Vogelsberg Railway

The bird mountain railway is a single-track main line of pouring over Alsfeld to Fulda.

Designation

The name Vogelsberg Railway was originally used for today entwidmete and degraded branch line between stock Home and Lauterbach. In contrast to today called Vogelsberg Railway this actually led right through the Vogelsberg, but is now usually referred to as Upper Forest Railway.

Course

The route carries the course book number 635 and is guided in RMV than line 35.

The track is 105.9 km long, according to current chainage between the terminal stations. The speed limit is, since the route was expanded in 2011, 120 instead of the previous 90 km / h There are 109 level crossings on the route.

The numerous corners of the track are caused firstly by the fact that as many communities should be connected. Secondly, many slopes are overcome, of the 106 kilometers of track extending 13 km horizontally.

History

The project to connect the Main- Weser Railway and the Bebra railway was contemplated since the 1860s: in 1863, the Board of parliament in Darmstadt with appropriate plans. The concession for the construction and operation was granted by the Grand Duchy of Hesse -Darmstadt on April 4, 1868 Oberhessischen Railway Company, a public company, behind which stood the Frankfurt-based bank Erlanger. Was supplemented Grand Duke of intestinal urban concession by a treaty between the Grand Duchy and the Kingdom of Prussia, as well as Prussian territory was affected. The project was jointly addressed by the Lahn- Kinzig -Bahn and realized in the following two years.

Opening dates:

The relatively sparsely populated areas that affect the route, and the absence of significant long-distance freight transport limited the significance of the bird mountain railway on the regional traffic. So the route was single track, although various engineering structures were prepared for a two-pronged operation.

The Oberhessische Railway Company was nationalized in 1876 and operated as Grand Duchy of Hesse State Railways on.

In the course of the discussion about the connection of Fulda to the Rail Line Hanover -Würzburg was envisaged in the first half of the 1970s, the leading past Fulda new line north of Fulda, east of Unterbimbach two-pronged to connect height freely with the Vogelsberg Railway Fulda. The running in a south-easterly direction connecting curve should south of Maberzell thread in the direction of Fulda.

Extension

One-track, along with lack of crossing facilities ( dismantling of former railway stations to breakpoints ) and outdated technology, were often in the past, cause of delays, which is why various construction projects ( construction of crossing facilities, renovation of signaling ) were planned. Therefore around 30 million euros had been set for renovation work for the period 2003 to 2007 on the Federal Railway Infrastructure Development Act. As of 2008, the section should then be advertised and previously renovated by the German railway. The funds were not retrieved from the DB and the plans thus not implemented.

In a policy paper adopted in Grünberg on June 10, 2008, DB Netz, the neighboring communities and the towns of Fulda and Gießen had agreed to try to get the bird mountain railway permanently. Among other things, the infrastructure should be despite the limited funds so improved that an attractive offer can be made ​​available. From 2012 the traffic performance is to be appointed as part of the competition process.

In September 2009, Deutsche Bahn CEO Grube stated that the German railway until 2011 with a total of 24.6 million euros, the bird mountain railway will extend from the economic stimulus package. The breakpoints Renz village and Wallenrod were abandoned under the new timetable concept. The modernization work began with the partial road closures from 19 July to 15 August 2010 at section Alsfeld - Fulda, which were continued from October 11 to 24 in section mosquito - Alsfeld. From December 27 2010 to 9 January 2011 should be on the section of track casting - Grünberg, inter alia, two bridges to be replaced, which was not possible but because of the weather conditions. The work was carried out from April 16 to May 1, 2011, together with the work on the section Alsfeld - Wallenrod. Alsfeld parts of the railway embankment renewed - From 2 to May 8, 2011 were also in the section mosquito. The work was completed in the summer of 2011, where also 61 level crossings were adjusted signally because of the increase in the maximum speed to 120 km / hr.

Future

On the part of the IHK Gießen- Friedberg examines the economics of a potential terminals for combined transport on the grounds of the former U.S. depots. These were carried out by the central Hessian Chambers on 27 April 2010 an information meeting. In the urban development concept for the site, the area has been designated accordingly.

Traffic

Previously, the series 211, 212 and 216 as well as railcars of series 796/798 came in passenger locomotives used. From the early 1990s, and diesel multiple units of the 628 series were used. In the locomotive-hauled trains came by April 2003 push-pull trains from modernized and not modernized pieces of silver with the 215 series are used, which were replaced by locomotives of the series 218. In December 2003, the series finally took over 628 the total traffic. Since December 2011, the passenger traffic is handled by the Hessian State Railway diesel railcar of type LINT 41, who had replaced a part of the 628er since October 2011 ..

On the Vogel cable car to operate until December 2011 regional express trains between casting and Fulda weekdays in a two -hour intervals, Sundays drove three pairs of trains in four- hour intervals. Some of these trains were bound by the timetable change 2006/2007 in December 2006 to Limburg on the Lahn Valley Railway. Regional trains operated the route mostly every two hours with additional trains in the student and professional traffic on sections, primarily casting - Alsfeld and Alsfeld - Fulda.

Since December 2011 run on the bird mountain railway only regional trains. This driving during the day mostly every hour from casting to Fulda. Weekdays drive between casting and Grünberg and mosquito von 12.20 bis 18.58 clock regional trains every hour. During rush hour this offer is complemented by regional trains of the relations Giessen- Alsfeld and Alsfeld - Fulda. Be criticized on the part of the passenger associations marginal breakfast and evening connections.

Trains leave every hour during the day, which is compressed to sections during rush hours and school transport on an approximate 30 -minute intervals, and as a rule each station is operated. They complain about the part of passenger associations, among other things unfavorable or non-existent evening calls, and less adapted to schedule connections.

Because the track is well utilized single track and through passenger trains, which run special trains and freight traffic is hardly possible. Freight transport is limited today to the section casting - Great Buseck.