Eschweiler Hauptbahnhof
Encyclopedia
is the largest station in the city of Eschweiler
in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia
. It is on a slight curve on the Cologne–Aachen high-speed line. Regional services of the Regional-Express lines RE 1 (NRW-Express) and RE 9 (Rhein-Sieg-Express) stop at the station every half hour in both directions.
The station is located about 700 metres from the city centre in the district of Röthgen. The station is less than 100 m from the Ichenberg Tunnel. About 700 metres away is Eschweiler-West station on the remaining section of the Mönchengladbach–Stolberg railway, which is now served by euregiobahn trains.
On 24 March 1987, the former station toilets block together with the former petroleum facility was added to the heritage list of the town of Eschweiler.
On 1 April 1841 a mail service was established between Eschweiler and Stolberg
with ran at 7 AM and 7 PM daily. Eschweiler was at the beginning of an expansion of its coal mining industry, stimulated by industrial growth. In 1835 the Eschweiler Mining Association had been founded and the population nearly tripled from 1800 to 1850. It due course, the Aachen, Inde
and Wurm
mining districts were connected by railway.
In mid 1841, a railway tunnel was built through the Ichenberg ridge in the course of building the railway and on 22 August, after the Rhenish Railway Company
completed construction of its trunk line between Cologne and Aachen, the first test train ran from Cologne
to Aachen
through the Eschweiler area. The line officially opened on 1 September as a single track to Eschweiler station. There were two daily trains in each direction and seven horse bus trips ran daily to carry postal traffic between the station and the town—which was essentially only the old town north of the Inde—these also carried passengers. The bus operations closed in 1878. Freight operations started on 2 November 1841. In 1844, the line was duplicated.
-Odenkirchen
. This second line runs through Eschweiler about 500 m north of and parallel with the main line and passes under it at the Dreibogenbrücke (“three-arch bridge”) in the district of Aue. None of the current stations in Eschweiler is on both lines.
In 1897 the Aachen Tramway
opened a tram line between Eschweiler Rathaus (town hall) and the main station. In 1911, the station was renamed Eschweiler Hauptbahnhof.
Eschweiler.
On 22 January 1923 the line was closed again, after the French occupation forces took over the operation of the railway. In October there was a coup attempt by separatists, who wanted to establish a Rhenish Republic
. On 16 November 1924 management of the railway was returned to Deutsche Reichsbahn
.
On 1 July 1958 the German army took full control of the Donnerberg barracks from the Belgian army, and Eschweiler became a garrison town, providing extra traffic for Eschweiler Hauptbahnhof. In August 1962 work started on the removal of the roof of the Ichenberg Tunnel for 255 m of its length for the electrification of the main line and the construction of a new tunnel with a length of 90 m. Since 18 May 1966 the line has been fully electrified from Cologne to Aachen.
In the 1970s, the extension of the main hall was demolished.
On 4 May 1985 a ceremony was held at the town hall establishing a partnership with the English town of Reigate and Banstead
and on 26 September 1989 the redesigned station forecourt, which then had 147 parking places, was renamed Reigate-Banstead-Platz.
After the purchase of the station building by the town of Eschweiler, it was rebuilt in 2007 and 2008: it now includes a newspaper stand, toilets, a ticket office, a dental practice and other offices. The ticket office was re-opened on 16 June 2008 and at the same time the parking lot was expanded by about 40 places.
The Eschweiler Hauptbahnhof is served by following passenger services:
The station is served by steam excursions of Dampfbahn Rur-Wurm-Inde e. V. Thalys
services between Paris
and Cologne and Intercity-Express services between Frankfurt
and Brussels pass through without stopping.
Eschweiler
Eschweiler is a municipality in the district of Aachen in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany on the river Inde, near the German-Belgian-Dutch frontier, and about 15 km east of Aachen and 50 km west of Cologne.- 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 is on a slight curve on the Cologne–Aachen high-speed line. Regional services of the Regional-Express lines RE 1 (NRW-Express) and RE 9 (Rhein-Sieg-Express) stop at the station every half hour in both directions.
The station is located about 700 metres from the city centre in the district of Röthgen. The station is less than 100 m from the Ichenberg Tunnel. About 700 metres away is Eschweiler-West station on the remaining section of the Mönchengladbach–Stolberg railway, which is now served by euregiobahn trains.
On 24 March 1987, the former station toilets block together with the former petroleum facility was added to the heritage list of the town of Eschweiler.
History
On 1 April 1841 a mail service was established between Eschweiler and Stolberg
Stolberg
- Towns in Germany :* Stolberg, Saxony-Anhalt in the district of Sangerhausen in Saxony-Anhalt, seat of the counts of Stolberg* Stolberg in the district of Aachen in North Rhine-Westphalia, part of the Duchy of Jülich until 1794, awarded to Prussia in 1815* Stollberg, in the Erzgebirgskreis in the...
with ran at 7 AM and 7 PM daily. Eschweiler was at the beginning of an expansion of its coal mining industry, stimulated by industrial growth. In 1835 the Eschweiler Mining Association had been founded and the population nearly tripled from 1800 to 1850. It due course, the Aachen, Inde
Inde
The Inde is a small river in Belgium and Germany, left tributary of the Rur. It has its source near Raeren in Eastern Belgium, runs through Aachen-Kornelimünster, Eschweiler and Inden, and flows into the river Rur near Jülich...
and Wurm
Wurm
The Wurm is a river in Germany , a left tributary of the Rur. The source of the Wurm are several brooks in the forests southwest of Aachen, which form the Wurm after the Diepenbenden reservoir. From there the Wurm nowadays flows through canals through the city of Aachen, until it resurfaces at the...
mining districts were connected by railway.
In mid 1841, a railway tunnel was built through the Ichenberg ridge in the course of building the railway and on 22 August, after the Rhenish Railway Company
Rhenish Railway Company
The Rhenish Railway Company was along with the Cologne-Minden Railway Company and the Bergisch-Märkische Railway Company one of the railway companies that in the mid-19th century built the first railways in the Ruhr and large parts of today's North Rhine-Westphalia.-Foundation :The...
completed construction of its trunk line between Cologne and Aachen, the first test train ran from Cologne
Köln Hauptbahnhof
Köln Hauptbahnhof is the central railway station in Cologne, Germany.The station is an important local, national and international hub, with many ICE, Thalys and Intercity trains calling there, as well as regional RegionalExpress, RegionalBahn and local S-Bahn trains...
to Aachen
Aachen Hauptbahnhof
Aachen Central Station is the train station for the city of Aachen, in the far west of Germany near the Dutch and Belgian border. It is the largest of the four currently active Aachen stations, and is integrated into the long-distance network.- History :...
through the Eschweiler area. The line officially opened on 1 September as a single track to Eschweiler station. There were two daily trains in each direction and seven horse bus trips ran daily to carry postal traffic between the station and the town—which was essentially only the old town north of the Inde—these also carried passengers. The bus operations closed in 1878. Freight operations started on 2 November 1841. In 1844, the line was duplicated.
Expansion and change of name
The station building was extended in 1858 and 1860. A new station building was opened in 1872, which is still used. On 1 October 1873 the second railway to Eschweiler was opened. The Bergisch-Märkische Railway Company (Bergisch-Märkische Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft, BME ) opened the Hochneukirch–Stolberg line (known as the Eschweiler Talbahn, “Eschweiler Valley Railway”)—part of which is now served by euregiobahn trains—from Eschweiler-Aue via Eschweiler-Tal (now: Eschweiler-Talbahnhof/Raiffeisenplatz), Weisweiler (now: Eschweiler-Weisweiler), Frenz, Jülich und Hochneukirch to RheydtRheydt
Rheydt is a borough of the German city Mönchengladbach, located in the west of North Rhine-Westphalia. Until 1918 and then again from 1933 through 1975 it was an independent city....
-Odenkirchen
Odenkirchen
Odenkirchen is a former town in Germany, presently part of the city Mönchengladbach. It is situated on the river Niers, 21 miles by rail south-west of Düsseldorf. It has a railway station , on the line from Mönchengladbach to Grevenbroich and Cologne. Pop...
. This second line runs through Eschweiler about 500 m north of and parallel with the main line and passes under it at the Dreibogenbrücke (“three-arch bridge”) in the district of Aue. None of the current stations in Eschweiler is on both lines.
In 1897 the Aachen Tramway
Aachen Tramway
The Aachen Tramway from 1880 to 1974 was the backbone of public transport in the German city of Aachen and the surrounding areas. At times, they also were used in Belgium and the Netherlands. The route length of 181.4 kilometers and a line length of 213.5 kilometers. In 1914, it was the fourth...
opened a tram line between Eschweiler Rathaus (town hall) and the main station. In 1911, the station was renamed Eschweiler Hauptbahnhof.
During the occupation
Following the signing of the armistice at the end of the First World War on 11 November 1918 railway services were closed from 1 to 19 December and French and Belgian troops occupiedOccupation of the Rhineland
The Occupation of the Rhineland took place following the armistice and brought the fighting of World War I to a close on 11 November 1918. The occupying armies consisted of American, Belgian, British and French forces...
Eschweiler.
On 22 January 1923 the line was closed again, after the French occupation forces took over the operation of the railway. In October there was a coup attempt by separatists, who wanted to establish a Rhenish Republic
Rhenish Republic
The Rhenish Republic was proclaimed at Aachen in October 1923 during the Occupation of the Ruhr by troops from France and Belgium between January 1923 and 1925...
. On 16 November 1924 management of the railway was returned to Deutsche Reichsbahn
Deutsche Reichsbahn
Deutsche Reichsbahn was the name of the following two companies:* Deutsche Reichsbahn, the German Imperial Railways during the Weimar Republic, the Third Reich and the immediate aftermath...
.
Second World War
On 21 November 1944 the Sticher Berg railway bridge, the “three-arch bridge” and the Ichenberg tunnel were blown up by retreating German troops. In March 1945, American pioneers made temporary repairs to the three-arch bridge and rail traffic was resumed.Post-war period
The tram line to the Hauptbahnhof was reopened in 1948 following the rebuilding of the destroyed bridge over the Inde and was operated as line 22 (Vaals–Eilendorf–Atsch–Eschweiler Hauptbahnhof) by Aachener Straßenbahn und Energieversorgungs-AG (the Aachen public transport operator). But in 1954 the tramway was closed and replaced by buses.On 1 July 1958 the German army took full control of the Donnerberg barracks from the Belgian army, and Eschweiler became a garrison town, providing extra traffic for Eschweiler Hauptbahnhof. In August 1962 work started on the removal of the roof of the Ichenberg Tunnel for 255 m of its length for the electrification of the main line and the construction of a new tunnel with a length of 90 m. Since 18 May 1966 the line has been fully electrified from Cologne to Aachen.
In the 1970s, the extension of the main hall was demolished.
On 4 May 1985 a ceremony was held at the town hall establishing a partnership with the English town of Reigate and Banstead
Reigate and Banstead
Reigate and Banstead is a local government district with borough status in east Surrey England. It covers the towns of Reigate, Banstead, Redhill and Horley....
and on 26 September 1989 the redesigned station forecourt, which then had 147 parking places, was renamed Reigate-Banstead-Platz.
After the purchase of the station building by the town of Eschweiler, it was rebuilt in 2007 and 2008: it now includes a newspaper stand, toilets, a ticket office, a dental practice and other offices. The ticket office was re-opened on 16 June 2008 and at the same time the parking lot was expanded by about 40 places.
Tracks
The Eschweiler Hauptbahnhof has four tracks:- track 1 is served by trains to Aachen
- track 2 is a main through track (usually running towards Aachen) without a platform
- track 3 is used by stopping and non-stopping trains towards Cologne
- track 4 is used in both directions, usually by freight trains so that they can be overtaken and sometimes by passenger trains.
Current operations
The Eschweiler Hauptbahnhof is served by following passenger services:
| Line | Name | Route |
|---|---|---|
| NRW-Express | Aachen Aachen Hauptbahnhof Aachen Central Station is the train station for the city of Aachen, in the far west of Germany near the Dutch and Belgian border. It is the largest of the four currently active Aachen stations, and is integrated into the long-distance network.- History :... – Stolberg (Rheinl) Stolberg (Rheinland) Hauptbahnhof is situated on the line between Cologne and Aachen and is the largest station for passengers and freight in the town of Stolberg in the urban region of Aachen in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It houses the Vennbahn Museum and is built at a junction.-Routes:Stolberger Hauptbahnhof is... – Eschweiler – Düren Düren station Düren station is located to the north of the centre of Düren and is the largest station in the city and the district of Düren. It is located at the intersection of the Cologne–Aachen high-speed line with the lines to Linnich, Heimbach and Euskirchen. Until 1992 it was also connected to the Erft... – Cologne Köln Hauptbahnhof Köln Hauptbahnhof is the central railway station in Cologne, Germany.The station is an important local, national and international hub, with many ICE, Thalys and Intercity trains calling there, as well as regional RegionalExpress, RegionalBahn and local S-Bahn trains... – Düsseldorf Düsseldorf Hauptbahnhof is the Hauptbahnhof for the city of Düsseldorf in Germany, state capital of North Rhine-Westphalia.-History:The station was opened on 1 October 1891 opened as Düsseldorf Central Station... – Duisburg Duisburg Hauptbahnhof is the Hauptbahnhof of the city of Duisburg in western Germany. It is situated at the meeting point of many important national and international railway lines in the Northwestern Ruhr valley.- Lines :... – Essen Essen Hauptbahnhof is the Hauptbahnhof for the city of Essen in western Germany. It is situated south of the old town centre, next to the A 40 motorway.It was opened in 1862 by the Bergisch-Märkische Eisenbahn... – Dortmund Dortmund Hauptbahnhof is the central station for the city of Dortmund in Germany.The station's origins lie in a joint station of the Köln-Mindener Eisenbahn and Bergisch-Märkische Eisenbahn which was built north of the city centre in 1847. That station was replaced by a new station, erected in 1910 at the current site.... – Hamm (Westf) (– Paderborn Paderborn Hauptbahnhof is the main passenger station in the city of Paderborn in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is located on the Hamm–Warburg line, part of the Mid-Germany Connection from Cologne or Düsseldorf to Thuringia and Saxony... ) |
|
| Rhein-Sieg-Express | Aachen – Stolberg (Rheinl) – Eschweiler – Düren – Cologne;– Siegburg/Bonn – Au (Sieg) – Siegen Siegen station Siegen station is the main station of the town of Siegen, in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is in close to the modern centre of Siegen, which includes the bus station and the Sieg Carré and City Galerie shopping centres.-History :... |
|
| City bus | Eschweiler Hbf – Kreisaltenheim – Talbahnhof/Raiffeisenplatz – CityCenter/Rathaus – Eschweiler Bushof – Röhe – Aue/St. Jöris | |
| Bus | Eschweiler Bushof – St.-Antonius-Hospital – Eschweiler-West – Eschweiler Hbf – Pumpe-Stich – Donnerbergkaserne – Donnerberg – Stolberg Mühlener Bf |
The station is served by steam excursions of Dampfbahn Rur-Wurm-Inde e. V. Thalys
Thalys
Thalys is an international high-speed train operator originally built around the high-speed line between Paris and Brussels. This track is shared with Eurostar trains that go from Paris or Brussels to London via Lille and the Channel Tunnel and with French domestic TGV trains. Thalys reaches...
services between Paris
Gare du Nord
Paris Nord is one of the six large terminus railway stations of the SNCF mainline network for Paris, France. It offers connections with several urban transportation lines, including Paris Métro and RER...
and Cologne and Intercity-Express services between Frankfurt
Frankfurt (Main) Hauptbahnhof
is the central station for Frankfurt am Main. In terms of railway traffic, it is the busiest railway station in Germany. With about 350,000 passengers per day the station is the second most frequented railway station in Germany and one of the most frequented in Europe.- Proto-history :In the late...
and Brussels pass through without stopping.