Feldkirch–Buchs railway

The railway line Feldkirch -Buchs is a single-track, electrified main line in Austria, Liechtenstein and Switzerland. The route runs from Feldkirch in Vorarlberg on Schaan to Buchs SG. It is the only railway line in the Principality of Liechtenstein.

With the cross-border project S -Bahn FL.A.CH to be introduced on the route in the future an S -Bahn -like regional train traffic.

Route

The railway line runs from Feldkirch station about one kilometer parallel to the railway line to Lindau the northeast and then takes an almost circular lines around the Ardetzenberg. After crossing the river Ill follows after around eight kilometers of the border into Liechtenstein. The almost entirely single-track route has the Nendeln station to a length of almost 700 meters a second track and then carries on Schaan towards the Rhine. The center of the Rhine bridge also represents the border between Switzerland and Liechtenstein dar. After crossing the border the railway line takes a sharp turn to the north and flows then in Buchs railway station.

History

Starting position

With the opening of the railway line between Rheineck and Sargans on 1 July 1858 and the aspirations of the Vorarlberg Rhine Valley also to open up with a railway line, first negotiations between Switzerland and Austria to the two railway systems began to connect with each other. The Government of Liechtenstein was committed in the process of making this connection line over their own territory, so that a connection Liechtenstein to the rail network should also be possible. In a compromise, the grant was finally called for a lines on 14 January 1870 which should open up at least parts of Liechtenstein with the railway system directly.

Construction and electrification

With the approval in January 1870, the start of the construction work was given, so that the railway line was opened as a subsection of the Imperial and Royal privileged Vorarlberg train finally on 24 October 1872. On the same day the first time drove a pulled by a steam engine train on the railway line you created. 1926, the line was electrified with the Arlberg railway and the railway Vorarlberg.

Rhine Bridge

With the construction of the railway line Feldkirch -Buchs also the construction of a railway bridge over the Rhine was connected. Built 1870-1872 bridge was a lattice structure made of iron with double cross truss. In 1927 there was a Rhine flood in which to sediment accumulated at the railway bridge, so finally on 25 September 1927, the Rhine dam broke on the Liechtenstein side. The entire valley of Schaan up by Bangs and Tosters was flooded. Subsequently, the destroyed bridge was replaced by a provisional.

In the years 1934 and 1935 a new steel bridge with a length of 190 meters was built ultimately on the river piers of the destroyed bridge.

Operation

The cross-border rail service between the Will mountain region, the Principality of Liechtenstein and Vorarlberg is served weak today. On the Route Book - Feldkirch Austrian Federal Railways ( ÖBB) every day to serve three to nine Regionalzugpaare, thus connecting Buchs SG, Schaan and Feldkirch irregular. The emphasis is on the commuter hours on weekdays. Be operated timetable default the breakpoints Schaan- Vaduz, Forst Hilti and Nendeln, but not the stop Schaan forest. The track is almost continuous single track and station infrastructure are outdated. Public transport between these regions is mostly offered by bus services, however, are severely hampered during rush hour.

The majority of freight and passenger intercourse Austria - Switzerland used this route, so that offer enhancements in regional transport are hardly possible today. So went here in the 2012 timetable 2 EN- train pairs (Budapest Keleti pu / Graz Hbf -. Zurich HB uu ) and 5 RJ- train pairs Budapest Keleti pu. / Wien Westbahnhof / Salzburg Hbf / Innsbruck Hbf - Zurich HB.