Rhine-Main Railway

Last updated
Rhine-Main Railway
Overview
Native nameRhein-Main-Bahn
Line number
  • 3520 Mainz–Mainz-Bischofsheim
  • 3530 Mainz-Bischofsheim–Darmstadt
  • 3540 Weiterstadt Stockschneise–Darmstadt Nord
  • 3557 Darmstadt–Aschaffenburg
Locale Bavaria and Hesse, Germany
Service
Route number651
Technical
Line length77.7 km (48.3 mi)
Number of tracks2 (throughout)
Electrification 15 kV/16.7 Hz AC overhead catenary
Operating speed160 km/h (99 mph) (max)
Route map

Contents

BSicon STR.svg
BSicon BS2+l.svg
BSicon BS2+lr.svg
BSicon ABZg+r.svg
BSicon STR.svg
BSicon STR.svg
BSicon ABZg+l.svg
BSicon BHF.svg
BSicon S+BHF.svg
0.000
Mainz Hbf
BSicon tSTRa.svg
BSicon TUNNEL1.svg
Mainz Hbf Tunnel (northbound line)
BSicon tSTR.svg
BSicon STR.svg
New Mainz Tunnel (southbound line)
BSicon tSTRe.svg
BSicon TUNNEL2.svg
Mainz South Tunnel (northbound line)
BSicon BHF.svg
BSicon S+BHF.svg
1.800
Mainz Römisches Theater
(formerly Mainz Süd)
BSicon eABZg+l.svg
BSicon eKRZo.svg
line to the former Mainz Hauptbahnhof
BSicon ABZqr.svg
BSicon ABZgr.svg
BSicon exBOOT.svg
BSicon hKRZWae+GRZq.svg
3.076
South Bridge at Mainz, Rhine
RP/Hesse state border
BSicon exKBHFaq.svg
BSicon eABZg+r.svg
former terminus
transfer to the ferry
BSicon SBHF.svg
4.580
Mainz-Gustavsburg
BSicon ABZg+r.svg
5.600
Mainz-Gustavsburg port siding
BSicon STR+l.svg
BSicon KRZu.svg
Freight diversion line,
to the Taunus Railway Frankfurt S9.svg
BSicon BHF.svg
BSicon S+BHF.svg
7.780
Mainz-Bischofsheim
BSicon BS2rc.svg
BSicon BS2r.svg
to Mz-Bischofshm We
(see rail bypass)
BSicon ABZgl.svg
BSicon ABZg+r.svg
from Mz-Bischofshm O
(see rail bypass)
BSicon BST.svg
11.100
Mainz-Bischofsheim crossover I
(station part)
BSicon BHF.svg
16.475
Nauheim (b Groß Gerau)
BSicon BHF.svg
19.739
Groß Gerau
BSicon ABZgr.svg
BSicon KRZu.svg
BSicon ABZg+r.svg
Klein-Gerau Eichmühle branch
from Mannheim–Frankfurt railway
BSicon HST.svg
22.013
Klein-Gerau
BSicon HST.svg
26.646
Weiterstadt
BSicon ABZgl.svg
BSicon STR+r.svg
29.652
Weiterstadt Stockschneise junction
BSicon exSTR+r.svg
BSicon STR.svg
BSicon STR.svg
former Riedbahn
from Riedstadt-Goddelau
BSicon KBSTxa.svg
BSicon STR.svg
BSicon STR.svg
Griesheim Röhm
(siding)
BSicon STRl.svg
BSicon KRZu.svg
BSicon ABZg+r.svg
30.668
Darmstadt Bergschneise
(junction)
BSicon STR.svg
BSicon ABZgr.svg
former Riedbahn to
Darmstadt freight yard
BSicon STR+l.svg
BSicon KRZu.svg
BSicon KRZu.svg
BSicon ABZg+l.svg
BSicon ABZr+r.svg
BSicon STR.svg
BSicon ABZg+l.svg
BSicon KRZu.svg
BSicon KRZu.svg
Main-Neckar Railway
from Frankfurt Frankfurt S3.svg
BSicon DST.svg
BSicon STR.svg
BSicon STR.svg
34.950 31.861
Darmstadt freight yard
BSicon S+BHF.svg
BSicon STR.svg
BSicon STR.svg
33.960 33.360
Darmstadt Hbf
Frankfurt S3.svg
BSicon STRr.svg
BSicon STR.svg
BSicon STR.svg
Main-Neckar Railway to Heidelberg
BSicon STR.svg
BSicon ABZg+l.svg
from Darmstadt-Arheilgen
BSicon KRZu.svg
BSicon STR.svg
Darmstadt Hbf – Darmstadt Nord line
BSicon STR.svg
BSicon eABZgr.svg
to former Hbf (until 1912)
BSicon BHF.svg
BSicon BST.svg
37.850
Darmstadt Nord
BSicon ABZgr.svg
BSicon STR.svg
BSicon eKRZu.svg
BSicon eABZg+r.svg
former link to the Odenwald Railway
BSicon BHF.svg
BSicon DST.svg
40.374
Darmstadt-Kranichstein
Darmstadt-Kranichstein Railway Museum
BSicon ABZg+l.svg
BSicon STRr.svg
BSicon BHF.svg
45.594
Messel
(Messel mine)
BSicon eABZg+r.svg
Rodgau Railway from Reinheim
BSicon BHF.svg
53.200
Dieburg
BSicon ABZgl.svg
Rodgau Railway to Offenbach
BSicon HST.svg
57.647
Altheim (Hess)
BSicon HST.svg
59.876
Hergershausen
BSicon eHST.svg
Sickenhofen
(planned)
BSicon ABZg+r.svg
63.1
BSicon BHF.svg
63.711
Babenhausen (Hesse)
BSicon ABZgl.svg
64.8
BSicon BHF.svg
71.685
Stockstadt (Main)
BSicon hKRZWae.svg
72.202
BSicon ABZgl.svg
73.232
Mainaschaff junction
to the Main-Spessart Railway
BSicon HST.svg
73.54
Mainaschaff
BSicon ABZg+l.svg
BSicon DST.svg
76.100
Aschaffenburg Hbf exit
(station part)
BSicon BHF.svg
77.7
Aschaffenburg Hbf
BSicon STR.svg
Source: German railway atlas [1]

The Rhine-Main Railway (German : Main-Rhein-Bahn), is a railway line in southern Germany from Mainz via Darmstadt to Aschaffenburg. It was built by the Hessian Ludwig Railway (Hessische Ludwigsbahn) and opened on 1 August 1858 and is one of the oldest railways in Germany. Until 1862, when the railway bridge over the Rhine river constructed and assembled by MAN-Werk Gustavsburg was finished, [2] a train ferry operated on the river.

Route

In Mainz the line crosses the Rhine at its confluence with the Main and continued to Bischofsheim, where the Main Railway branches off towards Frankfurt am Main, and turns to the southeast towards Gross-Gerau. It then proceeds in an easterly direction to Darmstadt and reaches the north end of the track field of Darmstadt Hauptbahnhof (central station). Passenger trains generally run on the Main-Neckar line to Darmstadt Hbf, before reversing to continue their journey on the Rhine-Main line. Nevertheless, the line’s tracks continue under the station's track field, allowing trains to run directly towards Aschaffenburg. This route is almost exclusively used by freight trains. East of Darmstadt the line runs through a contiguous forested area through Messel station to Dieburg, which is also served by trains on the Rodgau line and the Dreieich line to Dreieich-Buchschlag and Frankfurt am Main. The route then runs in a northeasterly direction via Babenhausen, crosses the Main between Stockstadt and Mainaschaff and ends in Aschaffenburg. The whole line is double track and electrified. The Rhine-Main line has the unusual distinction of being served by regional trains that operate through three German states: Rhineland-Palatinate, Hesse and Bavaria.

History

Old railway station of the Hessian Ludwig Railway in Darmstadt, ca. 1875 Ludwigsbahnhof Darmstadt.jpg
Old railway station of the Hessian Ludwig Railway in Darmstadt, ca. 1875

The Rhine-Main line was designed, built and operated by the private Hessian Ludwig Railway. It came to compete with the North Main route (the Frankfurt-Hanau and Taunus Railways) between the Rhine and the Bavarian Ludwig's Western Railway at Aschaffenburg. In contrast to this route, the Rhine-Main line offered an uninterrupted line, while the Taunus and Frankfurt-Hanau lines in the early days still terminated at two different train stations in Frankfurt, which were not linked by rail. The disadvantage of the Rhine-Main line was that at first the crossing of the Rhine to Mainz depended on a train ferry. Apart from the Rhine and Main there were no significant physical obstacles for the railway to overcome.

The basis for the construction of the line was a treaty between the Grand Duchy of Hesse and the Kingdom of Bavaria on 28 March 1852. The concession to build the line in Hesse-Darmstadt was granted on 3 March 1856 and construction began after the harvest of 1856. In February 1856, the section between Mainspitze ("Main spit" on the Rhine opposite Mainz) and Darmstadt was completed. On 19 April 1858 the Grand Duke Louis III visited the construction site at Mainspitze and used a train. Test runs were operated on the line from 18 July. The Rhine-Main line finally opened on 1 August 1858 between Mainspitze and Darmstadt. It was first released for freight trains and a little later for the first passenger trains. The eastern section to Aschaffenburg was opened on 15 November 1858, with scheduled passenger trains operating on 27 December 1858. At the beginning there were three trains each way, each day; a few years later there were eight. The construction of the railway infrastructure cost 3.9 million guilders. The duplication of the line began in 1871. It was praised by passengers for having glass windows in its third class carriages—in contrast to the adjacent Main-Neckar Railway.

The Hessian Ludwig Railway Company, including the Rhine-Main Railway, was nationalised during the formation of the Prussian-Hessian Railway Company (Königlich Preußische und Großherzoglich Hessischen Staatseisenbahnen) in 1897.

The line was electrified in 1958/59 and since 9 May 1960 electric trains have operated on it.

Operations

Freight

The track is important for long distance freight transport as it bypasses the Frankfurt am Main rail node. It connects the Left and Right Rhine line with the Main-Spessart Railway and also to the north to Hanau and the Frankfurt–Bebra railway, the Friedberg-Hanau line and the Main-Weser Railway. The line is also used by Motorail trains and occasionally used for military and nuclear waste transport.

Passengers

Regionalbahn train hauled by class 143 electric locomotive in Mainz-Bischofsheim station on its way to Darmstadt Bischofsheimer (Mainspitze) Bahnhof- auf Bahnsteig zu Gleis 3- Richtung Mainz (RB 143 076) 29.3.2009.JPG
Regionalbahn train hauled by class 143 electric locomotive in Mainz-Bischofsheim station on its way to Darmstadt

The line is operated in passenger transport as route number 651 and is managed by the Rhine-Main Transport Association (Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund, RMV) and served by Regionalbahn line 75. A contract for the operation of the line was awarded for 10 years from December 2008 to DB Regio, which has gradually converted operations since the end of July 2008 from old Silberling sets to modern double-deckers. Trains also run via Mainz to Wiesbaden Hauptbahnhof. Services on the line run every hour; at peak hours from Monday to Friday, between 6 and 9 AM and between 4 and 7 PM services operate every half-hour, with only an hourly train operating via Darmstadt Hauptbahnhof.

Related Research Articles

Rödermark Town in Hesse, Germany

Rödermark is a town in the Offenbach district in the Regierungsbezirk of Darmstadt in Hesse, Germany, southeast of Frankfurt am Main and northeast of Darmstadt.

Mainz Hauptbahnhof Railway station in Mainz, Germany

Mainz Hauptbahnhof is a railway station for the city of Mainz in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. It is used by about 60,000 travelers and visitors each day and is therefore by far the busiest station in Rhineland-Palatinate. The station was a trial area for a CCTV scheme using automated face recognition.

Rhine-Main S-Bahn

The Rhine-Main S-Bahn system is an integrated rapid transit and commuter train system for the Frankfurt/Rhine-Main region, which includes the cities Frankfurt am Main, Wiesbaden, Mainz, Offenbach am Main, Hanau and Darmstadt. The network comprises nine S-Bahn lines, eight of which currently travel through the cornerstone of the system, a tunnel through central Frankfurt. The first section of this tunnel was opened on May 28, 1978. Further tunnel sections were opened in 1983 and 1990, before its completion in 1992. The system belongs to the Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund (RMV) and is operated by DB Regio, a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn.

Darmstadt Hauptbahnhof

Darmstadt Hauptbahnhof is the main railway station in the German city Darmstadt. After Frankfurt Hbf and Wiesbaden Hbf, it is the third largest station in the state of Hesse with 35,000 passengers and 220 trains per day.

Taunus Railway 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.

The Main Railway is a 37.5 km-long double-track electrified railway line, which runs on the south side of the river Main from Mainz to Frankfurt central station.

Hessian Ludwig Railway Transport company

The Hessian Ludwig Railway or HLB with its network of 697 kilometres of railway was one of the largest privately owned railway companies in Germany.

Main-Neckar Railway Main line railway in Germany

The Main-Neckar Railway is a main line railway west of the Odenwald in the Upper Rhine Plain of Germany that connects Frankfurt am Main to Heidelberg via Darmstadt, Bensheim and Weinheim. It was opened in 1846 and is one of the oldest railways in Germany.

Odenwald Railway (Hesse)

The Odenwald Railway is a mainly single-tracked main line from Darmstadt and Hanau to Eberbach on the River Neckar, which crosses the Odenwald mountains in the German states of Hesse and Baden-Württemberg. Since 1882 the route has been operated throughout as a standard gauge line and since 2005 has been worked by diesel multiples owned by the VIAS private railway company.

Rodgau Railway

The Rodgau Railway (Rodgaubahn) is a railway line that runs from Offenbach Central Station via Rodgau to Rödermark-Ober-Roden in the German state of Hesse. The name Rodgaubahn is derived from the medieval name of Rodgau, part of the former Maingau, which the line passes through for its whole length.

Mainz rail bypass

The Mainz bypass railway is a bypass around the Mainz Hauptbahnhof node primarily used for freight in the German states of Hesse and Rhineland Palatinate.

Mainz-Bischofsheim station Railway station in Bischofsheim, Germany

Mainz-Bischofsheim station is the station of the town of Bischofsheim in the German state of Hesse on the Main Railway from Mainz to Frankfurt am Main. It is classified by Deutsche Bahn as a category 4 station. The station is served by the S-Bahn and regional trains. The station was opened at its current location in 1904.

Mainz Römisches Theater station

Mainz Römisches Theater station is a station in the city of Mainz, the capital of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate on the Main Railway from Mainz to Frankfurt am Main. It is the most important station in the city after Mainz Hauptbahnhof. It is classified by Deutsche Bahn as a category 3 station. The station is served by S-Bahn and regional trains.

Mainz-Gustavsburg station

Mainz-Gustavsburg station is the station of the town of Ginsheim-Gustavsburg in the German state of Hesse on the Main Railway from Mainz to Frankfurt am Main. It is classified by Deutsche Bahn as a category 5 station. The station is served by the S-Bahn and some regional trains. The station was opened at its current location in 1858.

Dieburg station Railway station in Hesse, Germany

Dieburg station is located in the town of Dieburg in the German state of Hesse on the Rhine-Main Railway, which runs from Mainz via Darmstadt to Aschaffenburg. The Rodgau Railway from Offenbach am Main now ends here. The station is classified by Deutsche Bahn as a category 4 station. It is served only by local trains.

Groß Gerau station

Groß Gerau station is located approximately 500 metres north of the centre of the town of Groß-Gerau in the German state of Hesse on the Rhine-Main Railway, running from Wiesbaden and Mainz to Darmstadt and Aschaffenburg. A curve branches off near the station connecting to the nearby Groß-Gerau-Dornberg station on the Mannheim–Frankfurt railway. The station is classified by Deutsche Bahn as a category 5 station. The station name has no hyphen unlike the town it is in, following a Prussian government order of 1910, which applied because of Prussian finance for the line, even though the station was in the Grand Duchy of Hesse.

Hanau West station

Hanau West station is the oldest station in the city of Hanau in the German state of Hesse. It was opened in 1848 and is located on the 17.9 kilometre mark of the Frankfurt-Hanau Railway. Operationally, since the 1970s it has been classified as a Haltepunkt (“halt”). The station is classified by Deutsche Bahn (DB) as a category 5 station.

Rödermark-Ober Roden station

Rödermark-Ober Roden station is the station of the Rödermark suburb of Ober-Roden in the German state of Hesse. It is the southern terminus of line S1 of the Rhine-Main S-Bahn and a stop for Regionalbahn services on the Dreieich Railway. It is classified in station category 4 and is a hub for public transport. The station building is a listed building.

Dreieich Railway

The Dreieich Railway (Dreieichbahn) is a single-track, non-electrified branch line in the Frankfurt Rhine-Main area in the German state of Hesse. It connects Dreieich-Buchschlag on the Main-Neckar Railway with Rödermark-Ober Roden on the Rodgau Railway. Colloquially, the RMV route 61 service is referred to as the Dreieichbahn, which continued beyond Ober-Roden on the Rodgau Railway to Dieburg.

Pfungstadt Railway

The Pfungstadt Railway (Pfungstadtbahn) is a single-track branch line that branches off the Main-Neckar Railway in Darmstadt-Eberstadt and runs to a station on the eastern edge of the inner town of Pfungstadt, in Hesse, Germany.

References

  1. Eisenbahnatlas Deutschland (German railway atlas). Schweers + Wall. 2009. pp. 76–78, 151, 154. ISBN   978-3-89494-139-0.
  2. MAN Maschinenfabrik Augsburg Nürnberg Bridges Historical advertisement

Further reading