Cologne–Duisburg railway

The 64 km long railway line between Cologne and 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 between Cologne and the Ruhr, including traveled by Intercity-Express, InterCity, Regional-Express, Regional Bahn and S -Bahn.

It is the oldest part of the Cologne -Minden Railway Company (CME ) built trunk route from Cologne - Deutz to Minden, after the company was named. It was opened in the years 1845/46 and since then several times modernized and expanded. Today the track is (partly merged with other routes railway companies ), three to sechsgleisig and electrified its entire length.

History

After she received the Prussian concession for their eponymous track on December 18, 1843, the CME began in the former ( Cologne ) Deutz with the construction of the first section to Dusseldorf, which she was able to open on 20 December 1845.

Only a few weeks later, on February 9, 1846 the second section has already been completed to Duisburg, preliminary endpoint was built on the site of today's Duisburg main station " Cologne -Minden railway station ," the first of three stations later at the same place.

With the next section about Oberhausen, Old Essen, Gelsenkirchen, tub, Herne and Dortmund to Hamm had consciously decided against a route near the former coal mines on the north bank of the Ruhr and to reduce the cost because less hilly and thus easier to be realized path. Nevertheless, it still took well over a year until the May 15, 1847 and this section could go into operation.

In the same year, on 15 October 1847 the last section to Minden and thus the entire 263 -mile, single-track line was completed. On the same day the Royal Hanoverian State Railways opened their rail route between Hanover and Minden.

The starting first on the right bank of the Rhine line was extended back with the inauguration of the newly built Tumski Bridge in the Central Station of the Rhenish Railway Company ( RhE ) on 3 October 1859.

With inclusion of the scheduled ICE traffic, on June 2, 1991, the speed limit was raised to a nearly 46 -km-long section of track to 200 km / hr. Only about seven kilometers, in the station area of Duisburg as well as to Cologne -Mülheim, were excluded.

Current situation

The railway line between Cologne and Duisburg since its opening in accordance with their ever-growing importance of continuously expanded, modernized and electrified its entire length.

Number of tracks

According directory locally permissible speeds has a range of up to two tracks. However, this railroad unites on a railway track up to five different routes. Very unusual is the quite frequent changing for a main route number of tracks between three and eight:

In the section from Cologne Central Station and Cologne -Mülheim is the distance sechsgleisig:

• The two classification tracks to Dusseldorf and Duisburg,
• The two classification tracks after Gruiten and Wuppertal ( on both sides of the Duisburg classification tracks, the direction of operation),
• The two S- Bahn tracks ( on a separate track body line operation).

Between Cologne -Mülheim and Langenfeld the train is only single track sections ( a total of three tracks), only from Langenfeld both routes are again two tracks ( four tracks). Located on the train at the platform in Dusseldorf -Benrath is maintenance of the NRW - Express and the Rhein- Express. Intercity and Intercity-Express but travel at speeds of up to 200 km / h past the platform.

Two additional tracks leading from the parking station in Dusseldorf - Oberbilk right and left of the S -Bahn from Düsseldorf Central Station, along with the local tracks are in this section thus eight tracks in mixed lines and the direction of operation. The S- Bahn line from Oberbilk takes the number of the S -Bahn line to Eller ( 2413 ), while previous number 2670 now referred to Dusseldorf - Rath Under the local tracks without S- Bahn station.

Düsseldorf main station is operated strictly in line operation, keep from east to west

• The features of the long-distance railway line between Cologne and Duisburg ( tracks 15-20 ),
• The S-Bahn Cologne -Essen, Dusseldorf -Duisburg ( tracks 11/14) and Neuss-Mettmann/Wuppertal ( tracks 12/13 )
• In Dusseldorf starting or ending RE 3 " Rhein- Emscher- Express", RE 6 " Westfalen- Express" and RE 11 " Rhein- Hellweg - Express" ( track 9/10, the latter is seen from the east last track with direct access to sidings in D rice wood),
• The regional trains route Neuss -Wuppertal ( tracks 4-7).

From the Düsseldorf Main Station to the north end of the largely disused railway station Dusseldorf - Their village where this section is also up to achtgleisig, the passenger however in the pure line operation, run it from west to east:

• The zwei-/eingleisige freight line Dusseldorf President Loewel ( line 2416 )
• The ein-/zweigleisige regional routes to and from the western part of Düsseldorf Train ( 2670 )
• The two-track S-Bahn route Dusseldorf -Duisburg ( up to lower Rath Route 2400, then 2407 )
• The double-track mainline railway line between Cologne and Duisburg ( route 2650 )
• The single-track freight line Lierenfeld -Derendorf ( line 2410 ), these crosses under after the branch Rethel in tunnel location, the entire track systems. This track provides the only way to level up free to change to just one to cruising Gegengleis between mainline track and regional routes.

At the branching point Dusseldorf - Rath Under Carthusian way just before the railway station of Düsseldorf Airport S- Bahn line ( 2407 ) threaded at the same level in a regional routes ( " local track " 2670 ). The traffic station itself has four tracks on three platforms, plus there are two drive-through tracks of the mainline track. It is divided into the station ( to the remote tracks ) and the breakpoint ( on the local tracks ) Dusseldorf - flight pile, so two different operating points. After the airport railway station is on the route to four tracks in the pure line operation, while the platform tracks the S -Bahn to be passed by the RE with up to 160 km / hr.

Immediately south of the station of Duisburg- Großenbaum the local tracks are four tracks, overall the track is thus once again sechsgleisig, again in mixed directional and line operation. The local track direction south is guided as ( single-track ) line 2310, while the local track to the north, the route number carries in 2317.

The Duisburg- Big Tree station itself has lost much of its importance since the introduction of RE and the ITF. Stopped here earlier next commuter and express trains also one or the other D- train, so he was today demoted to mere passage stop the train, the still existing turning facility is not even used for the S-Bahn.

Between the holding of Duisburg- Buchholz and the Schlenk südwärtige track the mainline route crosses the level of free local tracks and threads his way between a main track in 2310 and the S- Bahn line ( 2670 ). At the same main track ends 2317 in the S -Bahn track, thus the distance from here to the main station of Duisburg is now fünfgleisig.

After the railway line Osterath - Dortmund Süd was passed under the RhE, the connection distance to this very thread in the track ahead of the Duisburg main station. These are, firstly, the double-track link 2312 direction Rheinhaus on the other hand in this area currently single track link 2326 Duisburg - Wedau for railway Troisdorf- Mülheim- Speldorf ( " Ratingen- West route "). There are a total of eight route from the twelve tracks platform tracks, which are approached in a pure way operation - with the exception of track 1 in the far west:

• Track 1: Exit south-east direction (Duisburg - Wedau ) and north-east ( Oberhausen, S2),
• Tracks 2-6: exit towards South and South -West ( Dusseldorf, Krefeld and Moers )
• Track 7: Transit rail station platform without terminal
• Tracks 8 to 13: Exit east and to the north-east ( Essen and Oberhausen ).

To the north of Duisburg main station, the main line of the CME continues along Oberhausen Dortmund, important for today's passenger but past turn east " Ruhr route " is about food to Dortmund the former Bergisch- Märkischen Railway Company.

Technology

To shorten the travel time of the long-distance trains from Cologne to Duisburg to Dortmund, the long-distance railway tracks were removed in the 1980s to 200 km / h and equipped with the exception of the area of the Düsseldorf main station with automatic train ( LZB ).

Through the journey time reduction trains from Cologne to Dortmund Duisburg as fast as the shorter, but more curvaceous route via Wuppertal and Hagen. This makes it possible to prepare for every two long-distance trains Platform same correspondence connections in Cologne and Dortmund.

Train services

The distance of three ICE lines, three IC lines (usually every two hours ) and the regional express lines NRW - Express and Rhein- Express (both hourly) is traveled over entire length.

Between Dusseldorf and Duisburg in addition Rhein- Emscher- Express, Westfalen- Express and Rhein- Haard - Express (every hour ) drive. The regional express lines medium term to be replaced by the Rhine -Ruhr Express.

In addition, the distance on longer sections of the S -Bahn lines S 1 ( between Dusseldorf - Oberbilk and Duisburg Hbf), S 6 ( between Cologne Hbf and Dusseldorf -Derendorf ) and S 11 ( between Dusseldorf Hbf and Dusseldorf sub- council ) of the S- Bahn Rhein -Ruhr traveled, mostly in 20 -minute intervals. During peak time the S 68 between Langenfeld and Dusseldorf Hbf drives as an amplifier.

Tariff

From Cologne to Langenfeld the route is located in the territory of the transport association Rhein -Sieg, from Langenfeld to Duisburg in the transport association Rhein- Ruhr. For journeys between Cologne and Dusseldorf the tariff of the VRS is used, more trips across the network boundary covered by the NRW - tariff.