Steinsfurt–Eppingen railway

The railway line Steinsfurt - Epping is a opened in 1900, 12.9 km long, single-track and electrified branch line along the Elsenz Kraichgau in Baden- Württemberg, which establishes a connection between the Elsenztalbahn and Kraichgaubahn between the Sinsheim district Steinsfurt and Epping. Since 2006, the public transport company of Baden-Württemberg marketed the route as Kraichgau- Stromberg -Bahn. The route is served by the S5 S-Bahn Rhein Neckar, which started operations from Heidelberg to Epping on 12 December 2009.

History

Owes its existence to the railway Steinsfurt - Epping in particular the construction of the Kraichgaubahn by bathing. Since in their planning not initially determine whether it is a connection would come to the Württemberg railway network in Heilbronn concluded in continuation of the line Karlsruhe - Epping, the Baden government in 1872 the usefulness of the project established in the former bill on so that in case of doubt, a further construction Badischer territory of Epping to the north with connections to the West fork web at Sinsheim and possibly even further to Odenwaldbahn was possible. For the latter, an extension of the construction of a tunnel at Neckarbischofsheim would have been necessary.

Due to these efforts weathered many on and surrounding communities their chance and submitted in 1873 and 1878/1879 entries for the building of a distance Epping - Steinsfurt - Neckarbischofsheim helmet city or Waibstadt one. In the context of these inputs strongly particularistic embossed arguments crystallized by railway Commission of the Baden Landtag for the construction of the track out: The connection was regarded not only as required local train, but they should be used with extension to Waibstadt at the Badische Odenwaldbahn also part of a Baden passage route in the relation Karlsruhe- Mosbach and be further towards Würzburg. Thus it was hoped that it could solve two problems simultaneously: on the one hand, it was feared by the desired extension of the Kraichgaubahn to Heilbronn that Württemberg traffic in relation Karlsruhe -Würzburg would be supplied, on the other hand threatened at this time the expensive built Odenwaldbahn between Neckargemuend and Mosbach to sink through the upcoming construction of the Neckar Valley railway into insignificance. Both effects should be mitigated by a new, purely Baden - axis Epping Mosbach with use of Odenwaldbahn between Waibstadt and Mosbach.

The Baden government agreed in an opinion in 1879 a range Epping - Steinsfurt to to help to bind the Kraichgau to the room Heidelberg -Mannheim, but put the section Steinsfurt helmet city as uneconomic in question. However, now prevented a fundamental financial crisis the further expansion of the Baden railway network. Only when the financial situation had relaxed again, it came in 1897 to a government decision to build the web page Epping - Steinsfurt as a single-track main line, the relevant law was adopted on 25 February 1898.

Construction work has already begun on June 15, 1898 be, and after the construction progressed as planned, the route was inaugurated on 15 November 1900. Contrary to the laws passed by but it was not performed as a main, but as a side alley. Construction costs amounted to around 1.6 million mark, which also contained an extension of the station Sinsheim, which starting point of the railway traffic in the direction of Epping was used instead of stone ford.

Retroactively designated the Baden railway historian Albert Kuntzemüller the route Steinsfurt - Epping as economic in a time of flowering built overpriced. A committee report of the second chamber of the Baden Landtag of 1909/10 expressed clearly: "You can only ride the train from Epping to Sinsheim and all the castles which have been since portrayed as the station building. "

Operation

Passenger

After opening of the line trains arrived at the Baden State Railways in the early years, first for use, the III b, III, VIIa, VIIc, d VII or VIII d were covered by steam locomotives of the series. Special feature was the use of a based in Heidelberg Smock steam railcar in the summer timetable 1901. In the years 1955-1957 the steam hauled passenger trains were replaced by buses Uerdinger rail that came on the line for use until 1990. Successors were diesel railcars of Class 628.2, some with locomotives of Class 218 hauled push-pull trains. These in turn were replaced by electric trains of the 425 series.

The S- Bahn trains on this route every hour.

Freight traffic

A high importance was the route every year during the beet campaign in which were loaded into the intermediate stations beet, which are grown in the fertile Kraichgau for further processing. With the conversion of the open supply Auer sugar factory by truck in 1993, this task rests on the route. As part of MORA C to operate the last remaining tariff Ittlingen point was set at 16 June 2002 so that is the route since without freight. In consequence, the intermediate stations were converted to breakpoints, so now no more train crossings are possible on the entire route.