Elz Valley Railway

The Elz Valley Railway is a 19.3 km long, single-track and standard gauge branch line that branches off from Denzlingen on the Rhine Valley line Offenburg -Freiburg im Breisgau and upwards ushers in the Elz Valley in the Black Forest to Elzach.

History

Because no private investor were to finance a connection of Elztales, the town Waldkirch took the initiative and had built at his own expense, the 7.1 km long private railway from Denzlingen to Waldkirch. On March 30, 1872, the Baden State created the legal basis for the construction, on 29 August of the same year the concession was granted. The operation, which was opened on 1 January 1875, the city Waldkirch 1887 transferred the Grand Ducal Baden State Railways.

Especially the passenger transport - - Although the traffic developed satisfactorily, but the financial burden for the city of Waldkirch was too high in the long term. So she took the offer from the government to grateful available for purchase the track on April 1, 1886. On August 20, 1901, the line was extended by 12.2 kilometers to Elzach. On Gutach station was connected to an electrified narrow-gauge railway with 750 mm gauge for sewing thread factory goods man. Different variants of an extension beyond Oberprechtal to Hausach were often - most recently in the 1950s - planned but never realized.

Accidents

The only major accident on the line occurred on March 2, 1906, between Upper and Lower winds slipped the washed away by flood embankment and crashed a passenger in the Elz.

While you are on the section to Waldkirch multiple crossings, the section to Elzach is crossing-free. After a near-accident at a level crossing at beschrankten Batzenhäusle this may be traveled by rail vehicles only at 20 km / hr.

During a storm on June 22, 2011, a tree fell on the tracks between Denzlingen and beech wood. The driver has the toppling tree noticed in time and slowed the train, but the train rolled further and over the tree a bit. The front power car was damaged and one person slightly injured.

Breisgau- S -Bahn

In 1997, the Elz Valley Railway was selected by the administration union regional transport Breisgau ( TNS ) together with the Breisach train as a pilot route for the integrated regional transport concept " Breisgau- S -Bahn 2005 ". In the following years, the offer was expanded in passenger and rail facilities extensively renovated and renewed. As a first step, the shut-down was lifted on Sundays in 1997. Two years later, the introduction of a basic interval timetable with hourly service to Elzach with additional trains between Freiburg and Waldkirch. In December 2001, the planned service improvements with werktäglichem half hour to Waldkirch, every hour had been converted to Elzach even in the evening hours and every hour until Elzach including Sundays and holidays.

From May to June 2009, the tracks between Waldkirch and Elzach were renewed. The original trough-shaped steel sleepers were replaced with Y- steel sleepers. The superstructure can be an axle load of 22.4 tonnes, the wait time will be 70 to 80 years

Presence

Today the track is owned by DB Netz AG. Since 15 December 2002, the services are provided in the rail transport of the Breisgau- S -Bahn GmbH Regio - Shuttle railcars. You go through from Freiburg im Breisgau to Elzach every hour with Train meeting in Waldkirch to the usual symmetry minute, that is just before the half hour. In addition, additional trains operate on weekdays to Waldkirch, so that between Freiburg and Waldkirch half hour in the opposite direction, however, only an alternating cycle results in a 39/21-Minuten-Intervall.

Rolling stock

The German Federal Railways and the German Bahn AG put an to 2002 locomotives of the DB Class 218 locomotives were previously the DB Class 212 with n- car and its control cars are used. Previously, from circa 1960, the Series V 10010 (211 ) with three-axle conversion in use, which in turn had the Baden VIc (Series 75.4 ) tender locomotives replaced. Since December 2002, the Breisgau- S -Bahn Regio - Shuttle railcar uses. Because of the vehicle defect also railcars SWEG and Ortenau S-Bahn are used.

Stations

Denzlingen

Denzlingen is the starting point of the Elz Valley Railway, with most trains already from Freiburg Hbf. Track systems for freight transport are still visible today. Here you can connect to the regional train towards Basel and Offenburg. On Platform 1 for trains to Offenburg, on track 2 the trains to Basel and the BOD trains to Freiburg and on track 5 the trains Elzach.

Waldkirch

The Waldkirch station was until 1901 endpoint of the Elz Valley Railway and remained until today the most important the way station. For freight passed extensive rail systems and a track scale (35 tons ), a head and side ramp and a Überladekran. At the site of the goods station was built with the introduction of the S-Bahn operation, a parking area for motor coaches. In Waldkirch train crossings are possible; in the reception building, a mechanical interlocking of the unit type is housed, equipped as the last of its kind in Baden with simplified light signals. Waldkirch Station Category 6 link and point to several bus lines in the region, leading to Emmen things Elzach, Freiburg, Siensbach, Furtwangen and Kandel.

Kollnau

The stop Kollnau went with the extension of the Elz Valley Railway in 1901 in operation. The former station means of a two storey station building with lateral extensions ( Concourse and goods shed ) is composed privately owned today. There was also an outbuilding and a loading track and a siding nearby Kollnauer cotton spinning and weaving. Since the dismantling of freight facilities and the siding Kollnau is a breakpoint and accordingly classified into the station class 6. At the bus stop Kollnau station stop of bus Südbadenbus to Freiburg, Elzach, Siegelau, Furtwangen and Waldkirch.

Elzach

With the extension of the line in 1901, a new terminal station was built in Elzach. For the operation of machine service a two constant engine shed and a detached water tower was built for freight were a freestanding goods shed, a head and side ramp, a weighbridge (35 tons ) and a Überladekran available. Of the buildings is only the reception building there.

Perspectives

The cooperation agreement between RVG and transport company in Baden -Württemberg on 11 March 2009, a further expansion of the Elz Valley track is provided. It is planned electrification of the line, the construction of a crossing track in Gutach and modernization of signaling through the construction of an electronic signal box in Waldkirch by the year 2018.Vorlage: Future / In 4 years