Brühl station
Encyclopedia
Brühl station is a train station in the city of Brühl
in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia
. It consists of a passenger station and a freight yard about a kilometre to the north. Both parts of the station are on the Left Rhine line ; the freight yard also has a connection via Brühl-Vochem to the Cologne port and freight railway network (Häfen und Güterverkehr Köln AG, HGK).
and Bonn
. The station building was built on the first single-track line in sight of the Augustusburg Palace
to a design by Johann Peter Weyer. Since large parts of the line run towards the grand estates, this enabled the royal family to make its influence felt.
In 1869 a second track was built, and the station building relocated to a central platform. At this time the freight yard was located just to the north on the eastern side of the line.
In 1910 to 1913 there was an extensive reorganisation of the railways in Brühl. In particular, it included the construction of a four metre high embankment to enable the removal of level crossings with other transport routes. The station was on both sides of the line with a passing track and two island platforms between the main tracks and the siding, which are reached by an underpass. Since there was no longer enough room near the station for the freight yard, it was moved further north on the western side of the track. Between the two parts of the station, a bridge carried the lateral line of the Cologne port and freight railway over the Left Rhine line; this connected via a circular route to the Köln-Bonner Eisenbahnen (KBE, "Cologne-Bonn Railway") line (now line 18 of the Cologne Stadtbahn
) and from Vochem a track branched off to the new freight yard.
In a railway accident at Brühl on 6 February 2000
, nine people lost their lives and 149 more were injured when a train running from the north on the opposite track at excessive speed ran on to the eastern siding and derailed. While the front of the train plunged down the embankment and slammed into an apartment building, the rear part of it was pulled across the platform and was crushed against a pillar supporting the platform roof. Contributing factors in the accident included the separation of the freight and passenger sections of the station along with the lack of intermediate as well as exit signals and the operations of trains on the main track in the opposite direction to normal operations. During the clean up after the accident, the siding on the eastern side was completely removed, the platform was shortened and a noise barrier was built on the eastern side.
As part of the North Rhine-Westphalia modernisation campaign of 2006, the access tunnel to the platform was widened and the stairs were provided with wheel chair lifts.
The only bus connection to station is line 990, running every half hour on weekdays and every hour on weekends. In the summer months there is also a private shuttle
service to Phantasialand
.
Brühl, North Rhine-Westphalia
Brühl is a town in the Rhineland of Germany. It is located in Rhein-Erft-Kreis, 20 km south of Cologne city center and at the edge of Naturpark Kottenforst-Ville Nature Reserve.-History:...
in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
. It consists of a passenger station and a freight yard about a kilometre to the north. Both parts of the station are on the Left Rhine line ; the freight yard also has a connection via Brühl-Vochem to the Cologne port and freight railway network (Häfen und Güterverkehr Köln AG, HGK).
History
Brühl station was opened on 15 February 1844 by the Bonn-Cologne Railway Company (Bonn-Cölner Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft, BCE) on the occasion of the visit of Queen Victoria and was from the beginning the most important stop between CologneCologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
and Bonn
Bonn
Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
. The station building was built on the first single-track line in sight of the Augustusburg Palace
Augustusburg and Falkenlust Palaces, Brühl
The Augustusburg and Falkenlust palaces is a historical building complex in Brühl, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, which have been listed as a UNESCO cultural World Heritage Site since 1984. They are connected by the spacious gardens and trees of the Schlosspark.Augustusburg Palace and its parks...
to a design by Johann Peter Weyer. Since large parts of the line run towards the grand estates, this enabled the royal family to make its influence felt.
In 1869 a second track was built, and the station building relocated to a central platform. At this time the freight yard was located just to the north on the eastern side of the line.
In 1910 to 1913 there was an extensive reorganisation of the railways in Brühl. In particular, it included the construction of a four metre high embankment to enable the removal of level crossings with other transport routes. The station was on both sides of the line with a passing track and two island platforms between the main tracks and the siding, which are reached by an underpass. Since there was no longer enough room near the station for the freight yard, it was moved further north on the western side of the track. Between the two parts of the station, a bridge carried the lateral line of the Cologne port and freight railway over the Left Rhine line; this connected via a circular route to the Köln-Bonner Eisenbahnen (KBE, "Cologne-Bonn Railway") line (now line 18 of the Cologne Stadtbahn
Cologne Stadtbahn
The Cologne Stadtbahn is a light rail system in the German city of Cologne, including several surrounding cities...
) and from Vochem a track branched off to the new freight yard.
In a railway accident at Brühl on 6 February 2000
Brühl train disaster
The Brühl train disaster happened on 6 February 2000 in the Brühl, Germany, railway station on the West Rhine railway. A train negotiated a low speed turnout at three times the correct speed and derailed, killing 9 people....
, nine people lost their lives and 149 more were injured when a train running from the north on the opposite track at excessive speed ran on to the eastern siding and derailed. While the front of the train plunged down the embankment and slammed into an apartment building, the rear part of it was pulled across the platform and was crushed against a pillar supporting the platform roof. Contributing factors in the accident included the separation of the freight and passenger sections of the station along with the lack of intermediate as well as exit signals and the operations of trains on the main track in the opposite direction to normal operations. During the clean up after the accident, the siding on the eastern side was completely removed, the platform was shortened and a noise barrier was built on the eastern side.
As part of the North Rhine-Westphalia modernisation campaign of 2006, the access tunnel to the platform was widened and the stairs were provided with wheel chair lifts.
Transport links
The passenger station is served by all regional passenger services on the Left Rhine line, each at hourly intervals:- Rhein-Express (RE 5)
- Mittelrheinbahn (MRB 26)
- Rhein-Wupper-Bahn (RB 48)
The only bus connection to station is line 990, running every half hour on weekdays and every hour on weekends. In the summer months there is also a private shuttle
Shuttle
The original meaning of the word shuttle is the device used in weaving to carry the weft. By reference to the continual to-and-fro motion associated with that, the term was then applied in transportation and then in other spheres...
service to Phantasialand
Phantasialand
Phantasialand is an amusement park in Brühl, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany that attracts approximately 2 million visitors annually. The park was opened in 1967 by Gottlieb Löffelhardt and Richard Schmidt. Although starting as a family-oriented park, Phantasialand has also added thrill rides,...
.
External links
- station diagram map by Verkehrsverbund Rhein-SiegVerkehrsverbund Rhein-SiegThe Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Sieg abbreviated VRS, is the public transport association covering the area of the Cologne/Bonn Region, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany....