Native name Bodenseegürtelbahn Route number 731 | Line length 74.355 km (46.202 mi) | |
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Termini Stahringen
Lindau-Aeschach junction Line number 4331 (Stahringen–Friedrichshafen Stadt)
4530 (Friedrichshafen Stadt–Lindau-Aeschach junction) Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ⁄2 in) standard gauge Locale Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria | ||
The Lake Constance Belt Railway (German: Bodenseegürtelbahn) is a continuous, single-track railway from Stahringen to Lindau-Aeschach in the German states of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria. It runs mainly along the northern shore of Lake Constance (Bodensee), and bears the Deutsche Bahn timetable number of 731 (Radolfzell–Lindau Hbf).
Contents
History
The line on the north side of the lake was created from the connection of the endpoints of the lines to Lake Constance of the railway companies of the surrounding countries:
Stahringen was connected to the railway network on 20 July 1867 by the Hegau-Ablach Valley Railway. The first section of the Lake Constance Belt Railway from Stahringen to Überlingen was opened on 18 August 1895. Friedrichshafen Stadt station was finally reached on 2 October 1901. The section from Lindau to Friedrichshafen had been commissioned two years earlier on 1 October 1899. Friedrichshafen had been connected by the Württemberg Southern Railway to Ravensburg since 8 November 1847; this line was connected with the Württemberg rail network at Ulm on 1 June 1850.
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.
Branches
Rail operations
The Lake Constance Belt Railway is operated by hourly trains as two routes with different trains. The entire line from Radolfzell to Lindau is also served by five through passenger services each day.
Radolfzell–Friedrichshafen
The Radolfzell–Friedrichshafen section has been served hourly since 2003 by the Seehänsele (the name is derived from See—"lake"—and Hänsele—a local carnival figure) regional service using Stadler Regio-Shuttle RS1 railcars. Some trains continue to Singen or to Friedrichshafen Hafen. In addition, every two hours Interregio-Express Sprinter services (class 611 tilting trains) run between Ulm and Basel Bad, stopping only in Friedrichshafen, Überlingen and Radolfzell.
Friedrichshafen–Lindau
The Friedrichshafen–Lindau section is served by Regionalbahn trains roughly every hour (separated by 40 or 80 minute intervals alternatively), using Regio-Shuttle RS1, class 611 or class 628 diesel multiple units. In addition, Inter-Regional Express services run hourly on the (Stuttgart–) Ulm–Lindau route, as well as an intercity train pair from Munster to Innsbruck. On Saturdays in the winter season a pair of Intercity Ski Express Montafon trains also run from Frankfurt to Landeck.
Planned upgrade
As part of the electrification of the Southern Railway, the Friedrichshafen–Lindau section of the Lake Constance Belt Railway is also to be electrified. In March 2012, this project was included in the 2011–2015 investment plan in transport infrastructure of the federal government.