Bamberg–Hof railway

Bamberg–Hof railway
Hof Hauptbahnhof, 1986
Overview
Line number	5100
Locale	Bavaria, Germany
Service
Route number	512, 820, 850
Technical
Line length	127.2 km (79.0 mi)
Electrification	15 kV/16.7 Hz AC catenary (Bamberg–Hochstadt am Main)
Operating speed	160 km/h (99.4 mph) (maximum)
Maximum incline	2.3%
Route map from Nuremberg 0.000 Bamberg 240 m to Scheßlitz to Rottendorf and Bamberg harbour 2.700 A 70 65.163   2.648 Hallstadt (b Bamberg) (junction) 3.455 Hallstadt (b Bamberg) 67.895   5.271 Breitengüßbach Süd 6.600 A 73 70.207   7.639 Breitengüßbach 248 m to Ebern (–Maroldsweisach) to Dietersdorf 10.7 00 A 73 12.056 Ebing 14.249 Zapfendorf 80.604   18.000 Unterleiterbach 20.199 Ebensfeld 254 m to Erfurt (HSL) 25.657 Bad Staffelstein 28.5 00 A 73 31.897 Lichtenfels to Coburg 36.098 Michelau (Oberfr) 40.164 Hochstadt-Marktzeuln 274 m B 173 and B 289 to Probstzella (since 1905) Main 42.000 to Probstzella (to 1905) 45.691 Burgkunstadt 51.685 Mainroth 56.620 Mainleus 302 m White Main from Melkendorf B 85 White Main 61.977 Kulmbach 304 m 68.370 Untersteinach (b Stadtsteinach) to Stadtsteinach 70.726 Ludwigschorgast 74.362 Neuenmarkt-Wirsberg 348 m to Bayreuth B 303 Schiefe Ebene 81.823 Marktschorgast 506 m 86.400 Falls (former station) to Gefrees 93.050 Stammbach 581 m B 289 A 9 from Helmbrechts 102.971 Münchberg 536 m B 2 to Zell (Oberfr) 109.560 Seulbitz Sächsische Saale 113.750 Förbau 509 m 116.214 Schwarzenbach (Saale) B 289 Lamitz from Weiden from Selb-Plößberg 121.615 Oberkotzau (Keilbahnhof with line from Selb) 485 m B 15 124.821 Sächsische Saale (viaduct, 164 m) 125.100 Hof-Moschendorf 127.230 Hof Hbf 495 m to Bad Steben to Leipzig Source: German railway atlas[1]

The Bamberg–Hof railway is a 127 km (79 mi)-long main line that runs through Bavaria in southern Germany. The line runs from Bamberg via Lichtenfels, Kulmbach, Neuenmarkt-Wirsberg and Münchberg to Hof. The section from Hof to Neuenmarkt now forms part of the Saxon-Franconian trunk line.

History

The line is part of the Ludwig South-North Railway from Lindau to Hof. It was built in 3 stages between 1846 and 1848 by the Royal Bavarian State Railways.

The line was originally built as a single track; only the steep section known as the Schiefe Ebene (inclined plane) from Neuenmarkt to Marktschorgast was double-tracked from the beginning. A second track was opened in 1891 and the line was electrified from Bamberg to Lichtenfels and beyond that via the Franconian Forest Railway to Saalfeld on 10 May 1939.

On the afternoon of 12 May 1907, the Berlin–Munich express train (D 40) derailed near Ebensfeld station at about 80 km/h due to track buckling caused by extreme heat. All carriages derailed, but no one was seriously injured.^[2]

By the late 1960s, the line between Marktschorgast and Stammbach was dilapidated. During 1969, the section was reduced to single-track operation. The second track was dismantled starting in July 1970. However, the dismantling of the second track on much of the line was omitted due to the high costs of the dismantling and reconstruction work, coupled with the limited options available for timetable changes.^[3]

To enable through trains from Hof via Münchberg to Bayreuth, the Schlömener Curve was put into operation on 18 June 2000. It allows trains to travel directly from Marktschorgast towards Trebgast without stopping at Neuenmarkt station.

Description of the route

Shortly after the route leaves Bamberg station the branch line to Scheßlitz (now closed) branches off, as does the main line to Würzburg that runs parallel as far as the heights of Kleingartensiedlung and then swings away to the northwest. From the left, a link line from the Würzburg railway joins the route; which now passes under the A 70 motorway and runs past the western edge of Hallstadt and then parallel to the B 4 before reaching Breitengüßbach. After the station the branch line to Ebern branches off as well as the branch line to Dietersdorf – now closed and dismantled. The line passes under A 73 motorway and runs parallel to the river Main. Passing through the stations of Ebing, Zapfendorf, Ebensfeld (where in future the high-speed line to Erfurt will form a junction) and Bad Staffelstein, the line reaches Lichtenfels.

From Lichtenfels station the line follows the course of the Main as far as Mainleus. In Hochstadt-Marktzeuln the Franconian Forest Railway to Ludwigsstadt and Saalfeld turns off; and at Kulmbach the railway from Thurnau and Bayreuth branches off only a few metres away from where the Schlömener curve link line meets it. Beyond this, the line runs up the Schiefe Ebene to Marktschorgast station, from the end of which it becomes single-tracked as far as Stammbach. Passing Münchberg and Schwarzenbach an der Saale the line reaches Oberkotzau, is united there with the lines from Regensburg and Selb, runs past Moschendorf over the river Saale and finally arrives at the terminus of Hof Hauptbahnhof.

The line is doubled and electrified from Bamberg to Hochstadt-Marktzeuln. The remaining section to Hof is not electrified but, apart from the single-tracked section from Marktschorgast to Stammbach, is also doubled. The top speed applicable to the route is, in places, up to 160 km/h (99 mph).

Operations

Until the timetable change in December 2017 and the subsequent transfer of long-distance services to the Nuremberg–Erfurt high-speed railway, Intercity Express trains on the Munich – Nuremberg – Leipzig – Berlin (– Hamburg ) line ran hourly on the route from Bamberg via Lichtenfels to Hochstadt-Marktzeuln. ICE T class 411 tilting trains were used.

In 2026, an IC line 61 service ran twice a day from Leipzig to Karlsruhe, stopping in Bamberg and Lichtenfels. At night, an ICE line 18 train pair served the line nightly between Berlin and Munich, also stopping in Bamberg and Lichtenfels.^[12]

On the Bamberg–Lichtenfels section, Regional-Express (RE) trains of the Franken-Thüringen-Express runs hourly from Nuremberg to Saalfeld/Saale via Bamberg, Lichtenfels, and Kronach (RE 14). Every two hours, this train runs with a section to Sonneberg via Coburg (RE 28), which is separated from the RE 14 in Lichtenfels. Additionally, an RE train runs every two hours between Bamberg, Lichtenfels, and Hof / Bayreuth. This service is supplemented by the hourly Regionalbahn (RB) line between Bamberg, Lichtenfels, and Kronach.

The Regional Express trains to Sonneberg/Saalfeld consist of Siemens Desiro HC multiple units (class 1462) approved for speeds of up to 160 km/h (99 mph). Due to the tight curves on the Schiefe Ebene (a steep, incline) and the non-electrified sections between Hochstadt-Marktzeuln and Hof/Bayreuth, the Bamberg–Hof/Bayreuth line is served by diesel-powered tilting trains of class 612, which are split or joined at the Neuenmarkt–Wirsberg station. Since December 2013, the class 612 trains have only operated every two hours between Lichtenfels and Bayreuth/Hof. During the other hour, class 641 trains run between Bamberg and Bayreuth/Hof. This ended the direct connection between Würzburg and Bayreuth/Hof in Bamberg, which had been in operation until December 2013, as Class 425 electric multiple units took over the services previously provided by class 612 between Bamberg and Würzburg.^[13][14]

Since 2011, the railway company Agilis has been operating the following lines on the Bamberg–Hof railway line as the winner of the tender issued by the Bavarian Railway Company:

• from Ebern via Breitengüßbach to Bamberg (hourly service)
• from Bad Rodach via Lichtenfels and Neuenmarkt-Wirsberg to Weiden (hourly service)
• from Helmbrechts via Münchberg and Hof Hbf to Bad Steben (two-hourly service)
• Bamberg – Lichtenfels (some trains)
• Kulmbach – Münchberg (some trains)
• Since December 2012 also Hof – Marktredwitz (some trains).

Regional-Express trains run between Nuremberg and Hof via Bayreuth on the line between Marktschorgast and Hof.

See also

• Ludwig South-North Railway

External links

• Route description at Nahverkehr Franken website (private)

References