Misplaced Pages

#877122

47-397: [REDACTED] The Karlsruhe Stadtbahn is a German tram-train system combining tram lines in the city of Karlsruhe with railway lines in the surrounding countryside, serving the entire region of the middle upper Rhine valley and creating connections to neighbouring regions. The Stadtbahn combines an efficient urban railway in the city with an S-Bahn (suburban railway), overcoming

94-510: A connecting line between Durlacher Allee and Grötzingen station. This connecting line also contains the equipment that controls the change between the two electrification systems. The unexpected success of the new Stadtbahn line between Karlsruhe and Bretten (passenger numbers increased fivefold in just a few weeks) led to an accelerated development of the Stadtbahn system in the 1990s. The modernisation and integration of additional lines resulted in

141-546: A decrease and eventual phasing out of steam engines, with the last one to cease regular service in 1977. Traction was provided increasingly by diesel and electric engines. With increased use of diesel and electric locomotives, progress was made in decreasing travel time for passengers. New types of passenger trains were introduced such as the Trans Europ Express and the InterCity . Transport of goods also had to compete with

188-662: A different route and start/end at Albtalbahnhof, deviating from the regular Route at Marktplatz. In 2019, the S5 ceased operation between Pforzheim and Bietigheim-Bissingen, being replaced by MEX17a, operated by SWEG Südwestdeutsche Landesverkehrs-AG over the same line and stopping at the same stations. Operations between Pforzheim and Bietigheim-Bissingen were possible due to an agreement with German national operator DB, which allowed AVG to run their S5 services in slots assigned to trains of DB, effectively replacing them. As DB lost several of their lines near Stuttgart to private operators in 2019,

235-475: A height of 34 cm (13 in), which are raised to a height of 55 cm (22 in) for a length of 15 metres (49 ft) to give step-free access to the first two doors of two-system trains. The extensive development of the network into the 1990s opened all of Karlsruhe’s surrounding countryside. The proposed urban tramways in Bruchsal, Rastatt, Baden-Baden and Landau failed to proceed, however, because of

282-426: A height of 55 cm (22 in), because the tunnel is used by trams and DC services of the Stadtbahn, which have an entry level on the modern lines of 34 cm (13 in). Since line S 2 formerly met Kaiserstraße at Durlacher Tor on Durlacher Allee, where there is no entrance to the tunnel, it was rerouted to branch off its former route at Hauptfriedhof and continue from there to Tullastraße. Stadtbahn cars of

329-411: A route from Rastatt, with or without crossing central Rastatt. Meanwhile, the results of the “standardised” cost–benefit analysis ( Standardisierte Bewertung ) used for German transport projects, show a moderately favourable value of 1.19 for the route via Baden station, and (a less favourable) value of 1.03 for the route from Rastatt generally along the route of the former Rastatt–Wintersdorf railway (of

376-547: Is responsible for the sections from Pforzheim and Bretten to Bietigheim-Bissingen . As of 2013, AVG quotes the size of the part of the Karlsruhe Stadtbahn system that is not operated by DB as 262.4 kilometres (163.0 mi), with 12 lines serving 190 stations. The Karlsruhe Stadtbahn includes thirteen lines, in four different forms: Occasional limited service trains take a different route via Ettlinger Tor (instead of Marktplatz) Occasional limited service trains take

423-638: The Alb Valley Railway ( Albtalbahn ) by the city of Karlsruhe, the establishment of AVG and the integration of the Alb Valley Railway cross-country line into the Karlsruhe tram system between 1957 and 1966 formed the foundation for the later Stadtbahn network. The Alb Valley Railway was connected to the tram system and electrified as a tramway, so that modified trams could run through between the southern outskirts and Karlsruhe city centre. The success of

470-706: The Südwestdeutsche Eisenbahn . With the formation of the FRG these successor organisations of the DRG were reunited, a situation codified by the Federal Railways Law (Bundesbahngesetz) that was ratified on 13 December 1951. The railways in the Saarland joined on 1 January 1957. The DB was a state-owned company that, with few local exceptions, exercised a monopoly concerning rail transport throughout West Germany. The DB

517-576: The tram and rail regulations , lengthy negotiations with DB were required (well before rail reform legally permitted access by other rail operators to Germany’s rail infrastructure) before it was agreed that the Karlsruhe Stadtbahn could share the Karlsruhe–Bretten line. In 1992, Stadtbahn operations between Karlsruhe and Bretten-Gölshausen started on the Kraichgau Railway (then line B, now S4). The tram and rail networks were linked by building

SECTION 10

#1732847602878

564-654: The 1980s and 1990s, with the system commencing operation in 1992. This idea, known as the Karlsruhe model or tram-train , has been adapted by other European cities. A new section in tunnel through central Karlsruhe was completed in December 2021. The Karlsruhe Stadtbahn is operated in co-operation by Albtal-Verkehrs-Gesellschaft (Alb valley transport corporation, AVG), Verkehrsbetriebe Karlsruhe (Karlsruhe transport authority, VBK) and Deutsche Bahn (DB). The two urban transport operators, VBK and AVG, operate most services, while DB

611-513: The 34 cm (13 in) high platforms. The single-system Stadtbahn vehicles are to be replaced by low-floor vehicles by 2016 in preparation for the opening of the Stadtbahn tunnel being built in central Karlsruhe. The tender for these vehicles is being prepared. There are currently a few stops in Karlsruhe city with platforms providing level access to two-system vehicles (such as those used on lines S 4 and S 5). The Stadtbahn tunnel will have platforms that are up to 80 m (260 ft) long with

658-466: The Alb Valley Railway encouraged the Karlsruhe planners in the 1960s to connect the northern surrounding outskirts by a modern tram/stadbahn system as well. For this it negotiated with Deutsche Bundesbahn to use the Hardt Railway (Karlsruhe-Neureut- Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen ), sharing with the local goods traffic, and reached an agreement at the end of the 1970s. After building a connecting line between

705-470: The Alb Valley and Hardt Railway and by building new tram lines, this was not true of the eastern suburbs. Therefore, shared operations over the existing railway lines was considered, although they were electrified, at least in sections, with the 15 kV system of the main-line railway. After development of a Stadtbahn vehicle, with the electrical systems of both trams and railways, that could be operated under both

752-476: The Karlsruhe type have been used since 1983 (such as class GT6-80C). The fleet includes 60 single-current vehicles for the direct current services only and operate on lines S1, S11 and S2. This type was derived from the Stadtbahnwagen B . 40 vehicles are 38 m (125 ft)-long 8-axle cars, while the remaining 20 6-axle cars are 28 m (92 ft)-long. An 8-axle two-system car of the design GT8-100C/2S

799-444: The S9 had been taken over by this line, leaving it with only few trains a day operated as S34. Also during this time, S71 and S81 lost most of its trains to DB, leaving S71 with five trains a day and S81 with only two trains per day, one per direction. The following table shows the regular transport services on the individual Stadbahn lines as of December 2022. There are some deviations from

846-943: The United States was the Newark and Granville Street Railway in Ohio , which opened in 1889. In 1924, in Hobart , Australia, sharing of tracks between trams and trains was proposed. The difference between modern tram-trains and the older interurban and radial railways is that tram-trains are built to meet mainline railway standards, rather than ignoring them. An exception is the United States' River Line in New Jersey , which runs along freight tracks with time separation; passenger trains run by day, and freight by night. Models of tram designed for tram-train operation include: Deutsche Bundesbahn The Deutsche Bundesbahn or DB ( German Federal Railway )

893-639: The bottleneck in deliveries at the end of 2009 three Flexity Link sets were borrowed from the Saarbahn . In the two-area system served by the GT8-100D/2S-M Flexity Swift vehicles, 55 cm (22 in) high platforms were built to provide step-free entrances. These were mostly built on the newer line (especially the Murg Valley, Enz Valley, the line to Odenheim and the Kraichgau line to Eppingen) while

940-433: The boundary between trams and trains. Its logo does not include the green and white S-Bahn symbol used in other German suburban rail systems and the symbol is only used at stops and stations outside the inner-city tram-operation area. The idea to link tram and railway lines with one another in order to be able to offer an attractive transport system for town and outskirts was developed in Karlsruhe and implemented gradually in

987-569: The concept is a train-tram – a mainline train adapted to run on-street in an urban tramway, also known as the Zwickau Model . The tram-train often is a type of interurban  — that is, they link separate towns or cities, according to George W. Hilton and John F. Due's definition. Most tram-trains are standard gauge , which facilitates sharing track with main-line trains. Exceptions include Alicante Tram and Nordhausen , which are metre gauge . Tram-train vehicles are dual-equipped to suit

SECTION 20

#1732847602878

1034-955: The district council in the Karlsruhe district initiated a new standardised assessment for an extension of the S2 from Stutensee-Spöck to the north-western district. Tram-train The modern tram-train concept was pioneered by the German city of Karlsruhe in the late 1980s, resulting in the creation of the Karlsruhe Stadtbahn . This concept is often referred to as the Karlsruhe model , and it has since been adopted in other cities such as Mulhouse in France and in Kassel , Nordhausen and Saarbrücken in Germany. An inversion of

1081-528: The earliest opportunity. The DB, in the interim, initiated new coordinations in businesses with the DR, started IC and ICE services into Berlin, and extended IC and ICE services to major cities in eastern Germany. Administratively, on 1 June 1992 the DB and DR formed a joint board of directors which governed both entities. However, the merger was delayed over the structure of merged railway due to concerns by German politicians on

1128-610: The early years after the end of World War II involved the reconstruction of the heavily damaged infrastructure and the replenishment of locomotives and rolling stock. Contrary to the Deutsche Reichsbahn in the GDR, the DB was not subject to reparations and benefited from the influx of capital through the Marshall Plan . During the early years, new steam engines were constructed and placed into service. The last new steam locomotive type

1175-399: The electrification of the line with the tramway’s 750 V DC system did not cause technical problems. Apart from the Stadtbahn line Hochstetten–Karlsruhe–Alb Valley (formerly line A, since 1994 lines S1/S11), a further Stadtbahn line, S2 ( Stutensee - Karlsruhe - Rheinstetten ), was built in stages between 1989 and 2006, extending an existing city tram line. This line connects the northeast with

1222-466: The end of the ramps. A new stop was built for tram line 3 in Grashofstrasse at Mühlburger Tor as the line branches off there; the new stop is not used by Stadtbahn trains. The Herrenstraße stop in the pedestrian zone was closed without replacement. The tunnel shortened the travel time for the Stadtbahn through the pedestrian zone and improved the stability of the timetable. In addition, the platforms of

1269-524: The ever-increasing annual operating deficits incurred by the DB and DR. After several years of delays, the Bundesverkehrsministerium proposed a comprehensive reform of the German railway system (Bahnreform) , which was approved by the Bundestag in 1993 and went into effect on 1 January 1994. At the heart of the reform package was a) the merger of the DB and the DR and b) the change of the form of

1316-590: The ever-increasing competition from trucks. Furthermore, traditional services such as coal and iron ore shipments declined with the changes in the overall economy. After the introduction of the TGV in France, the ICE system of high speed passenger trains was developed. Significant stretches of new high speed track, like the Hanover-Würzburg high-speed rail line , had to be laid or upgraded. Other characteristics of this epoch are

1363-564: The following extensions: A tunnel has been built in central Karlsruhe, for Stadtbahn lines S 1 / S 11, S 2, S 4 / S 41 and S 5 / S 51 / S 52 and various tram lines. It was opened in December 2021. The tunnel runs under Durlacher Allee and Kaiserstraße with a junction under Marktplatz connecting to a tunnel under Ettlinger Straße. The tunnel ramps were built in the area of the former stops of Mühlburger Tor, Gottesauer Platz and Augartenstraße. New stations were built to replace these stops above ground at

1410-503: The forecourt of Karlsruhe Hauptbahnhof ( Hauptbahnhof ) there is a four-track station for trams and Stadtbahn DC-powered trains. Here there are platforms on both sides of the tracks. In the future, the heights of the platforms on the right hand side will remain at 34 cm (13 in) (the height of platform for trams) and on the left they will be lifted to 55 cm (22 in). This will make possible level access to all modern trains. Weather protection will also be improved as part of

1457-405: The former Mittelbadische Eisenbahnen ). An extension of line S2 from Spöck to central Bruchsal and from there towards Waghäusel was also pursued until 2012. However, the standardised assessment did not show a cost-benefit ratio worth funding for any of the options examined, so the project was not pursued any further. After the evaluation criteria and the procedure were changed on 1 July 2022,

Karlsruhe Stadtbahn - Misplaced Pages Continue

1504-641: The former DRG caterer Mitropa was situated in East Germany and serviced the Deutsche Reichsbahn in the GDR. As West Berlin lay surrounded by the GDR, local and long-distance railway services in the divided city were provided exclusively by the DR, although the DB operated a ticket office in the Hardenbergstraße near the main West Berlin passenger station Zoologischer Garten . The immediate tasks in

1551-587: The introduction of computer systems and the steps taken towards an integrated system of European railways. Externally, rolling stock displayed more colourful and varied livery schemes. The two German states were reunified in October 1990 with both DB and DR now being special funds of the German Federal government. Article 26 of the Unification Treaty (Einigungsvertrag) stipulated the DR to be merged with DB at

1598-535: The military governments of the Allied Occupation Zones in Germany were de facto in charge of the German railways in their respective territories. On 10 October 1946, the railways in the British and American occupation zones formed the Deutsche Reichsbahn im Vereinigten Wirtschaftsgebiet (German Imperial Railway in the united economic area), while on 25 June 1947, the provinces under French occupation formed

1645-584: The needs of both tram and train operating modes, with support for multiple electrification voltages if required and safety equipment such as train stops and other railway signalling equipment. The Karlsruhe and Saarbrücken systems use " PZB " or "Indusi" automatic train protection , so that if the driver passes a signal at a stop the emergency brakes are applied. The idea is not new; in the early 20th century, interurban streetcar lines often operated on dedicated rights-of-way between towns, while running on street trackage in town. The first interurban to emerge in

1692-754: The older routes have been only been sporadically raised to this height. The Rhine-Neckar S-Bahn on the other hand, uses 76 cm (30 in) high platforms for accessibility on the Durlach–Bruchsal section, but only at Durlach and Bruchsal stations. These stations have been equipped with the conversion to S-Bahn operations with platforms of heights of both 55 and 76 cm (22 and 30 in). The older two-system and all single-system high-floor Stadtbahn vehicles do not offer barrier-free entry. These trains run on line S 2, but alternate with low-floor vehicles of class GT6-70D/N or GT8-70D/N which are also operated on most urban tram lines and provide accessible entrance at

1739-637: The political resistance of local politicians. A separate network, the Stadtbahn Heilbronn , was built in the Heilbronn area to link with line S4. Few lines have been opened so far to the area west of the Rhine, the Vorderpfalz (eastern Palatinate ). This area has a lower population density, has closer connections to Mannheim and Ludwigshafen and the railways connecting it to Karlsruhe are not electrified. On

1786-526: The rebuilding, with the provision of roofs over individual platforms. For many years, a connection from Baden Airpark , the regional airport of Karlsruhe / Baden-Baden has been discussed. Initial planning focused on a route running via central Rastatt , Iffezheim and Hügelsheim , but there has been political opposition to this route in Rastatt. In recent years a route from Baden-Baden station to Baden-Airpark has been discussed along with continued discussion of

1833-665: The route between Pforzheim and Bietigheim-Bissingen was taken over by Abellio (now SWEG Bahn Stuttgart ), ending the operation between Pforzheim and Bietigheim-Bissingen. The section between Pforzheim and Wörth Badepark runs mostly unchanged, with only changes in arrival and departure times. In December 2022, the S9—by then renamed to S34 because line S9 of the Rhine-Neckar S-Bahn had been extended to Karlsruhe, causing confusion–ceased operation, being fully replaced by regional trains running as line MEX17c. Already, in 2019, most services of

1880-407: The southwest suburbs. This line included single-track sections in the main streets of the local centres of Blankenloch, Forchheim and Mörsch. This route through the centres was preferred to a route on the edge of these localities or in a tunnel because it was seen as promoting development. While the development of the lines to the nearby northern and southern municipalities could be achieved by use of

1927-413: The station's tunnel have pedestals that are about 15 metres (49 ft) long with a height of 55 cm (22 in) above the rail so that the first two doors of Stadtbahn trains have step-less entry. This made possible stepless entrance on lines S 4 / S 41 and S 5 / S 51 / S 52 in Karlsruhe for the first time, reflecting a trend that has long been standard elsewhere. The platforms cannot consistently have

Karlsruhe Stadtbahn - Misplaced Pages Continue

1974-516: The structure shown on weekends and late evenings/at night. Every 30 minutes (off-peak) Karlsruhe attempted to create a network of street and interurban tram lines for the development of the surrounding countryside, modelled on the Oberrheinische Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft . However, by the middle of the twentieth century there had been little lasting achievement due to the difficult economic times in between. The acquisition of

2021-544: The tram network and the railway line in 1979 the tram service shared the railway line for 2 km (1.2 mi) to Neureut, where the few remaining goods trains left the line. In 1986 and 1989 the Stadbahn was extended north to Leopoldshafen and Linkenheim-Hochstetten and to the Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe , again sharing existing railway tracks. Since the remaining goods traffic was hauled by diesel locomotives,

2068-465: Was developed for services running under a mixture of DC and AC lines from the DC vehicles, and 36 examples were supplied between 1991 and 1995. As technology advanced the follow-up design GT8-100D/2S-M was developed in 1997 and 85 vehicles were delivered up to 2005, carrying the numbers 837–922. In the autumn of 2009, 30 new two-car Flexity Swift sets were ordered, with an option for a further 45 sets. To bridge

2115-502: Was formed as the state railway of the newly established West Germany (FRG) on 7 September 1949 as a successor of the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft ( DRG ). The DB remained the state railway of West Germany until after German reunification , when it was merged with the former East German Deutsche Reichsbahn ( DR ) to form Deutsche Bahn , which came into existence on 1 January 1994. After World War II, each of

2162-571: Was placed under the control of the Bundesverkehrsministerium (Federal Transport Ministry). With its headquarters in Frankfurt , in 1985 the DB was the third-largest employer in the FRG, with a strength of 322,383 employees. A special transit police ( Bahnpolizei ) provided security. The catering needs of the DB were supplied by the “Deutsche Schlafwagen- und Speisewagengesellschaft” (DSG) , later “Deutsche Service-Gesellschaft der Bahn”, as

2209-512: Was the Class 10, which entered service in 1957. Only two units of class 10 were built. In 1959 DB took the last steam locomotive delivery when the last of the class 23 locomotives was delivered. Soon, with increase in mass motorization, the railway started to lose passenger volume. As a result, rail buses were introduced on some lines, while other smaller volume lines were closed. Main lines became increasingly electrified. The later years of this epoch saw

#877122