Vaihingen (Enz) station
Encyclopedia
Vaihingen station is a long-distance and the regional station at an important railway junction in the town of Vaihingen an der Enz in the German state of Baden-Württemberg
. It is classified by Deutsche Bahn
as a category 3 station
.
It is one of a few passenger stations in German that are designed to allow Intercity-Express (ICE) trains to pass at 250 km/h. The ICE through tracks do not have platforms.
The station lies on the Mannheim–Stuttgart high-speed line (near the 78 km mark from Mannheim
) and on the Württemberg Western Railway
.
Trains to and from the new line can only stop at the platforms on tracks 2 and 7. Tracks 1 and 8 are used by regional trains running from Mühlacker
to Bietigheim-Bissingen
(track 1) or Bietigheim to Mühlacker (track 8). Fully grade-separated tracks prevent conflicts between high-speed and regional trains. To the east of the station the high-speed tracks run through the 2.8 km-long Markstein Tunnel and the track running towards Bietigheim crosses over the top of the tunnel, running to the north-east. Both regional tracks then run through the Nebenweg Tunnel. To the northwest of the station the regional track running towards Mühlacker passes under the high-speed tracks. At both ends of the station complex there are crossovers between the regional and high-speed tracks.
Travellers reach the platforms via two north-south subways. Outside the building there are ten to twelve buses, more taxis and more than 300 car parking spaces.
The (now inactive) seven km long Vaihingen Stadtbahn line rail passed under the site of the station. The new station includes a station on the Stadtbahn. Operations on the line were abandoned at the end of 2002.
In long-distance operations (2008 timetable) the station is served by several regular InterCity
(IC) services. In regional transport, the station is served by Interregio-Express
(IRE) and Regional-Express (RE) services. The following lines stop here:
The station also serves as an overtaking facility. As the originally planned mixed traffic of passenger and freight trains has not been realised, this facility is little used.
About 1.6 million m³ of soil was excavated for the 70 m wide and 2,000 m long station and 1.1 million cubic metres of new earth was put in place. 35 million marks were spent just for earthworks in the station area.
Passenger traffic at the existing station in the centre of Vaihingen was abandoned at the timetable change of 30 September 1990. At the same time the existing line was rerouted on a 7.31 km long section and a 1.36 km long single-track branch line to Vaihingen (Enz) North was put into operation.
The commissioning of the new station shortened the travel time between Vaihingen and Stuttgart from 32 to 15 minutes.
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
. It is classified by Deutsche Bahn
Deutsche 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...
as a category 3 station
German railway station categories
About 5,400 railway stations in Germany that are owned and operated by the Deutsche Bahn subsidiary DB Station&Service are assigned into seven categories, denoting the service level available at the station....
.
It is one of a few passenger stations in German that are designed to allow Intercity-Express (ICE) trains to pass at 250 km/h. The ICE through tracks do not have platforms.
Location
The station is located about 2.5 kilometers from the centre of Vaihingen, between the town and the suburb of KleinglattbachHorst J. Obermayer: Neue Fahrwege für den InterCityExpress. In: Herrmann Merker (Hrsg.): ICE – InterCityExpress am Start. Hermann Merker Verlag, Fürstenfeldbruck 1991, ISBN 3-922404-17-0, p. 57–69. at about 250 metres above sea level.The station lies on the Mannheim–Stuttgart high-speed line (near the 78 km mark from Mannheim
Mannheim
Mannheim is a city in southwestern Germany. With about 315,000 inhabitants, Mannheim is the second-largest city in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, following the capital city of Stuttgart....
) and on the Württemberg Western Railway
Württemberg Western Railway
The Western Railway in Württemberg was opened in 1853 and ran from Bietigheim-Bissingen to Bruchsal. It was the first railway link between the states of Württemberg and Baden in Germany and one of the oldest lines in Germany....
.
Structure
The railway system consists of eight tracks, which are numbered in ascending order in a northeasterly direction. In the middle of these tracks are the two tracks of the high-speed line for trains running at up to 250 km/h (track 4 and 5). Close by on both sides are two passing tracks (3 and 6). In the northeast is a platform for stopping passenger trains (tracks 7 and 8) and another platform to the south (tracks 1 and 2).Trains to and from the new line can only stop at the platforms on tracks 2 and 7. Tracks 1 and 8 are used by regional trains running from Mühlacker
Mühlacker station
Mühlacker station is in the town of Mühlacker in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is at the junction of the Karlsruhe–Mühlacker line and the Western Railway. With its five platform tracks, it is the largest station in Enz district...
to Bietigheim-Bissingen
Bietigheim-Bissingen station
Bietigheim-Bissingen station is a junction station in the town of Bietigheim-Bissingen in the German state of Baden-Württemberg where the Württemberg Western Railway separates from the Franconia Railway. With its eight station tracks it is the largest station in the district of Ludwigsburg...
(track 1) or Bietigheim to Mühlacker (track 8). Fully grade-separated tracks prevent conflicts between high-speed and regional trains. To the east of the station the high-speed tracks run through the 2.8 km-long Markstein Tunnel and the track running towards Bietigheim crosses over the top of the tunnel, running to the north-east. Both regional tracks then run through the Nebenweg Tunnel. To the northwest of the station the regional track running towards Mühlacker passes under the high-speed tracks. At both ends of the station complex there are crossovers between the regional and high-speed tracks.
Travellers reach the platforms via two north-south subways. Outside the building there are ten to twelve buses, more taxis and more than 300 car parking spaces.
The (now inactive) seven km long Vaihingen Stadtbahn line rail passed under the site of the station. The new station includes a station on the Stadtbahn. Operations on the line were abandoned at the end of 2002.
Transport links
Intercity (Deutsche Bahn)
Intercity is the second-highest train classification in Germany, after the ICE. Intercity services are loco-hauled express services, usually over long-distances. There are Intercity routes throughout Germany, and routes generally operate with a two-hour frequency, with multiple routes giving a more...
(IC) services. In regional transport, the station is served by Interregio-Express
Interregio-Express
The Interregio-Express is a local public transport railway service operated by the Deutsche Bahn which is only available in the German states of Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Berlin as well as in Switzerland...
(IRE) and Regional-Express (RE) services. The following lines stop here:
- IC NurembergNürnberg HauptbahnhofNuremberg Central Station is the main railway station for the city of Nuremberg in Germany. It is the largest station in north Bavaria and belongs to the 20 stations in the highest category of importance allocated by DB Station&Service....
–KarlsruheKarlsruhe Hauptbahnhofis the central railway station in the German city of Karlsruhe. The station is classified as one of the major Category 1 stations in Germany, due to its function as a hub connecting several railway lines with each other.- History :...
, every two hours (alternating with IRE service) - IRE StuttgartStuttgart Hauptbahnhofis the Hauptbahnhof of the city of Stuttgart, the capital of the Land of Baden-Württemberg, in southwestern Germany. It is the largest regional and long-distance railway station in Stuttgart, the main node of the Stuttgart S-Bahn network, and, together with the halt at Charlottenplatz, the main...
–Karlsruhe, every two hours (alternating with IC service) - RE Stuttgart–Bietigheim-BissingenBietigheim-Bissingen stationBietigheim-Bissingen station is a junction station in the town of Bietigheim-Bissingen in the German state of Baden-Württemberg where the Württemberg Western Railway separates from the Franconia Railway. With its eight station tracks it is the largest station in the district of Ludwigsburg...
–HeidelbergHeidelberg Hauptbahnhofis the central station for Heidelberg. In 2005 it was used by 30,472 passengers daily and is one of the largest passenger stations in Baden-Wurttemberg. The main station entrance opened in 1955 in Willy-Brandt-Platz in the western district of Heidelberg, on the edge of the district. Diagonally...
every two hours (alternating with RE to Karlsruhe) - RE Bietigheim-Bissingen–Stuttgart–Karlsruhe every two hours (alternating with RE to Heidelberg)
- Karlsruhe Stadtbahn S 5 (Bietigheim-Bissingen–WörthWörth am RheinWörth am Rhein is a municipality in the southernmost part of the district of Germersheim, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the left bank of the Rhine, approx. 10 km west of the city center of Karlsruhe and just north of the German-French border....
) every hour, every two hours on weekends - IRE Stuttgart–Vaihingen: a single peak-hour amplifier service,
- IC Stuttgart–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...
–HamburgHamburg Hauptbahnhofis the Hauptbahnhof for the German city of Hamburg. It was opened in 1906 to replace 4 terminal stations. Hamburg Hauptbahnhof is operated by DB Station&Service...
, individual service - individual IC services from WiesbadenWiesbaden Hauptbahnhofis the Hauptbahnhof for the city of Wiesbaden, the state capital of the German state of Hesse. It is a terminal station at the southern edge of the city center and is served by over 500 long-distance and regional trains and used by more than 30,000 travelers each day.-History:The current station...
, HeidelbergHeidelberg Hauptbahnhofis the central station for Heidelberg. In 2005 it was used by 30,472 passengers daily and is one of the largest passenger stations in Baden-Wurttemberg. The main station entrance opened in 1955 in Willy-Brandt-Platz in the western district of Heidelberg, on the edge of the district. Diagonally...
, SaarbrückenSaarbrücken HauptbahnhofSaarbrücken Hauptbahnhof is the main or central railway station in the German city of Saarbrücken and the largest station in the Saarland, a German state on the border with France. Around 10 million passengers use the station annually...
and others, some services in peak hour, some in holiday periods - in the rush hour a Karlsruhe Stadtbahn S 9 service is extended to run between Bietigheim-Bissingen and Bruchsal
- On weekday mornings an Intercity-Express to Stuttgart stops in Vaihingen.
- In addition, on weekdays an ICE to Cologne stops in Vaihingen.
The station also serves as an overtaking facility. As the originally planned mixed traffic of passenger and freight trains has not been realised, this facility is little used.
Planning
A major reason for building the station was to promote the urban development of the city of Vaihingen and it was envisaged that the core city would merge with the village of Kleinglattbach.Construction
The construction of the station complex began on 23 September 1985 with the establishment of the site. On 18 November actual work started on the crossing structures. The design of the station building was created by the Karlsruhe office of Schmitt, Kasimir & Partner and was selected as a result of an architectural competition. On 6 November 1987, a topping-out ceremony for the station building was celebrated and the building was finally completed in September 1990. In the course of construction about ten kilometres of roads were built or rebuilt, along with cycling and foot paths.About 1.6 million m³ of soil was excavated for the 70 m wide and 2,000 m long station and 1.1 million cubic metres of new earth was put in place. 35 million marks were spent just for earthworks in the station area.
Passenger traffic at the existing station in the centre of Vaihingen was abandoned at the timetable change of 30 September 1990. At the same time the existing line was rerouted on a 7.31 km long section and a 1.36 km long single-track branch line to Vaihingen (Enz) North was put into operation.
The commissioning of the new station shortened the travel time between Vaihingen and Stuttgart from 32 to 15 minutes.