Wels–Passau railway
The railway line Wels -Passau, Passau train also is a two-track, electrified main line in Austria and Germany, which originally carried the kk was privileged Empress Elisabeth Railway built and operated. It runs from Wels in Upper Austria to Passau and is part of the core network of the Austrian Federal Railways ( ÖBB).
History
The so called Empress Elisabeth Railway was completed on 1 September 1861. It is a 81.2 km (83 km to the Passau train yard ) long double track electrified main line. She leads a total of 79.6 kilometers through Austrian territory and 1.6 km over German territory, where it merges into the path of Passau -Regensburg at Passau Hauptbahnhof.
Special significance of this route in international transport between Austria and northern Europe. In the international long-distance passenger transport, it is for the connection of Hamburg and Frankfurt to Vienna and to the east has always been of great importance. So wrong on this route about 1894 at the Oostende -Wien - Express and from 1971 the TEA Prinz Eugen between North Germany and Vienna, and finally went over the path and name later on a Euro City and on an ICE. This got its name in 2002 and was initially set as a direct link between Hamburg and Vienna at the end of 2007. Since the timetable 2011/2012, there is again a direct connection Hamburg- Vienna as ICE.
A special feature of this route was that she was monitored until the opening of the branch line from Passau to Hauzenberg in 1904 on German soil by the Austrian dispatcher. Similarly, there was until Austria joined the European Union in 1995 at the end of the line a separate Austrian station Part in Passau, where the necessary border and customs checks were carried out.
Current operating
Since the timetable change in December 2007, the international long-distance traffic is only driven with ICE-T trains with tilting technology between (Dortmund ) Frankfurt and Vienna in cooperation between DB and ÖBB. In order to reduce the travel time between Frankfurt and Vienna clearly should also be a retrofit for tilting technology on this curvaceous route in addition to expanding the Western Railway between Wels and Vienna. In addition to the Tagreiseverkehr still travel on an overnight train this route, which operated from Vienna objectives towards Hamburg, and with coaches in Cologne.
In addition to the international long-distance travel on this route in a two - hour commuter trains of ÖBB, which are weiterverlängert partly to Linz. Currently run here mainly locomotive-hauled trains with City Shuttle car. These are to be replaced in the next few years by railcar Series 4024, currently operate only four pairs of trains with such a railcar. As a special feature in these local trains of the Danube nostalgia train runs with historic rolling stock between Vienna and Passau; Since the timetable change on 14 December 2008, the train runs only in the summer.
Route description
The route begins in Wels Hauptbahnhof, where it separates the northwest of the reversals in the south-west Western Railway. Coming followed the route from Vienna to Linz proof of the Danube, thus separating between Linz, Wels and Passau, the path of the railway line from the river. First, the wide Trauntal or the Welser Heide is exited at Puchberg bei Wels to follow up Taufkirchen the course of the river Trattnach. In Neumarkt in Hausruckkreis the Innkreis train to Ried and Linzer local railway branches off to Peuerbach. Between the local Aschach Valley and Zell an der Pram, the line was out in a wide arc to avoid gradients. From cell it goes along the valley of the pram up to the Inn, the reaches distance at warp thing. Shortly before, opens here at St. Florian am Inn, a further branch line from Ried in this route. Now the railway line follows the right Innufer. After crossing branches off the branch line to Hauzenberg. Immediately after crossing the railway the Inn on an iron, 110 -meter-long temporary bridge, which instead of the previous 176 -meter-long stone bridge was built after the Second World War. The route then in the short Passau tunnel crosses under the New Centre Passau (formerly Small parade ground ) and reaches its end point in Passau Main Station. There she goes over into the path of Passau -Regensburg along the Danube.