Hauenstein railway line
The Hauenstein line is a railway line in Switzerland, which connects the two cities of Basel and Olten.
, Reminiscent of deep- hewn limestone in medieval hollow ways Hauenstein name refers to two mountain passes on the main chain of the Jura mountains and the village of Hauenstein south of the apex of the Lower Hauenstein Pass. In the larger radius of these two passes two railway tunnel crossing the Jura: The older Hauenstein tunnel runs below the village of Hauenstein, while the newer Hauenstein base tunnel passes east on the municipality.
During the entire long-distance traffic is now routed through the base line, the vertex distance is usually just the local passenger transport ( " Läufelfingerli "). In line interruptions but operate as before also quick and InterCity trains over the old Hauenstein line, for which they need just four minutes longer travel time. For freight trains the vertex distance is only suitable due to the large gradients.
- 2.1 prehistory
- 2.2 construction
- 2.3 Today
The Hauenstein tunnel
Distance ( Sissach ) Läufelfingen - Trimbach ( Olten ) ( SBB course book box 503)
Length of 2495 meters, construction period 1853 to 1858
Prehistory
In 1850, Switzerland's Federal Council invited the two English engineers Robert Stephenson and Henry Swinburne, to make plans for a railway network in the territory of the Swiss Confederation. To connect the three main cities of the German-speaking part of the country, Zurich, Basel and Bern each other, suggested the experts Basel to connect via a route along the Rhine or with a tunnel under the pass Wangs to the Central Plateau. The Federal Council favored a route with a Jura puncture through the Lower Hauenstein or Schafmatt. Both routes followed the Ergolz to Sissach from where the desired one way over Läufelfingen and by the Hauenstein tunnel to Olten, while the other included a stop in Gelterkinden and from there via Anwil or Tecknau to Schafmatt tunnel and on to Aarau. From the competition of these variants the Läufelfinger Range emerged as the winner, since they got along with a shorter tunnel and so their production costs could be estimated somewhat lower.
Construction
The construction of the summit tunnel in 1853 by the Swiss Central Railway ( SCB) was a big challenge, because a whole mountain never been in Switzerland until then pierced. No one thought it possible that two in Gegenortvortrieb assisted working groups themselves could meet up in the mountain for many years. The Englishman Thomas Brassey wanted to bring up the tunnel at all five points from; except from the two ends also of three bays of which should be driven from the top surface perpendicular to the tunnel axis in the mountain.
The tools were still quite primitive. With sledge hammers, chisels, pimples, drill and pry bar worked. Horses and men from many countries, and even many children were working under great dangers in the tunnels and breathed in the stifling smoke of black powder and dust. The pitfalls and the geology of the complicated structure of the Jura was underestimated. On the south side, from Trimbach from, you made good progress, but on the north side piled up the difficulties. The hard limestone could pierce, but the penetrating water caused problems, flooded the tunnel and constantly threatened the workers to drown. Since the tunnel is only slightly inclined (from north to south), was gathering the water and had to laboriously by hand to the north out of the tube are pumped.
Fire accident
On May 28, 1857 Mountain slammed again. At the height of the shaft 1, a tunnel forge ( forge ) was established, and at noon blew the forges an unusually strong draft from the lamps. In the shaft covered with a thick layer of soot supporting beams and planks were in fire. Some of the workers managed to escape before the collapse of the burning rafters and boards. Huge amounts of earth rumbled into the tunnel and cut 52 workers from the way back. In order to extinguish the fire, was passed from above the contents of a pond in the shaft 1 Then they wanted to try to dig the tunnel establishes a passage through the debris cone. But when you anbohrte the water from the very clayey alluvial fan, came from this huge quantities of toxic carbon oxide gases. But the rescue will of the people knew no bounds. After some time, the rescue attempt was aborted because 11 rescuers died by poisoning, and about 500 men were carried unconscious from the tunnel. With various means was then attempts to bring about a better air circulation. Nothing helped. On the eighth day after the accident, finally succeeded to make a breakthrough. In the tunnel behind the barricade they found all 52 trapped dead ahead. It seemed that she had died on the first day after the accident due to the gases. The accident cost a total of 63 workers life.
Inauguration
On 1 May 1858 a large building, the most demanding section was inaugurated in the route network of the Swiss Central Railway, with a large celebration. Gorgeous garlanded locomotives, as well as the locomotive Ec 2/5 28 Geneva (now at SBB Historic), subjected to the first procession of the direction of Basel through the mountain by Trimbach, where a fairground was set up on the previous tunnel construction site. Thus, the main line of the Central Railway Station to Olten, an important crossing point finally for rail traffic between Basel and the Swiss Plateau was open.
Operation
The Läufelfinger - track was with a slope of 26.3 per cent one of the steepest sections of the former railway network. It was partially developed as a second route in Switzerland on double track. For reasons of prudence you went in the first time the right to operate on the steep descent of Läufelfingen to Sissach the uphill track can. It was only on June 1, 1895, the track matched to the connecting lines and put on links operating at.
To cope with this steep road route even with heavily loaded freight trains have been used up to two biasing locomotives. After the train had overcome the slope, the steam locomotives were taken down again in Läufelfingen and rolled idle the route back backwards. In custody in Sissach was held up to four biasing locomotives under steam. The water of the spring in Reusli was introduced into the water tower, from where the water tanks of locomotives could be filled using the water crane with water. To ensure the discerning railway operation, lived during the period of service locomotive engineer, stoker and mechanic at the station premises. The former depot with the sleeping quarters of the locomotive staff, various storage buildings, a water tower with the water crane, which were in any repairs performed using muscle power to rotating turntable and the forge, are still preserved.
Today
After the construction of the base tunnel, the old Hauenstein line became less important and was built in 1938 of double track to single track. Only in Läufelfingen is still a passing place.
On the timetable change on 22 May 1977, the first class was canceled on some branch lines. Including on this route Olten- Läufelfingen - Sissach.
End of 90s, the track was threatened with closure. After the operation has been replaced by buses for less than a year in 1997, run again today regional trains between Sissach and Olten. In the year 2006 was the " Läufelfingerli " again threatened by the acute setting, but rejected the district of the canton of Basel-Land on November 16, a switch to bus operation from and secured its funding ( as a line S9, the Regio S -Bahn Basel) to 2009. in the various debates over the conversion to bus operation with low passenger numbers and the low cost recovery ratio of 19 percent was ( compared to 63 percent in the S3 ( Hauenstein base line) or 70 to 80 percent at tram lines in the lower region of Basel ) founded; the limited resources for public transport could be used more effectively if the promotion of rail transport may be renewed in the densely populated agglomeration areas; in the Homburg, with its sometimes quite large distances between stations and the user-friendly villages, the bus would be better suited to provide a demand-based offer. The held against those in favor of maintaining the railway operation, a bus operation by virtue of (for example regarding comfort and punctuality ) never to offer an equivalent replacement for the web.
In May 2008, was celebrated with a steam train and an exhibition the 150th anniversary of the old Hauenstein line. The S9 wrong on hard weekend for free, and there were " FLIRT " railcar used.
The company Modern Steam am Hauenstein proposes to carry out the scheduled commercial operation with modern steam locomotives of the company DLM. Thus, in addition to the work and commuting tourists can be attracted, who come for the experience in addition to the steam train Hauenstein. The prices for the Pendlerabbonemente should remain the same, single tickets ( for the tourists ) would become more expensive, passenger numbers, revenue and thus the cost recovery should increase according to the business plan of the GmbH.
In the autumn holidays 2009 ( Sept. 26 - October 11, 2009 ) is a regular scheduled demonstration mode was performed with the 8055 steam locomotive 52 to demonstrate the feasibility of this project. For the definitive operating a shuttle is provided with a converted steam locomotive and control car that can be driven by a cost- drivers in the one-man operation. Beginning of August 2010 was recorded 52 8055 a scheduled regular test run with the corresponding converted DR.
The Hauenstein base tunnel
Length of 8134 meters, construction period 1912 to 1916
Prehistory
The trains on the old Hauenstein line got longer and heavier, due to the large gradients were with freight trains often preload and sliding locomotives needed. This made the operation difficult and expensive, because the Beistellen or uncoupling the Zusatzloks had the trains in Sissach and Läufelfingen continue. As in 1901, the Swiss Federal Railways had taken over the power of the Central Railroad Company, was sought soon after an alternate route to Olten. In 1909, the route via Gelterkinden - Tecknau was decided.
Construction
In 1912 started the excavation work at the base ( base tunnel ) of the mountain. In four years of over 8 km long tunnel was built. During the half century that had passed since the outbreak of the summit tunnel, the methods of tunnel construction had changed fundamentally. Instead of manual work is now continued a boring place horses smokeless locomotives. It was also built as a precaution a powerful pump station, because it was expected also with water drops.
On January 8, 1916 we celebrated the opening of the new route. The Läufelfinger - route to the summit tunnel was a side road and the tram Sissach - Gelterkinden train closed its doors.
Today
The Hauenstein base route is today one of the busiest railway lines in Switzerland. It is a part of the north-south axis of the freight that is frequented by freight trains of SBB Cargo, BLS Cargo and other companies, including the trains of the Rolling Highway Freiburg i. - Novara for trucks with up to 4 meters corner height. In the passenger is the distance in half or Einstundentakt of ( partially double-decker ) inter-regional and intercity trains of the relations Basel - Zurich / Bern / Lucerne and the S3 the Regio S- Bahn Basel from Olten to Basel and further pass through after Pruntrut. The cross-section of the base tunnel of 48 m² permits a cruising speed of 140 km / h In the tunnel, also often as quick countermoves and ( slightly slower ) freight trains are crossed.
Due to the high volume of traffic threatens a capacity bottleneck. Therefore, we look for solutions to increase the capacity of the route. So far, the stations and the security systems have been adjusted in order to achieve a denser sequence of moves. Already in connection with the project of the New Haupttransversale ( NHT ) and now with the railway in 2000 and the New Rail Link through the Alps (NEAT ) is looking for a way to increase the capacity of the line even further. This was achieved initially with the by-pass of the needle eye Pratteln by the good 5 -kilometer Adlertunnel between Liestal Muttenz and. As a sequel is now a third Jura puncture to the debate, the so-called Wisenbergtunnel between Liestal and Olten or Sissach, with connections to the West-East direction transversal Aarau- Olten and Zurich -Bern. This project failed but so far in the financing.
Stations
Today's station Frenk Village Füllinsdorf was renamed several times. Initially it was called Niederschöntal, then Frenk village, then Niederschöntal - Frenk village and since 1936 Frenkendorf - Füllinsdorf. On April 8, 1984, the switchboard type Domino was put into operation 67.
Accidents
On March 13, 1957 met with between Sissach and stop Itingen ten in the station Gelterkinden runaway cars with a freight train together. Two railway officials were slightly injured, there was considerable damage to property.
On October 6, 2011 met with an EW II shuttle with a Re 4 /4 II who associated in addition to the half hour the train from Basel to Olten, at the entrance to the Olten station with a NPZ shuttle along the side. The NPZ Sissach - Läufelfingen - Olten had run over a signal at danger. The locomotive Re 4 /4 II 11184 and the first two cars of the EW II commuter train tilted to the side. The engineer of the Re 4 /4 II was heavy and a passenger lightly wounded. The already installed at the time of the accident ZUB- train control system was not yet in operation.