the tunnel.
• The so-called Hainerberg variant saw a guide parallel to B 455 with a new station Hainerberg ago. South of the route should Wiesbaden and Frankfurt branch. This variant has been granted great potential for urban development in the Wiesbaden East, but meant a burden to the central station.

In a top-level meeting between Federal Railways, the State of Hesse and the municipal authorities of the city of Wiesbaden, the Hainerberg variant was discarded while the Federal Railroad agreed to provide the remaining two variants equally established to provide in the regional planning process. In the procedure, ultimately the best Wiesbaden solution due to an acceptable period and realization of construction expenses and geological reasons, was rejected. Were feared difficulties in a not-yet -seen in the German Neubaustreckenbau intensity as well as a threat to the hot springs at the edge of the Taunus. A commissioner of the city assessor confirmed the results of the Federal Railways. The city of Wiesbaden eventually developed a so-called optimized spatial street with a triangle: In addition to the ausfädelnden from the new line in a southwesterly direction connection route a connection clasp in a southeasterly direction was planned for the new line, which should be taken by train to the Planning and taken into account in the planning approval process. While the web wanted to take this clip to improve the rail transport, the city of Wiesbaden wanted to achieve a high quality use by distance rail passenger transport.

In the current from February 26, 1992 regional planning process for the Hessian area of the new line Cologne-Rhine/Main the German Federal Railways introduced a variant for the connection of Wiesbaden, which would be diverted at the northwestern edge of Breckenheim in a westerly direction from the new line height free (radius: 2,500 m ), the track would have conditions Cologne crosses under the new line. Between Wallau and north of the city they would have been in the 2,550 m -long tunnel Wallau ( radius 2250 m), which would be south-west of the north city highway 66 crosses under and came to the surface in connection (radius: 1.800 m). In the course of a ridge between the north city and Wallau and the A66 would have been passed under before after a short position parallel to the A66 in the tunnel Heritage Home (750 m), the highway should be crossed again to finally einzumünden in the Ländchesbahn.

In addition, a two-pronged and is accessible to 160 km / h connecting segment for the relation Wiesbaden- Frankfurt was provided as an option. This would be unthreaded from a branch point near the south portal of the planned tunnel Wallau the track conditions Cologne, the A would be south run 66 between Wallau and Delkenheim to finally west of the motorway junction in the 1,380 m -long tunnel mass home (radius: 2.000 m) the highway to pass under the east and threading at kilometer 157 in the new line. Funding for this option in mid-1992 was not backed up.

In September 1993, the Wiesbaden City Council approved the principle of planning for the regional planning process and formulated a set of detailed requirements.

For different variants for interfacing Wiesbaden variant wanderer was selected for the realization in May 1995. Thus, the distance from Wiesbaden- Auringen ( Schulwald tunnel ) to the south was placed on the east side of the Federal Highway 3, contrary to the originally planned on the west side of the course.

Planning

In the zoning method, the system belonged to section 33.2 ( threading into the high-speed line ) and 34.1/34.2 (range Wiesbaden Hauptbahnhof). The zoning approval for the section 33.2 was the last person was issued in Contract Section C of the high-speed line.

After the planning status of 1995, two of the top five on the new line Cologne-Rhine/Main lines should take the route via Wiesbaden and Mainz continue from there on towards Mannheim.

The route was by demands of the U.S. military by 15 meters to the north moved ( from the airfield Heritage Home away). In addition, the end of 1996 was required to be able to stop the train traffic along the airport grounds from the tower out. An agreement foresaw the beginning of 1997, see approaching trains in the Tower by lights.

When planning beyond a previously agreed -pass road for Wallau was taken into account. The already commissioned with the planning of the new line DBBauProjekt was also commissioned to design the street and implement the first stage of the bypass.

Initially it was planned to carry out the single track route and expand two tracks at a later stage of construction. In mid-1998 it was announced that the connecting curve built double track and at the same time should be put into operation with the new Cologne-Rhine/Main line. With the commissioning of the high speed line an ICE line should be routed via Wiesbaden initially, at a sufficient volume of traffic later two. The estimated additional costs of the two-pronged expansion amounted to 12 million marks ( about 6 million euros ).

In the 1990s, two pairs of trains per hour had been planned for the connection of Wiesbaden. As of mid-1998 was only calculated at an hourly train pair.

A planned as part of the route connecting curve between heritage home and Wiesbaden Ost, which run on the route of a 1997 disused freight line and direct travel between the high-speed line and Mainz would have allowed (bypassing the Wiesbaden Central Station), was not realized. As a basic low traffic demand is specified.

On 27 May 2001, the two high-speed switches were installed.

The Federal Court dismissed in February 2004 indicated that this route contained in the Financing Agreement of the new railway line project was never realized. 2005, the Federal Ministry of Transport announced to invite the German railway to the realization of outstanding payments from the financing agreement. 2007 established the Ministry has a value of outstanding physical structures of 44 million euros. It announced to recover that amount and not to insist on a realization of the outstanding work. The federal government finally made ​​a recovery in the amount of 17.6 million euros, 6.8 million euros plus interest claimed.

Construction

The track belongs to the contract section C of the middle section of the new line. The part between heritage home and Wiesbaden was assigned to the South section.

In the course of construction, a 105 -meter and 1050 -tonne structure crossing over five tracks of the Wiesbaden Central Station emerged. It is the longest steel construction of the new line Cologne-Rhine/Main.

Operation

The number of trains running on the connecting curve, was reduced in several stages since the opening of the line ( 2002). Froward to receive the full operation in December of 2002, eight pairs of trains per day between Cologne, Wiesbaden and Mainz, it was in the year 2005 schedule five, as of June 2006, four. As of December 2007 remain three circulating about Wiesbaden trains. The car runs low passenger numbers as the reason for the cuts. In autumn 2008, the trains running between Cologne and Wiesbaden ICE trains were occupied According to Deutsche Bahn AG with an average of 88 passengers. They numbered in order of the least congested ICE trains of Deutsche Bahn. The trainsets used have 440 seats. Since the timetable change in December 2008, the two remaining pairs of trains are available only from Monday to Friday (previously daily).

The utilization of Wiesbaden already moving ICE trains ranged from 3 to 20 percent.

Future

Against the backdrop of the deteriorating connections Wiesbaden on the new line is required by the City of the realization of the Wall Auer clasp. This approximately two -kilometer link would branch off at the motorway junction Hofheim- Wallau to the southeast and open out in a southerly direction in the high-speed line. The journey between Wiesbaden and the train station at the airport would be reduced from today 28 to 39 minutes for about 15 minutes. The costs were calculated in the 1990s, with about 100 million marks and in 2007 were estimated at 65 million euros. In a feasibility study, the intra PlanConsult 2011 estimated the construction cost 43 million euros.

This could be a easy connection of the Aartalbahn and the Rheingau to Frankfurt Airport can be achieved. This is also required of the citizens' initiative per Aartalbahn, which suggests to drive on the newly created connection with ranges of the short - and long-distance traffic, as well as the S-Bahn Rhein- Main. This idea was the plans for a light rail Wiesbaden in the discussion in the context.

Technology

As part of a superstructure slab track was installed ( system Rheda- Dywidag ). The two each 138 m long and 500 ton heavy turnout of the branching point Breckenheim enable branch speeds of up to 160 km / h ( 4000 m radius). The switch blades are 54 meters long. It is the largest turnout of the overall project new Cologne-Rhine/Main line.

The maximum permitted speed is in the range of the main station Wiesbaden at 40 km / h and increases at kilometer 13.1 initially to 100 km / h It is found from the branching point Wiesbaden Kinzenberg ( 9.9 km ) to the threading in the new line 155-160 km / h The track is equipped kilometers from 4.9 to for threading in the new line with Linienzugbeeinflussung.