Euskirchen station
Encyclopedia
Euskirchen station is an important transport hub with heavy commuter traffic in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia
. It is it situated on Cologne–Trier, Bonn–Euskirchen, Euskirchen–Bad Münstereifel and the Euskirchen–Düren lines. The station is located on Alleestraße (street) on the Pützberg (hill) and is the largest station in the district.
, far outside the then city centre on the Pützberg. The station was considered to be a "business card" for the city and was the starting point for any parades and pageants through the city. The forecourt was planned as a park and construction began on a green space around a central war memorial, which was completed on 24 May 1903. Thus lawns, hedges and trees were created in front of the station building. As traffic has increased dramatically, the plaza has been redesigned several times. The entire rail infrastructure continued to grow steadily and at that time housed a water tower, a freight shed, an engine shed
, a turntable and five signal boxes
. In May 1928 the war memorial was moved to Hindenburgplatz. In the 1930s, the trees and lawns slowly disappeared. At the end of 1944 the entire site, including the station building, was destroyed permanently during violent and systematic bombing by the Allies
.
Lines were opened as follows:
built it in a functional style, as was customary in the postwar period. The Euskirchen painter and graphic designer
Konrad Schaefer designed the facade windows. The plaza was redesigned. Thus the remaining trees were removed and the former character of the park was gone for good. The former gardens were replaced in 1956 by a paved surface with islands for bus stops.
announced in the spring of 2008 that it would modernise the station as part of a program for station modernisation throughout North Rhine-Westphalia. The station was upgraded and facilities for the disabled expanded. Parts of the western entrance building were demolished and a temporary bridge was erected at the eastern end of the platforms. The old underpass, the stairs up to the platforms and part of the roof were demolished completely and a new 70 m long and 6 m wide pedestrian underpass was built with three lifts and new staircases. The platforms were raised to a height of 76 cm to improve entrances and exits to trains. In addition, the pedestrian underpass and the platforms were equipped with tactile paving
. The lighting, speakers, and information system were fundamentally renewed. This € 8.3 million project was completed in mid November 2010.
The following services currently operate on the Eifel line:
On the Voreifel line, DB Regio NRW operates class 644 DMUs in one or two vehicles at speeds of up to 120 km/h.
From December 2013, DB Regio Rheinland will operate services on the Voreifel line. It is intended that these services will be operated by Alstom Coradia LINT DMUs.
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 it situated on Cologne–Trier, Bonn–Euskirchen, Euskirchen–Bad Münstereifel and the Euskirchen–Düren lines. The station is located on Alleestraße (street) on the Pützberg (hill) and is the largest station in the district.
History
The first Euskirchen station was built in 1846 in a neoclassical styleNeoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
, far outside the then city centre on the Pützberg. The station was considered to be a "business card" for the city and was the starting point for any parades and pageants through the city. The forecourt was planned as a park and construction began on a green space around a central war memorial, which was completed on 24 May 1903. Thus lawns, hedges and trees were created in front of the station building. As traffic has increased dramatically, the plaza has been redesigned several times. The entire rail infrastructure continued to grow steadily and at that time housed a water tower, a freight shed, an engine shed
Roundhouse
A roundhouse is a building used by railroads for servicing locomotives. Roundhouses are large, circular or semicircular structures that were traditionally located surrounding or adjacent to turntables...
, a turntable and five signal boxes
Signalling control
On a rail transport system, signalling control is the process by which control is exercised over train movements by way of railway signals and block systems to ensure that trains operate safely, over the correct route and to the proper timetable...
. In May 1928 the war memorial was moved to Hindenburgplatz. In the 1930s, the trees and lawns slowly disappeared. At the end of 1944 the entire site, including the station building, was destroyed permanently during violent and systematic bombing by the Allies
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
.
Lines were opened as follows:
- 2 October 1864: Euskirchen–Düren
- 1871: Euskirchen–Trier
- 1 October 1875: Euskirchen–Cologne
- 7 June 1880: Euskirchen–Bonn
- 1 October 1890: Euskirchen–Bad Münstereifel
After 1945
On 1 August 1945, traffic was restored on a temporarily repaired line from Aachen to Düren, Euskirchen and Bonn. In 1956 a new station building was built on the site. Deutsche BundesbahnDeutsche Bundesbahn
The Deutsche Bundesbahn or DB was formed as the state railway of the newly established Federal Republic of Germany on September 7, 1949 as a successor of the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft '...
built it in a functional style, as was customary in the postwar period. The Euskirchen painter and graphic designer
Graphic designer
A graphic designer is a professional within the graphic design and graphic arts industry who assembles together images, typography or motion graphics to create a piece of design. A graphic designer creates the graphics primarily for published, printed or electronic media, such as brochures and...
Konrad Schaefer designed the facade windows. The plaza was redesigned. Thus the remaining trees were removed and the former character of the park was gone for good. The former gardens were replaced in 1956 by a paved surface with islands for bus stops.
Since 1970
Euskirchen station is a major railway junction, and its lines have had to cope with a high volume of commuter traffic with heavy overcrowding of trains. In order to handle traffic a new central railway station signal box was built for the equivalent of about € 2.9 million. This was put into operation on 12 December 1973, after three years of planning and construction. Since the 90s, large central bus station, which was built by the city, has been located directly on the station forecourt. This has two fully covered walkways, which are served on both sides and a less protected platform for school buses. There is also an information point for travellers, electronic information displays, and an integrated taxi parking area. The station building houses lockers, vending machines, a ticket office, a bookstore, a bakery and a McDonald's restaurant.2008 to date
Euskirchen station, apart from its forecourt, has not changed much structurally since the establishment of the new signal box at the station in 1973. The station building and platforms with their subway and canopies are now considered obsolete. Therefore, Deutsche BahnDeutsche Bahn
Deutsche Bahn AG is the German national railway company, a private joint stock company . Headquartered in Berlin, it came into existence in 1994 as the successor to the former state railways of Germany, the Deutsche Bundesbahn of West Germany and the Deutsche Reichsbahn of East Germany...
announced in the spring of 2008 that it would modernise the station as part of a program for station modernisation throughout North Rhine-Westphalia. The station was upgraded and facilities for the disabled expanded. Parts of the western entrance building were demolished and a temporary bridge was erected at the eastern end of the platforms. The old underpass, the stairs up to the platforms and part of the roof were demolished completely and a new 70 m long and 6 m wide pedestrian underpass was built with three lifts and new staircases. The platforms were raised to a height of 76 cm to improve entrances and exits to trains. In addition, the pedestrian underpass and the platforms were equipped with tactile paving
Tactile paving
Tactile paving is a system of textured ground surface indicators found on many footpaths, stairs and train station platforms to assist blind and vision impaired pedestrians.Tactile warnings provide a distinctive surface pattern of "truncated domes" or cones...
. The lighting, speakers, and information system were fundamentally renewed. This € 8.3 million project was completed in mid November 2010.
Platforms
Euskirchener station has 6 (7) platform tracks for passenger services:- Track 1 for scheduled stopping trains from CologneKöln HauptbahnhofKöln 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...
towards Kall, GerolsteinGerolsteinGerolstein is a town in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the seat of the like-named Verbandsgemeinde. Gerolstein is headquarters to a large mineral water firm, Gerolsteiner Brunnen...
or TrierTrier Hauptbahnhofis the Hauptbahnhof for the city of Trier, in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. It is a through station located about east of the inner city and the Porta Nigra.-History:...
(rarely used by through freight trains) - Track 2 for scheduled stopping train from Trier, Gerolstein or Kall towards Cologne
- Track 3 for scheduled stopping train from Bad MünstereifelBad MünstereifelBad Münstereifel is a historical spa town in the district of Euskirchen, Germany, with about 19,000 inhabitants, situated in the far south of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia...
towards Bonn - Track 4 for scheduled stopping train from Cologne ending at Euskirchen and trains to and from Düren (Sundays only)
- Track 5 for scheduled stopping train from Bonn to Bad Münstereifel
- Track 46
- Track 47 occasionally for setting up trains to run on the Börde line (Euskirchen–Düren)
Current operations
The following services currently operate on the Eifel line:
- DB Regio Südwest operates Eifel-Mosel-Express in the form of class 628 diesel multiple unitsDB Class 628The DB Class 628 is a twin-car, diesel multiple unit operated by the Deutsche Bahn AG for local passenger rail services.- Design :...
in triple units at speeds of up to 120 km/h. On weekends some double units of class 612 DMUsRegioSwingerThe RegioSwinger is a tilting Diesel Multiple Unit passenger train used for fast regional traffic on unelectrified lines.- Development and Service :...
(with the tilting technology switched off) are used. - DB Regio NRW operates the Eifel-Express, the Eifel-Bahn and the Voreifelbahn with class 644 DMUs with one to three vehicles at speeds of up to 120 km/h.
On the Voreifel line, DB Regio NRW operates class 644 DMUs in one or two vehicles at speeds of up to 120 km/h.
From December 2013, DB Regio Rheinland will operate services on the Voreifel line. It is intended that these services will be operated by Alstom Coradia LINT DMUs.
Passenger services
Currently Euskirchen station is served by the following services:| Line | Service | Route |
|---|---|---|
| Eifel-Mosel-Express | 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... – Euskirchen – Gerolstein Gerolstein Gerolstein is a town in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the seat of the like-named Verbandsgemeinde. Gerolstein is headquarters to a large mineral water firm, Gerolsteiner Brunnen... – Trier Trier Hauptbahnhof is the Hauptbahnhof for the city of Trier, in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. It is a through station located about east of the inner city and the Porta Nigra.-History:... |
|
| Eifel-Express | Cologne – Euskirchen – Gerolstein | |
| Voreifelbahn | Bonn Bonn Hauptbahnhof is a railway station located on the left bank of the Rhine along the Cologne–Mainz line. It is the principal station serving the city of Bonn. In addition to extensive rail service from Deutsche Bahn it acts as a hub for local bus, tram, and Stadtbahn services.... - Rheinbach Rheinbach Rheinbach is a town in the Rhein-Sieg-Kreis district , in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It belongs to the administrative district of Cologne .-Geography:... - Euskirchen |
|
| Erfttalbahn | Euskirchen - Bad Münstereifel Bad Münstereifel Bad Münstereifel is a historical spa town in the district of Euskirchen, Germany, with about 19,000 inhabitants, situated in the far south of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia... |
|
| Eifelbahn | Cologne – Euskirchen – Kall | |
| Bördebahn | Euskirchen - Zülpich Zülpich Zülpich is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany between Aachen and Bonn. It belongs to the district Euskirchen.The town is commonly agreed to be the site with the Latin name of Tolbiacum, famous for the Battle of Tolbiac, fought between the Franks under Clovis I and the Alamanni; the... - Vettweiß Vettweiß Vettweiß is a municipality in the district of Düren in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located approx... - 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... (only on Sundays and public holidays) |