Stahringen–Friedrichshafen railway

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Stahringen–Lindau
Overview
Line number4331
LocaleBaden-Württemberg, Germany
Termini
Service
Route number731
Technical
Line length51.780 km (32.175 mi)
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge
Route map

km
0.000
Stahringen
5.400
Espasingen
8.515
Ludwigshafen (Bodensee)
12.584
Sipplingen
14.800
Süßenmühle
17.525
Überlingen Therme
17.866~
Überlingen West Tunnel (948 m)
18.910
Überlingen
18.972
Überlinger East Tunnel (615 m)
19.600
Überlingen Ost
21.410
Überlingen-Nußdorf
24.200
Birnau-Maurach
25.800
25.700
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
46.783
Friedrichshafen-Fischbach
48.009
Friedrichshafen-Manzell
49.100
Seemoos
50.109
Friedrichshafen Landratsamt
50.600
Friedrichshafen Strandbad
51.780
Friedrichshafen Stadt
Source: German railway atlas[1]

The Stahringen–Friedrichshafen railway is a non-electrified single-track railway in Baden-Württemberg that runs from Stahringen to Friedrichshafen Stadt. The 51.780 kilometre-long main-line runs mainly along the north shore of Lake Constance (Bodensee) and is part of a route known as the Bodenseegürtelbahn (Lake Constance Belt Railway), connecting Radolfzell and Lindau-Insel.

History[edit]

The line was created to close the gap between the network of the Grand Duchy of Baden State Railway (Großherzoglich Badische Staatseisenbahnen) and that of the Royal Württemberg State Railways). After Stahringen was connected to the railway network on 20 July 1867 by the Radolfzell–Mengen railway, the section from Stahringen to Überlingen did not go into operation until 18 August 1895. Finally, Friedrichshafen Stadt station was reached on 2 October 1901. Friedrichshafen had been connected to Ulm by the Ulm–Friedrichshafen railway (Südbahn) since 1847.

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.[2]

Services[edit]

The line has been served hourly since 2003 by the Seehänsele (the name is derived from See—"lake"—and Hänsele—a local carnival figure) Regional service (RB 31),[3] which does not stop in Stahringen. SWEG Alstom Coradia LINT 54 (class 622) sets have been used for this since September 2019. Previously Stadler Regio-Shuttle RS1 railcars were used. Some trains continue to Singen or to Friedrichshafen Hafen. In addition, every two hours IRE 3 Interregio-Express Sprinter services (class 612 tilting trains) run between Friedrichshafen and Basel Bad (via the High Rhine Railway line), stopping only in Überlingen and Radolfzell on this line.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Eisenbahnatlas Deutschland [German railway atlas]. Schweers + Wall. 2017. p. 112. ISBN 978-3-89494-146-8.
  2. ^ Kuntzemüller, Albert (1953). Die badischen Eisenbahnen (in German). Karlsruhe: G. Braun. pp. 163 ff.
  3. ^ "Seehänsele - Ihre RegionalBahn am Bodensee" (in German). Deutsche Bahn. Archived from the original on 23 November 2012. Retrieved 15 January 2022.