Lake Constance Belt Railway

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Lake Constance Belt Railway
Overview
Native nameBodenseegürtelbahn
Line number
  • 4331 (Stahringen–Friedrichshafen Stadt)
  • 4530 (Friedrichshafen Stadt–Lindau-Aeschach junction)
LocaleBaden-Württemberg and Bavaria, Germany
TerminiStahringen
Lindau-Aeschach junction
Service
Route number731
Technical
Line length74.355 km (46.202 mi)
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
hide
Route map

Legend
Hegau-Ablach Valley Railway from Radolfzell
0.000
 Stahringen
Hegau-Ablach Valley Railway to Stockach
5.400
 Espasingen
8.515
 Ludwigshafen (Bodensee)
12.584
 Sipplingen
14.800
 Süßenmühle
17.525
 Überlingen Therme
17.900
Überlingen West Tunnel (948 m)
18.910
 Überlingen
19.000
Überlinger East Tunnel (615 m)
19.600
 Überlingen Ost
21.410
 Überlingen-Nußdorf
24.200
 -
25.800
25.700
Bundesstraße 31 (50 m)
26.455
 Uhldingen-Mühlhofen
27.500
 Mühlhofen Ort
29.600
 Grasbeuren
32.304
 Salem
formerly Mimmenhausen-Neufrach
34.500
 Mittelstenweiler
37.452
 Bermatingen-Ahausen
41.147
 Markdorf (Baden)
44.820
 Friedrichshafen-Kluftern
46.700
Anschluss Dornier-Werke
46.783
 Friedrichshafen-Fischbach
48.009
 Friedrichshafen-Manzell
49.100
 Seemoos
50.109
 Friedrichshafen Landratsamt
50.600
 Friedrichshafen Strandbad
51.780
0.000
 Friedrichshafen Stadt
to Friedrichshafen Hafen
to Oberteuringen
Southern Railway to Ulm
Rotach
from Seewald junction
4.310
 Rotenmoos junction
2.373
 Friedrichshafen Ost
5.586
 Eriskirch
Schussen
9.346
 Langenargen
Argen
13.100
Bodan-Werft
13.632
 Kressbronn
16.021
 Nonnenhorn
18.143
 Wasserburg (Bodensee)
20.328
 Enzisweiler
22.266
 Lindau-Aeschach
Allgäu Railway from Munich
22.575
 Lindau-Aeschach junction
(formerly Holben)
Line 5421 to Lindau-Reutin (Aeschach Curve)
Allgäu Railway to Lindau Hbf
Source: German railway atlas[1][2][3]

The Lake Constance Belt Railway (German: Bodenseegürtelbahn) is a continuous, single-track railway from Stahringen to Lindau-Aeschach in the German states of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria. It runs mainly along the northern shore of Lake Constance (Bodensee), and bears the Deutsche Bahn timetable number of 731 (Radolfzell–Lindau Hbf).

History[]

The line on the north side of the lake was created from the connection of the endpoints of the lines to Lake Constance of the railway companies of the surrounding countries:

Stahringen was connected to the railway network on 20 July 1867 by the Hegau-Ablach Valley Railway. The first section of the Lake Constance Belt Railway from Stahringen to Überlingen was opened on 18 August 1895. Friedrichshafen Stadt station was finally reached on 2 October 1901. The section from Lindau to Friedrichshafen had been commissioned two years earlier on 1 October 1899. Friedrichshafen had been connected by the Württemberg Southern Railway to Ravensburg since 8 November 1847; this line was connected with the Württemberg rail network at Ulm on 1 June 1850.

On 22 December 1939, there was a great train wreck when a passenger and a freight train collided on the line between Markdorf and Kluftern, resulting in the deaths of 102 people. As earlier the same day two express trains had collided with each other in Genthin in Saxony-Anhalt with (186 deaths), it was the worst day of German railway history.[4]

Branches[]

  • , 2.53 kilometres long, opened on 2 October 1901 and closed on 31 October 1950 for passenger services
  • , 8.23 kilometres long, opened on 1 December 1905 and closed on 4 October 1953 for passenger services.

Rail operations[]

The Lake Constance Belt Railway is operated by hourly trains as two routes with different trains. The entire line from Radolfzell to Lindau is also served by five through passenger services each day.

Radolfzell–Friedrichshafen[]

The Radolfzell–Friedrichshafen section has been served hourly since 2003 by the Seehänsele (the name is derived from See—"lake"—and Hänsele—a local carnival figure) regional service[5] using Stadler Regio-Shuttle RS1 railcars. Some trains continue to Singen or to Friedrichshafen Hafen. In addition, every two hours Interregio-Express Sprinter services (class 611 tilting trains) run between Ulm and Basel Bad, stopping only in Friedrichshafen, Überlingen and Radolfzell.

Friedrichshafen–Lindau[]

The Friedrichshafen–Lindau section is served by Regionalbahn trains roughly every hour (separated by 40 or 80 minute intervals alternatively), using Regio-Shuttle RS1, class 611 or class 628 diesel multiple units. In addition, Inter-Regional Express services run hourly on the (Stuttgart–) Ulm–Lindau route, as well as an intercity train pair from Munster to Innsbruck. On Saturdays in the winter season a pair of Intercity Ski Express Montafon trains also run from Frankfurt to Landeck.

  • Salem

  • Uhldingen-Mühlhofen

  • Langenargen

Planned upgrade[]

As part of the electrification of the Southern Railway, the Friedrichshafen–Lindau section of the Lake Constance Belt Railway is also to be electrified. In March 2012, this project was included in the 2011–2015 investment plan in transport infrastructure of the federal government.[6]

Notes[]

  1. ^ Eisenbahnatlas Deutschland (German railway atlas). Schweers + Wall. 2009. p. 112. ISBN 978-3-89494-139-0.
  2. ^ Lothar Brill. "Line 4330" (in German). Tunnelportale.
  3. ^ Lothar Brill. "Line 4331" (in German). Tunnelportale.
  4. ^ Albert Kuntzemüller (1953). Die badischen Eisenbahnen (in German). Karlsruhe: G. Braun. pp. 163 ff.
  5. ^ "Seehänsele - Ihre RegionalBahn am Bodensee" (in German). Deutsche Bahn. Retrieved 7 December 2012.
  6. ^ "Investment plan in 2011–2015 for federal transport infrastructure" (PDF) (in German). Federal Ministry of Transport, Construction and Urban Development. Retrieved 7 December 2012.[permanent dead link]

References[]

  • Helmut Röth (2006). Auf Schienen zwischen Odenwald und Pfalz. Fotografien 1955-1976 (in German). Ludwigshafen am Rhein: Verlag Pro Message. p. 168. ISBN 3-934845-18-5.

External links[]

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