Erfurt S-Bahn

Last updated
General map of the route travelled by the "S-Bahn Erfurt" trains. S-Bahn Erfurt topografisch Korrektur.png
General map of the route travelled by the "S-Bahn Erfurt" trains.
Platform of the former Erfurt Berliner Strasse stop in 2010. Ex-S-Bahnhof Berliner Strasse Erfurt.JPG
Platform of the former Erfurt Berliner Straße stop in 2010.

S-Bahn Erfurt was a colloquial term for a diesel-powered railway connection that existed from 1976 to 1995 in the Thuringian state capital Erfurt, Germany. The term "S-Bahn" is also occasionally used in popular literature. [1] Other contemporary media used terms such as "suburban traffic at the local transport tariff" to describe it. [2] When the line was introduced in 1976, only the "reversible train service" on this line was highlighted as a special feature. [3] In the Kursbuch tables of Deutsche Reichsbahn, the terms "S-Bahn" or "S-Bahn-Tarif" were not used for this line. [4] [5] Riethschleuder was another colloquial term for the connection. [6]

Contents

Route description

Starting at Erfurt Hauptbahnhof, the line ran in a semicircle north and east around the city centre. It used the Wolkramshausen-Erfurt railway line route as far as Erfurt Nord station. There it branched off to the west and, using the route of the former Erfurt–Nottleben light railway  [ de ], developed the new development areas in the north of Erfurt. The four stations served were the stations Erfurt Hauptbahnhof and Erfurt Nord which still exist today, as well as the former stop Erfurt Györer Straße and the former terminal Erfurt Berliner Straße station. The journey time over the entire route was 13 to 14 minutes. [4] [5]

Operation and history

The construction of the new Rieth development area in the north of the city of Erfurt made it necessary to connect this part of the city to the city centre. The existing Erfurt tramway and the supplementary bus lines run by the city's public transport company (Erfurter Verkehrsbetriebe  [ de ]) could no longer meet the growing demand for transport at peak times. Since the track of the former Nebenbahn railway to Nottleben ran directly through the residential area, a plan was drawn up to set up a railway connection between the north of the city and Erfurt's main railway station (Hauptbahnhof) in order to relieve the urban local traffic.

Since all the tracks were already in place, only two new stations had to be built. Thus, the connection could be opened on 13 May 1976 after a construction period of only three months. [3] The line length was 8.6 kilometres, of which 2.7 kilometres were on the line of the former light railway. In the Kursbuch of Deutsche Reichsbahn, the line was listed under route number 642. There was no interval timetable. The trains operated only during the rush hours. On working days, eight (1985) or nine (1990) train pairs commuted on the line. Half of the trains only travelled to or from Erfurt Nord. There were connections to trains in the direction of Erfurt Hauptbahnhof. Because the main patronage of the S-Bahn came from workers of the VEB Pressen- und Scherenbau "Henry Pels" (later VEB Umformtechnik Erfurt "Herbert Warnke"; factory currently owned by the Schuler Group), as well as DR employees, traffic was suspended on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. [7]

The only characteristic of the S-Bahn was its independent tariff. Instead of the distance-based tariff generally used by the Deutsche Reichsbahn, a flat-rate tariff was applied. Single tickets were sold in advance at a price of 20 pfennig. They had to be validated before boarding the trains on the platform. [4] [5] They were sold at Erfurt Hauptbahnhof and Erfurt Nord stations. [5] However, the special fare was abolished shortly after German reunification, i.e. before the line was discontinued.

After the political changes of 1989 and 1990, the transport needs of the population changed. In particular, traffic peaks in rush hour traffic were distorted. Since the travel times by tram to the main station were similarly long but significantly shorter in the direction of the city centre, a separate train connection became superfluous. The connection was thinned out and then completely closed on 28 May 1995. At the time of its closure, two pairs of trains operated a day. In 2003, the Erfurt Nord-Erfurt-Marbach line was officially shut down by the Eisenbahnbundesamt . [8] The renovation of the Mittelhäuser Kreuz in 2012 meant that the Mittelhäuser Straße was renovated a bit and the track of the former railway crossing was removed. [9]

In preparation for the Bundesgartenschau 2021 in Erfurt, the idea was born in 2015 to revive the route in order to bring visitors from Erfurt Hauptbahnhof to the Gera-Aue. Alternative ideas would be a cycle path or a trolley route. [10]

Rolling stock

1976: A double-decker turning train at the Erfurt Berliner Strasse station. Bundesarchiv Bild 183-R0513-0030, Erfurt, Neubauviertel Nordhauser Strasse, Bahnhof.jpg
1976: A double-decker turning train at the Erfurt Berliner Straße station.

Until 1994, double-decker articulated push-pull trains in four-car formation manufactured by VEB Waggonbau Görlitz (basically, a predecessor of the modern-day Bombardier Double-deck Coach) were primarily used on the Erfurt S-Bahn, pulled by DR Class 100 locomotives (from 1992 reclassified as DR Class 202). This meant that it was not necessary to build a reversing track or turn back siding at the end of the line. In its final year of operation, two three-car DB Class 614 diesel multiple units were used.

Literature

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Berlin S-Bahn</span> Rapid transit railway system in and around Berlin

The Berlin S-Bahn is a rapid transit railway system in and around Berlin, the capital city of Germany. It has been in operation under this name since December 1930, having been previously called the special tariff area Berliner Stadt-, Ring- und Vorortbahnen. It complements the Berlin U-Bahn and is the link to many outer-Berlin areas, such as Berlin Brandenburg Airport. As such, the Berlin S-Bahn blends elements of a commuter rail service and a rapid transit system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U5 (Berlin U-Bahn)</span> Rapid transit line

U5 is a line on the Berlin U-Bahn. It runs from Hauptbahnhof in Mitte eastwards through Alexanderplatz, Friedrichshain, Lichtenberg and Friedrichsfelde, surfaces in Biesdorf-Süd to pass Kaulsdorf and Hellersdorf above ground and finally reaches city limits at Hönow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deutsche Reichsbahn (East Germany)</span> State railway of the German Democratic Republic (1945–1993)

The Deutsche Reichsbahn or DR(German Reich Railways) was the operating name of state owned railways in the East Germany, and after German reunification until 1 January 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">München Hauptbahnhof</span> Main railway station in Munich, Germany

München Hauptbahnhof or Munich Central Station is the main railway station in the city of Munich, Germany. It is one of the three stations with long-distance services in Munich, the others being Munich East station and Munich-Pasing station (München-Pasing). München Hauptbahnhof sees about 450,000 passengers a day, which puts it on par with other large stations in Germany, such as Hamburg Hauptbahnhof and Frankfurt (Main) Hauptbahnhof. It is classified by Deutsche Bahn as a category 1 station, one of 21 in Germany and two in Munich, the other being München Ost. The mainline station is a terminal station with 32 platforms. The subterranean S-Bahn with 2 platforms and U-Bahn stations with 6 platforms are through stations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leipzig Hauptbahnhof</span> Central railway terminus in Leipzig, Germany

Leipzig Hauptbahnhof is the central railway terminus in Leipzig, Germany, in the district Mitte. At 83,460 square metres (898,400 sq ft), it is Europe's largest railway station measured by floor area. It has 19 overground platforms housed in six iron train sheds, a multi-level concourse with towering stone arches, and a 298-metre-long (978 ft) facade at the northeastern section of the Inner City Ring Road. The two Leipzig City Tunnel platforms were inaugurated in December 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Berlin Stadtbahn</span> Historic railway line in Berlin, Germany

The Berlin Stadtbahn is the historic east-west elevated railway of Berlin. It runs from Friedrichshain in the east to Charlottenburg in the west, connecting several of the most major sights of the German capital. The line is protected cultural heritage since 1995. It is often defined more simply as the slightly longer route between Ostkreuz and Westkreuz, although this is not technically correct.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Berlin-Spandau station</span>

Berlin-Spandau station is a Deutsche Bahn station in the Berlin district of Spandau on the south-western edge of the old town of Spandau. The railway junction station is one of the 80 stations classified by Deutsche Bahn as a category 2 station. It has the longest train shed in Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taunus Railway</span> Electrified railway in central western Germany

The Taunus Railway is a double-track electrified railway line, which connects Frankfurt and Wiesbaden, Germany. It is 41.2 km long and follows the course of the Main on its north side, running quite close to it in some places. Its first stage was opened in September 1839 and is thus the oldest railway line in the German state of Hesse and one of the oldest in Germany. Today it is used by Regional-Express trains between Frankfurt and Wiesbaden and the trains of line S1 of the Rhine-Main S-Bahn between Frankfurt-Höchst and Wiesbaden. Between Frankfurt Hbf and Frankfurt-Höchst, they run on the line of the former Hessian Ludwig Railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leipzig–Dresden railway</span> Railway line in Saxony, Germany

The Leipzig–Dresden line is a German railway line. It was built by the Leipzig–Dresden Railway Company between 1837 and 1839. It was the first long-distance railway and the first railway using only steam traction in Germany. It also included the first standard gauge railway tunnel in continental Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stuttgart–Horb railway</span> Railway in Baden-Württemberg, Germany

The Stuttgart–Horb railway is a 67.227 kilometer-long railway in the southern part of the state of Baden-Württemberg in Germany, running from Stuttgart to Horb. It forms part of a railway known as the Gäubahn or Gäu Railway. The Royal Württemberg State Railways and the Baden State Railways constructed the majority of this line between the years 1866 and 1879. Today the partially single-track, fully electrified line features the high-speed Intercity-Express (ICE) service, with its tilting train technology, traveling from Stuttgart to Zürich. In addition, a multitude of local train services of numerous railway companies are on offer. The Gäu Railway is also a significant line in the North-South freight service system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hennigsdorf station</span>

Hennigsdorf is a railway station in the Oberhavel district of Brandenburg, located in the town of Hennigsdorf. It is the northern terminus of the S-Bahn line S25 as well as a station for regional passenger trains and freight services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wanne-Eickel–Hamburg railway</span>

The Wanne-Eickel–Hamburg railway is the shortest railway link between the Metropole Ruhr and the Hamburg Metropolitan Region and hence one of the most important railway lines in northwest Germany. The Route runs over the cities Münster (Westfalen), Osnabrück and Bremen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Berlin Nord-Süd Tunnel</span> Berlin metropolitan railway line

The North–South S-Bahn Tunnel is the central section of the North–South transversal Berlin S-Bahn connection crossing the city centre. It is not to be confused with the Tunnel Nord-Süd-Fernbahn, the central tunnel part of the North–South main line used by intercity and regional trains. The S-Bahn North–South line encompasses the route from Bornholmer Straße and Gesundbrunnen via Friedrichstraße and Anhalter Bahnhof to Papestraße and Schöneberg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nuremberg–Bamberg railway</span> German railway line

The Nuremberg-Bamberg line is a German railway connecting the Bavarian city of Nuremberg with Bamberg via Fürth, Erlangen, Forchheim. It is part of the northern section of the Ludwig South-North Railway. It runs along the Regnitz Valley and is one of the important German transport routes. Since 2010 line S1 of the Nuremberg S-Bahn uses the entirety of the line from Nuremberg to Bamberg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duisburg-Ruhrort–Mönchengladbach railway</span> Railway line in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

The Duisburg-Ruhrort–Mönchengladbach railway is a historically significant, but now partly abandoned line in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The line was built by the Ruhrort-Crefeld District Gladbach Railway Company, founded in 1847, and is one of the oldest lines in Germany, opened in 1849 and 1851.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oberhausen-Osterfeld Süd–Hamm railway</span>

The Oberhausen-Osterfeld Süd–Hamm railway, also called the Hamm-Osterfeld line, is a 76-kilometre long double-track electrified main line railway at the northern edge of the Ruhr in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">S-Bahn Mitteldeutschland</span> Electric rail public transit system in Germany

S-Bahn Mitteldeutschland represents an enlargement of the previous Leipzig-Halle S-Bahn. It is an electric rail public transit system operating in the metropolitan area of Leipzig-Halle, Germany. This S-Bahn network developed from two separate S-Bahn networks of Halle (Saale) and Leipzig, which were established separately in 1969 and then linked in 2004. With the opening of the Leipzig City Tunnel on 15 December 2013 as a new artery, the network was extended for the first time to the federal states of Thuringia and Brandenburg. With a system length of 802 km (498 mi), it is the largest S-Bahn network in Germany, displacing the long-time title holder Rhine-Ruhr S-Bahn from that position. The locomotive-hauled double-decker trains partly dating back to the DDR-era have been largely replaced by electric multiple unit Bombardier Talent 2 trains, but some older trains are still used during rush hour.

The Rostock–Rostock Seehafen Nord railway was opened in the early 1960s from the newly built port then called Rostock Überseehafen on the Breitling in the northeast of the city of Rostock in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The Rostock Seehafen station yard, which is seven kilometres long, is one of the most important freight nodes in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. A single-track electrified main line, the Kavelstorf–Rostock Seehafen railway, connects the Seehafen yard with the railway towards Berlin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leipzig-Wahren–Leipzig Hbf railway</span>

The Leipzig-Wahren–Leipzig Hbf railway is an electrified main line in the German state of Saxony. It runs from Leipzig-Wahren to Leipzig Hauptbahnhof and is part of the original route of the Magdeburg–Leipzig railway. Today it is used exclusively by services of the S-Bahn Mitteldeutschland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gelsenkirchen-Buer Nord–Marl Lippe railway</span>

The Gelsenkirchen-Buer Nord–Marl Lippe railway is an approximately 17 kilometre-long, electrified and predominantly single-track main line railway in the north of the Ruhr district of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It connects Gelsenkirchen-Buer Nord station on the Oberhausen-Osterfeld Süd–Hamm railway with Marl Lippe junction on the Wanne-Eickel–Hamburg railway. The route is included in the list lines showing local speeds under the VzG route number of 2252. As the railway was planned by the Ruhr coal district association as traffic axis (Verkehrsband) No. 9, it is also colloquially called V9.

References

  1. ↑ Hans-Joachim Kirsche und Hans Müller: Eisenbahnatlas DDR, VEB Tourist Verlag Berlin - Leipzig, 2. Auflage 1988, ISBN   3-350-00293-5, S. 90
  2. ↑ Hans-Joachim Kirsche, Bahnland DDR, transpress, VEB Verlag für Verkehrswesen, Berlin 1990, ISBN   3-344-00288-0, S. 174
  3. 1 2 Dr. Thomas Mette, 7. Oktober 1979 - 30 Jahre DDR in Daten und Ereignissen bei der Deutschen Reichsbahn, Eisenbahn-Jahrbuch 1979, Transpress, nachgedruckt in: Horst Regling (Hrsg.), Schienenverkehr in der DDR, Band III, transpress, Stuttgart, 2002, ISBN   3-613-71186-9
  4. 1 2 3 Kursbuch der Deutschen Reichsbahn, Binnenverkehr, Sommerfahrplan 1980
  5. 1 2 3 4 Kursbuch der Deutschen Reichsbahn, Binnenverkehr, Jahresfahrplan 1989/90
  6. ↑ "Domspitzen-Wörterbuch". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2018-09-23.
  7. ↑ https://swefuererfurt.de/2021/03/18/evag-historisch-riethschleuder-in-aktion/
  8. ↑ Liste der seit 1994 stillgelegten bundeseigenen Strecken im Land Thüringen Archived 2011-05-31 at the Wayback Machine beim Eisenbahn-Bundesamt.
  9. ↑ Birgit Kummer: Straße der Nationen noch bis zum 5. Dezember Baustelle. In: Thüringer Allgemeine Zeitung, Lokalteil Erfurt, 2. November 2011.
  10. ↑ Frank Karmeyer: „Riethschleuder“ lebt als Buga-Idee wieder auf. In: Thüringische Landeszeitung, Lokalteil Erfurt, 31. Juli 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.