Oberhausen–Arnhem railway
Encyclopedia
Provinces of the Netherlands
A Dutch province represents the administrative layer in between the national government and the local municipalities, having the responsibility for matters of subnational or regional importance. The government of each province consists of three major parts: the Provinciale Staten which is the...
Gelderland
Gelderland is the largest province of the Netherlands, located in the central eastern part of the country. The capital city is Arnhem. The two other major cities, Nijmegen and Apeldoorn have more inhabitants. Other major regional centers in Gelderland are Ede, Doetinchem, Zutphen, Tiel, Wijchen,...
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The Oberhausen–Arnhem railway (also known in German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
as the Hollandstrecke, meaning "Holland line") is a two-track, electrified main line railway running close to the lower Rhine from Oberhausen via Wesel
Wesel railway station
Wesel is a railway station in Wesel, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The station is located on the Arnhem-Oberhausen railway and Bocholt-Wesel railway and is served by RE and RB services operated by DB.-Train services:...
, Emmerich
Emmerich railway station
Emmerich is a railway station in Emmerich am Rhein, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.-The Station:The station is located on the Arnhem-Oberhausen railway and is the first station after crossing the Dutch/German border...
and the German-Dutch border to Arnhem
Arnhem railway station
Arnhem is a railway station located in Arnhem, the Netherlands. The station was opened on 14 May 1845 and is located on the Rhijnspoorweg , the Arnhem–Leeuwarden railway and the Arnhem–Nijmegen railway...
and forms part of the line between the Ruhr
Ruhr
The Ruhr is a medium-size river in western Germany , a right tributary of the Rhine.-Description:The source of the Ruhr is near the town of Winterberg in the mountainous Sauerland region, at an elevation of approximately 2,200 feet...
and Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
. The line was opened by the Cologne-Minden Railway Company
Cologne-Minden Railway Company
The Cologne-Minden Railway Company was along with the Bergisch-Märkische Railway Company and the Rhenish 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.-Founding :The founding of the...
in 1856 and is one of the oldest lines in Germany.
It branches in Oberhausen from the Duisburg–Dortmund line, a section of the Cologne-Minden trunk line
Cologne-Minden trunk line
The Cologne-Minden trunk line is a railway built by the Cologne-Minden Railway Company . The line is the westernmost part of the railway line from Berlin to the Rhine that was proposed by Friedrich List in his Concept for a railway network in Germany, published in 1833...
and connects in Arnhem with the Rhine Railway
Amsterdam–Arnhem railway
The Amsterdam–Arnhem railway or Rhijnspoorweg is an important Dutch railway line, that connects Amsterdam with Utrecht and Arnhem, The Netherlands and also into Germany.-History:...
to Amsterdam. The line is of high importance for international traffic, both for long-distance passenger services and for freight traffic and is listed as a priority project of the Trans-European Networks
Trans-European Networks
The Trans-European Networks were created by the European Union by Articles 154-156 of the Treaty of Rome , with the stated goals of the creation of an internal market and the reinforcement of economic and social cohesion...
.
History
The first plans to build a railway line on the Lower Rhine emerged in the 1830s. At that time the Amsterdam business community began to think about how they could expand trade with Germany. Plans were developed and the president of the PrussiaPrussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
n administration in Cologne
Cologne
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...
, Daniel Heinrich Delius, gave his conditional support for them. The Dutch government subsequently instructed its chief engineer for public works, Bernard Herman Goudriaan to develop a route for the line.
As a result it was proposed the new railway would run from Amsterdam via Amersfoort
Amersfoort
Amersfoort is a municipality and the second largest city of the province of Utrecht in central Netherlands. The city is growing quickly but has a well-preserved and protected medieval centre. Amersfoort is one of the largest railway junctions in the country, because of its location on two of the...
, Isselburg
Isselburg
Isselburg is a town in the district of Borken, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the river Issel, near the border with the Netherlands, and approximately 10 km west of Bocholt.-Division:...
, Hamminkeln
Hamminkeln
Hamminkeln is a town in the district of Wesel, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated on the river Issel, approximately 10 kilometers north of Wesel. It is twinned with Sedgefield, United Kingdom...
, Wesel and Duisburg
Duisburg
- History :A legend recorded by Johannes Aventinus holds that Duisburg, was built by the eponymous Tuisto, mythical progenitor of Germans, ca. 2395 BC...
to Cologne, avoiding large cities such as Utrecht and Arnhem in order to minimise the risk of floods disrupting the line. The city of Emmerich objected to this route, which would have bypassed it. Further difficulties arose with the decision of the Dutch Rhine Railway Company to build its line from Amsterdam to Utrecht (opened in 1843) and on to Arnhem (1845) not as standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
, but with a broad gauge
Broad gauge
Broad-gauge railways use a track gauge greater than the standard gauge of .- List :For list see: List of broad gauges, by gauge and country- History :...
of 1945 mm.
During the following years several proposals were submitted and rejected until on 18 July 1851 the two governments signed the "Prussian-Dutch agreement for the construction of the Oberhausen–Wesel–Emmerich–Arnhem railway". On 30 December 1852, the Cologne-Minden Railway Company (Cöln-Mindener Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft, CME) was granted a concession to build the line on condition that construction was completed within three years.
The final route of the line was eventually approved by the Prussian Minister of Trade, Commerce and Public Works on 4 May 1854. This allowed the CME to commence the construction of the 61 km-long long line from its Oberhausen station on its trunk line to Emmerich. Construction could also start on the 12 km section to the border and on to Arnhem, because the NRS had converted its line from Amsterdam to Arnhem
Amsterdam–Arnhem railway
The Amsterdam–Arnhem railway or Rhijnspoorweg is an important Dutch railway line, that connects Amsterdam with Utrecht and Arnhem, The Netherlands and also into Germany.-History:...
to standard gauge in 1855.
Following a construction period of two years, the Oberhausen-Dinslaken
Dinslaken
Dinslaken is a city in the district of Wesel, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is known for its harness horse race track, its now closed coal mine in Lohberg and its wealthy neighborhoods Hiesfeld and Eppinghoven.- Geography :...
section was opened on 1 July 1856 and the entire double-track line was put into operation on 20 October 1856. On the first day, four passenger trains and a freight train ran on the line. In 1859, 300 passengers, 34 tonnes of freight and 10 head of cattle were carried each day.
Wesel originally had a basic station suitable for its military role, which was replaced 25 years later by a half-timbered building.
Wesel junction
By the end of the Second World War, Wesel station had become the major junction of the Lower Rhine. The Holland line had been crossed by the Haltern–Venlo line (part of the CME's Hamburg-Venlo line) since its opening in 1874. Four years later, the Bocholt Railway (also owned by the CME) and the Boxtel Railway also opened to Wesel. In 1912 the line to Oberhausen via Walsum was opened. Trains to VenloVenlo
Venlo is a municipality and a city in the southeastern Netherlands, next to the German border. It is situated in the province of Limburg.In 2001, the municipalities of Belfeld and Tegelen were merged into the municipality of Venlo. Tegelen was originally part of the Duchy of Jülich centuries ago,...
and Boxtel
Boxtel
Boxtel is a municipality and a town in the southern Netherlands.This is the origin of the van Boxtel family, which has numerous descendants in North Brabant....
ran over the almost two kilometre-long Wesel railway bridge on the Rhine, built between 1872 and 1874.
Reconstruction after the Second World War
After the Second World War bridges over the Rhine–Herne Canal, the EmscherEmscher
The Emscher is a relatively small river and tributary of the Rhine, flowing through the Ruhr area in North Rhine-Westphalia in western Germany. Its total length is 84km with an average discharge near the mouth into the lower Rhine of 16 m³/s .The Emscher has its source in Holzwickede, east of the...
river in Oberhausen, the Wesel–Datteln Canal and the Lippe in Wesel that had been destroyed during the war were restored with temporary repairs. As early as 15 November 1945 the tracks between Oberhausen and Arnhem were restored. Operations within the Netherlands were quickly restored. The destroyed Wesel railway bridge over the Rhine was not rebuilt, ending operations on the lines to Boxtel and Venlo. The largely destroyed station buildings on the line were rebuilt between 1952 and 1956.
Electrification of the line
In 1964/66, the whole two-track main line was electrified. Voltages change between the German 15 kV / 16.7 Hz AC and the Dutch 3 kV DC system in Emmerich station. The different electrifical systems, along with the different train protection systems, force electric locomotives to be changed in Emmerich. Electric multiple units that can operate on the systems of both countries were first developed in 2001 and approved for operation in 2007.Development of long-distance rail services
The Amsterdam-Cologne D-trains (D-Zug, that is luxury express trains), then stopping in Emmerich, Empel-ReesEmpel-Rees railway station
Empel-Rees is a railway station in Empel near Rees, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The station is located on the Arnhem-Oberhausen railway is served by RE and RB services operated by DB.-Train services:The following services currently call at Empel-Rees:...
, Wesel, Dinslaken
Dinslaken railway station
Dinslaken is a railway station in Dinslaken, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The station is located on the Arnhem-Oberhausen railway and is served by RE and RB services operated by DB.-Train services:The following services currently call at Dinslaken:...
and Oberhausen, were replaced in June 1991 by EuroCity
EuroCity
EuroCity, abbreviated EC, denotes an international train service within the European inter-city rail network. In contrast to trains with the "IC" label, "EC" trains are international trains that meet certain criteria. The EuroCity label replaces the older Trans Europ Express name for...
trains that operate without stopping between Emmerich and Oberhausen. The EuroCity trains were mostly replaced in November 2000 by Intercity-Express (ICE) services between Amsterdam and Cologne, using modern multi-system electrical multiple units capable of high-speeds, which did not need to stop in Emmerich any more. Since December 2002, the new Cologne–Frankfurt high-speed rail line has provided a direct through connection to Frankfurt am Main. At the same time, the two remaining EuroCity trains were also replaced by electric multiple units. After that the only long-distance train stopping in Emmerich and Wesel was a night train, and since December 2005 it only stops in Emmerich.
Completion of the new "Betuweroute"
In the Netherlands the BetuwerouteBetuweroute
The Betuweroute is a double track freight railway from Rotterdam to Germany. Betuweroute is the official name, after the Betuwe area through which it passes, but the line is popularly referred to as Betuwelijn, after an older track in the same region. The Germans have named their part the...
was put into normal operations on 16 June 2007. The new freight route connects the port of Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
with the Ruhr and southern Germany. It joins the existing line in Zevenaar
Zevenaar
Zevenaar is a municipality and a city in the eastern Netherlands, near the border with Germany.- Population centres :*Angerlo*Babberich*Giesbeek*Lathum*Ooy*Oud Zevenaar*Zevenaar...
.
Services
Utrecht Centraal railway station
Utrecht Centraal is the central railway station for the city of Utrecht in the Netherlands. It is the largest railway station in the Netherlands in terms of size, with fourteen platforms With Utrecht being located centrally in the Netherlands, Utrecht Centraal is also the largest station in terms...
–Köln Hbf–Frankfurt (Main) Hbf / Basel SBB
Basel SBB railway station
Basel SBB is the central railway station in the city of Basel in Switzerland. Trains run by the Swiss Federal Railways to destinations within Switzerland use this station, as well as Deutsche Bahn Intercity-Express trains to Germany as well as Zürich and Interlaken...
route. Two night trains also operate under the City Night Line brand: Pegasus (Amsterdam Centraal–Karlsruhe Hbf–Zurich HB) and Pollux (Amsterdam Centraal–Munich Hbf) with an additional stop in Emmerich.
The following services run hourly:
- Regional-Express RE 5 (Rhein-Express): Koblenz–Cologne–Duisburg–Wesel–Emmerich
- RegionalbahnRegionalBahnThe Regionalbahn is a type of local passenger train in Germany.-Service:Regionalbahn trains usually call at all stations on a given line, with the exception of RB trains within S-Bahn networks, these may only call at selected stations...
RB 35 (Der Weseler): Duisburg–Wesel (in peak hours continuing to Emmerich), - Monday to Friday, RB 33 (Rhein-Niers-Bahn): Mönchengladbach–Duisburg–Wesel,
- a local train on the Dutch section between ArnhemArnhem railway stationArnhem is a railway station located in Arnhem, the Netherlands. The station was opened on 14 May 1845 and is located on the Rhijnspoorweg , the Arnhem–Leeuwarden railway and the Arnhem–Nijmegen railway...
and WinterswijkWinterswijk railway stationWinterswijk is a railway station in Winterswijk, The Netherlands. The station opened on 24 June 1878 and is located on the Zutphen–Winterswijk railway and the Winterswijk–Zevenaar railway. The services are operated by Syntus....
.
In Wesel services on the Oberhausen-Arnheim line connect with RB 32 (Der Bocholter) services on the Bocholt Railway.
Regional passenger services on the German section are operated by DB Regio
DB Regio
DB Regio AG is a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn which operates short and medium distance passenger train services in Germany, and operates light and heavy rail infrastructure in the United Kingdom.-Germany:...
NRW using:
- for RE 5, push-pull trainPush-pull trainPush–pull is a mode of operation for locomotive-hauled trains allowing them to be driven from either end.A push–pull train has a locomotive at one end of the train, connected via some form of remote control, such as multiple-unit train control, to a vehicle equipped with a control cab at the other...
s composed of five double-deck carriages hauled by a DB class 146DBAG Class 145 and 146The DBAG Class 145 and DBAG Class 146 are Bo'Bo' mainline electric locomotives built by Adtranz primarily for the Deutsche Bahn at the end of the 1990s. The Class 145 is the freight version for DB Cargo; the Class 146 is the passenger version for DB Regio...
electric locomotives at speeds of up to 160 km/h, - for RB 33 and 35, usually DB class 425/426DBAG Class 425The Classes 425 and 426 EMUs are a class of electric multiple units built by a consortium of Siemens, Bombardier and DWA and operated by DB Regio in Germany...
electric multiple units at speeds of up to 140 km/h, - in the peak hour, RB 35 services between Emmerich and Düsseldorf are operated by push-pull trains of six n-coachesSilberlingSilberling is the colloquial name for the n-coaches of the Deutsche Bundesbahn, a type of regional passenger coach of which more than 7,000 units were built from 1958 to 1981...
hauled by class 110DB Class E 10The class E 10 is an electric locomotive of the Deutsche Bundesbahn, introduced in 1952. It belongs to the Einheits-Elektrolokomotiven program and was built for express passenger service. In 1968 the series was redesignated as class 110 and class 112...
electric locomotives at speeds of up to 140 km / h.
Passenger services on the Dutch section are operated by Syntus
Syntus
Syntus bv is a public transport company operating bus and passenger train services in the east of the Netherlands. It is owned jointly by NS Reizigers and Keolis...
.
Cross-border regional passenger services have not operated since 2006. Previously regional services operated between Emmerich and Arnhem (RB 34, Der Arnheimer).
In addition to passenger traffic, the line has a very high volume of freight traffic.
Usage (2005)
The utilisation of the line in 2005—following the introduction of a regular interval timetable in 1998, the increase of long-distance and regional passenger services at the end of 2002 and the increase of freight transport—amounted to six to eight trains per hour in each direction. In each working day there 104 units of regional passenger trains, 16 long-distance trains and 60 freight trains, each way.External links
- [strecken/2270.htm Description of line 2270] in the NRW railways archive of André Joost