Elsenz Valley Railway

Elsenz Valley Railway
Overview
Native name	Elsenztalbahn
Locale	Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Termini	Neckargemünd Bad Friedrichshall
Line number	4100 (Heidelberg Hbf–Karlstor) 4110 (Karlst.–Meckesh.–Neckarelz) 4114 (Meckesheim–Jagstfeld)
Technical
Line length	58 km (36 mi)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Minimum radius	300 m (980 ft)
Electrification	15 kV/16.7 Hz AC overhead catenary
Maximum incline	1.36%
Route number	706
Route map from Kassel S 1S 2S 5S 51 6.9 Neckar Valley Railway from Heidelberg 9.8 Neckargemünd 124 m Neckar Valley Railway to Eberbacht and Bad Friedrichshall S 1S 2 12.4 Waldhilsbach 14.3 Bammental 128 m 15.2 Reilsheim 131 m 17.5 Mauer (b Heidelberg) 135 m 19.8 0.0 Meckesheim 141 m line to Wiesloch (until 1922) Schwarzbach Valley Railway to Aglasterhausen S 51 2.8 Zuzenhausen 150 m 6.1 Hoffenheim 152 m 10.0 Sinsheim (Elsenz)S 42 158 m 12.1 Sinsheim Museum/Arena(since 1995) 12.9 Steinsfurt 169 m to EppingenS 5 19.9 Grombach 244 m 24.9 Babstadt 251 m 27.9 Bad Rappenau 28.8 Bad Rappenau Kurpark(since 1 May 2015) 30.9 Bad Wimpfen-Hohenstadt 188 m 33.8 Bad Wimpfen 168 m 35.3 Bad Wimpfen Im Tal(since 1 May 2015) 35.7 Bridge over the Neckar(211 m) Neckar Valley Railway from Heidelberg–Eberbach S 41 Franconia Railway from Würzburg 36.4 Bad Friedrichshall 155 m Former Lower Kocher Valley Railway to Ohrnberg (until 1993) Franconia Railway to Stuttgart S 42S 41 Source: German railway atlas

Source: German railway atlas

The Elsenz Valley Railway (Elsenztalbahn) or Neckargemünd–Bad Friedrichshall railway is an electrified, partly double-tracked main line in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, running from Heidelberg via Sinsheim to Bad Friedrichshall, that, for part of its course, follows the Elsenz river that gives it its name. The crossing stations on the single-tracked sections were controlled by mechanical signal boxes until 2008, but are now controlled by electronic interlockings.

The section from Heidelberg to Meckesheim was opened on 23 October 1862 by the Grand Duchy of Baden State Railway as part of the Odenwald Railway and is one of the oldest railways in Germany. The section from Meckesheim to Bad Rappenau was opened by the Baden State Railway on 25 June 1868 and it was extended to Bad Friedrichshall-Jagstfeld on 5 August 1869.

The line has been electrified to allow the extension of the Rhine-Neckar S-Bahn on the Heidelberg–Steinsfurt section of the line and to allow services of the proposed Heilbronn Stadtbahn on the section between Sinsheim and Bad Friedrichshall-Jagstfeld. In December 2009, services of line S 5 of the Rhine-Neckar S-Bahn were extended over the railway.

The section from Heidelberg to Meckesheim was opened on 23 October 1862 by the Grand Duchy of Baden State Railway as part of the Odenwald Railway, which was constructed to connect the Grand Duchy of Baden and Bavaria, bypassing the Kingdom of Württemberg and the Grand Duchy of Hesse. In 1864, Baden and Württemberg agreed to build three connections between the Odenwald Railway and Württemberg, including a line between Meckesheim, Bad Friedrichshall-Jagstfeld and Heilbronn. The section from Meckesheim to Bad Rappenau was opened by the Baden State Railway on 25 June 1868 and it was extended to Bad Friedrichshall-Jagstfeld on 5 August 1869.

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