Gelsenkirchen-Bismarck–Winterswijk railway

The railway line Winterswijk - Gelsenkirchen- Bismarck is a formerly continuous, 59 -kilometer-long railway in the former Dutch East -Westphalian Railway Company of Winterswijk in the Netherlands to Bismarck in Gelsenkirchen in the northern Ruhr area.

The part of the track still in operation is largely single track, not electrified and are classified as main course.

History

The Dutch -Westphalian Railway Company received on 26 June 1878, the concession for the construction of their railway that was to connect the Ruhr area directly as possible to the route network of the Dutch Railways in Winterswijk and Zutphen.

She began the construction of the line in Winterswijk, where connection was already on the railway line to Zutphen. From there, the route was traced out nearly straight over Borken to Hervest.

There the route met the meantime, in 1879, opened railway line Duisburg- Quakenbruck the former Rhenish Railway Company and followed her to Dorsten. The last section leads in a wide arc to the south- east and met at the tap point on the Hugo Royal Westphalian Emscher Valley Railway.

The route ended in Bismarck Bahnhof, now marshalling yard Gelsenkirchen- Bismarck, whom the Royal Westphalian Railway Company and the Bergisch- Märkische Railway Company - at the Emscher Valley Railway Märkischen - at this time already used in common.

The passenger traffic on the line was opened on 21 June 1880 the management was taken over from the beginning by the Bergisch- Märkische Railway Company.

Partial closure

With the beginning of the First World War, the cross-border traffic between Burlo and Winterswijk has been discontinued and taken only at the end of the 1920s again. With the beginning of World War II, passenger services were now finally adjusted, during the last freight train on September 30, 1979 went. The Dutch section of the course has been designated as a nature reserve, a reopening is therefore very difficult.

Already on September 29, 1961, the passenger traffic between Borken and Burlo was set while the freight was still maintained until 30 September 1994. On January 1, 1996, followed by the complete closure of this route section.

Current situation

The main part of the route between breakpoint Gelsenkirchen Zoo ( one kilometer east from the yard Gelsenkirchen- Bismarck ) and train Borken is still in operation today, going through not electrified and largely single track.

Via a link from Gladbeck West Railway Station, the railway line from Bottrop Hbf is bound by the branch point Zweckel, from there to the Dorsten Bahnhof is the distance double track.

From there to the former station Hervest - Dorsten ( today only stop and train station part of Dorsten ) is parallel main track to Coesfeld, so visually the impression of a double-track line is created.

On the still in operation part of the route are now 37 level crossings, eleven with full barriers, 18 with half- barriers and three who are at least still secured with a flashing light, which means an average of just over one kilometers between two crossings. A special feature is the railroad crossing in Gelsenkirchen- Beckhausen, here crosses a narrow gauge street railroad in the Bogestra the railway line at the same level.

The section Zweckel - Borken is part of the DB regional network Münster- East Westphalia (MOW ), headquartered in Münster.

Offer

Most of the route is operated to date in rail transport:

• The regional train RB 43 " Emscher Valley Railway" from Dortmund Hbf follows the route from breakpoint Gelsenkirchen Zoo to Dorsten station.
• The regional train RB 44 " The Dorsten " Oberhausen Hbf via Bottrop Hbf serves the portion between the branch office and railway station Zweckel Dorsten.
• The regional train RB 45 " The Coesfelder " uses on its way from Dorsten station to station Coesfeld the common stretch to Hervest - Dorsten.
• The regional train RE 14 " The Borkener " from Bottrop Hbf Essen Hbf on reaching it with over 30 kilometers - more than half of the former course length - the longest stretch between branching point Zweckel and the current track end in Borken station.

Operator of RB 44 was until December 2010 the Prignitzer Eisenbahn GmbH, since it is, like the other three regional lines, operated by the North Western Railway.