Saarbahn
 |
|||
| Overview | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Transit type | Stadtbahn/Tram-train | ||
| Number of lines | 1 | ||
| Number of stations | 43 | ||
| Website | Saarbahn GmbH | ||
| Operation | |||
| Began operation | 24 October 1997 | ||
| Operator(s) | Stadtbahn Saar GmbH | ||
| Technical | |||
| System length | 44.0 km (27.3 mi) | ||
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge | ||
| Minimum radius of curvature | 19 m (62 ft) | ||
| Electrification | 750 V DC overhead line 15 kV AC overhead line |
||
|
|||
The Saarbahn is a regional Stadtbahn operating on the tram-train principle in the German state of the Saarland. It consists of a core line in Saarbrücken and Riegelsberg operating under tram operating procedures (BOStrab), connected to two lines that are operated under railway operating procedures (EBO), the Lebach–Völklingen railway to the north and the Saarbrücken–Sarreguemines railway in the south. Stadtbahn Saar GmbH is responsible for the infrastructure of the central section of line, while the outer tracks are operated by the national railway infrastructure companies, DB Netz AG in Germany and Réseau Ferré de France in France. Saarbahn GmbH is the train operating company for the whole system.
The route of the new line of the Saarbahn that was opened in central Saarbrücken in 1997 is essentially line 5 of the Saarbrücken tramway, which was closed in 1965. This line ran between Rastpfuhl and Schafbrücke and was the last line of the old metre-gauge network.
As of 2015[update], the current network operates on 44.0 kilometres (27.3 mi) of route, and serves 43 stations.
The first considerations of building a regional rail network in and around Saarbrücken began in the 1990s. The bus service in central Saarbrücken then ran at such a high density that the vehicles sometimes operated at one-minute intervals. Following the example of the Karlsruhe model, which had operated with great success since 1992, the Saarland began to plan to build a regional Stadtbahn. The core of the concept was the building of an inner-city railway line, while the outer branches would share the existing Deutsche Bahn railway infrastructure. As early as 1992, it borrowed a light rail vehicle from the Karlsruhe Stadtbahn and ran it on the Fürstenhausen–Gersweiler Bahnhof–Saarbrücken Messebahnhof route on the Rossel Valley Railway (Rosseltalbahn), south of the Saar.
...
Wikipedia