Saarbrücken–Sarreguemines railway
| Saarbrücken–Sarreguemines railway | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Locale | Saarland, Germany and France | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Line number |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Technical | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Line length | 18 km (11 mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Electrification | 15 kV 16.7 Hz AC | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Route number |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Saarbrücken–Sarreguemines railway (also known in German as the Obere Saartalbahn, Upper Saar Valley Railway) is a two-track main line railway, running from Saarbrücken in the German state of the Saarland to Sarreguemines just over the border in France. The route runs along the Saar to Sarreguemines.
A treaty was contracted between Prussia and France to build the border crossing at Sarreguemines on 18 June 1867. The line was completed in 1869, but since the connecting line from Sarreguemines to Hagenau was still under construction, the first locomotive ran over the Prussian bridge between Hanweiler and Sarreguemines on 23 May 1870.
On 1 June 1870 the line was officially opened in the presence of German and French government officials. A Prussian and French military band played together in Saarbrücken station. A few weeks later, on 16 July 1870, the last passenger train ran from Sarreguemines, subjected to stone-throwing by the French during the lead up to the Franco-Prussian War.
The line was originally intended to be part of a longer line, running from Brussels to Basel via Saarbrücken. After the Franco-Prussian War 1870-1871, this plan lost its importance as the Luxembourg–Metz–Basel railway line was now entirely under German control. In the 1940s there was an express service between Cologne and Strasbourg on the line, but the line has never had much significance for long distance traffic.
On 20 June 1960, the line was one of the first lines in the Saarland to be electrified, when it was electrified to Brebach station. On 11 September 1981 electrification was extended to the border near Hanweiler-Bad Rilchingen. As of September 1983 electric operations were extended to platform 1 of Sarreguemines station. As the rest of the station is not electrified, it can be run on the German catenary supply system without changing voltage. The second track between Hanweiler and Saargemünd was removed because of the narrowness of the Prussian Bridge.
Since 1997, the line has been operated as part of the Saarbahn Stadtbahn service; Regional-Express services also run between Saarbrücken and Strasbourg.
...
Wikipedia