Freiburg–Colmar railway

Freiburg (Breisgau)–Colmar railway
Overview
Locale	Baden-Württemberg, Germany and Alsace, France
Line number	4310 (Freiburg–Breisach)
Technical
Line length	44.1 km (27.4 mi)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Route number	729 (Freiburg–Breisach)
Route map Legend from Strasbourg from Metzeral 44.1 Colmar to Mulhouse to Bollwiller 38.8 Neuland 36.1 Sundhoffen(Sundhofen) 29.7 Wolfgantzen(Wolfganzen) 27.2 Neuf-Brisach(formerly Neubreisach) 26.1 Volgelsheim(formerly Neubreisach) former line to Bantzenheim to port, to Chemin de Fer Touristique du Rhin old Rhine Bridge at Breisach (328 m) National border France/Germany 22.5 Breisach Kaiserstuhl Railway to Riegel DB 17.8 Ihringen 14.9 Wasenweiler Kaiserstuhl Railway from Riegel Ort 11.7 Gottenheim Dreisam 7.4 Hugstetten 4.3 Freiburg West 2.4 Freiburg Messe/Universität 2.3 former/current link to GUB Freiburg rail freight bypass (GUB) 1.4 Freiburg Klinikum Rhine Valley Railway from Mannheim 0.0 Freiburg (Breisg) Hbf Höllen Valley Railway to Donaueschingen Rhine Valley Railway to Basel Source: German railway atlas[1]

Breisach station

The Freiburg–Colmar railway was an international railway that formerly connected Freiburg im Breisgau, in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, with Colmar, in the French department of Haut-Rhin (région Alsace). The line crossed the River Rhine on a bridge between Breisach and Neuf-Brisach. Since that bridge was destroyed in 1945, the line from Freiburg has terminated at Breisach, and this stretch of line is now commonly called the Freiburg–Breisach railway, or the Breisacherbahn. The section from Freiburg to Breisach was completed in 1871 and the remainder in 1878.

Route

The line commences from a junction with the Rhine Valley Railway just to the north of Freiburg Hauptbahnhof and runs in a general westerly direction to Breisach via Gottenheim and Ihringen. At both Gottenheim and Breisach, junctions are made with two branches of the Kaiserstuhlbahn, both linking to Riegel am Kaiserstuhl.^[2]

Beyond Breisach, the route of the railway across the Rhine is now occupied by a road crossing, and the piers of the former railway bridge have been reused to support the road bridge.

At Volgelsheim the railway recommences, with a link to the nearby Rhine port and the Chemin de Fer Touristique du Rhin heritage railway. The line continues through Neuf-Brisach and Sundhoffen to a junction with the Strasbourg–Basel railway in the Gare de Colmar.

Operation

In Germany

Whilst the track of the Breisachbahn is owned by DB Netz AG, passenger services are provided by the Breisgau S-Bahn, a railway company partially owned by the Südwestdeutsche Verkehrs-Aktiengesellschaft (SWEG), who also own and operate the Kaiserstuhlbahn. Typical service is two trains per hour from Freiburg to Breisach, with an hourly service on Sundays.^[2][3][4]

In France

The French section of the line carries only freight traffic.^[2]

References

1. Eisenbahnatlas Deutschland (German railway atlas). Schweers + Wall. 2009. ISBN 978-3-89494-139-0.
2. Eisenbahnatlas Deutschland. Verlag Schweers + Wall GmbH. 2009. pp. 101–102. ISBN 978-3-89494-139-0.
3. Eisenbahnatlas Deutschland. Verlag Schweers + Wall GmbH. 2009. p. 179. ISBN 978-3-89494-139-0.
4. "Freiburg - Gottenheim - Breisach" (PDF). Breisgau S-Bahn Gmbh. Retrieved 2011-03-22.