The Duisburg-Ruhrort–Mönchengladbach railway is a historically significant, but now partly abandoned line in the
German state of
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a States of Germany, state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more tha ...
. The line was built by the
Ruhrort-Crefeld District Gladbach Railway Company (german: Ruhrort–Crefeld−Kreis Gladbach Eisenbahngesellschaft, RCG), founded in 1847, and is one of the
oldest lines in Germany, opened in 1849 and 1851.
The greater part of the route, along with the western section of the
Ruhr line of the
Rhenish Railway Company
The Rhenish Railway Company (German: ''Rheinische Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft'', RhE) was along with the Cologne-Minden Railway Company (CME) and the Bergisch-Märkische Railway Company (BME) one of the railway companies that in the mid-19th century ...
(''Rheinische Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft'', RhE), forms the
Duisburg
Duisburg () is a city in the Ruhr metropolitan area of the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Lying on the confluence of the Rhine and the Ruhr rivers in the center of the Rhine-Ruhr Region, Duisburg is the 5th largest city in Nor ...
–
Mönchengladbach
Mönchengladbach (, li, Jlabbach ) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located west of the Rhine, halfway between Düsseldorf and the Dutch border.
Geography Municipal subdivisions
Since 2009, the territory of Mönchengladbac ...
line, one of the main line in Germany’s lower Rhine region, connecting the stations of
Duisburg
Duisburg () is a city in the Ruhr metropolitan area of the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Lying on the confluence of the Rhine and the Ruhr rivers in the center of the Rhine-Ruhr Region, Duisburg is the 5th largest city in Nor ...
and
Mönchengladbach
Mönchengladbach (, li, Jlabbach ) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located west of the Rhine, halfway between Düsseldorf and the Dutch border.
Geography Municipal subdivisions
Since 2009, the territory of Mönchengladbac ...
.
History
The ''Ruhrort-Crefeld District Gladbach railway'' was established to bring coal mined in the
Ruhr
The Ruhr ( ; german: Ruhrgebiet , also ''Ruhrpott'' ), also referred to as the Ruhr area, sometimes Ruhr district, Ruhr region, or Ruhr valley, is a polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population density of 2,800/km ...
district to consumers in the
Lower Rhine region
The Lower Rhine region or Niederrhein is a region around the Lower Rhine section of the river Rhine in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany between approximately Oberhausen and Krefeld in the East and the Dutch border around Kleve in the West. ...
. The RCG therefore concluded a contract with the
Cologne-Minden Railway Company
The Cologne-Minden Railway Company (German, old spelling: ''Cöln-Mindener Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft'', ''CME'') was along with the Bergisch-Märkische Railway Company and the Rhenish Railway Company one of the railway companies that in the mid-19th ...
(CME), which at that time was the only railway company then operating in the northern Ruhr area. The CME built a
branch from Oberhausen to Ruhrort from its
trunk line
In telecommunications, trunking is a technology for providing network access to multiple clients simultaneously by sharing a set of circuits, carriers, channels, or frequencies, instead of providing individual circuits or channels for each clie ...
, which was opened on 14 October 1848.
The RCG began construction of its line to a point located exactly opposite
Ruhrort
Ruhrort () is a district in the borough of within the German city of Duisburg situated north of the confluence of the Ruhr and the Rhine, in the western part of the Ruhr area. Ruhrort has the largest river harbour in the World, with quays extendin ...
on the bank of the
Rhine
), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source1_coordinates=
, source1_elevation =
, source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein
, source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source2_coordinates=
, so ...
in Homberg, now part of the city of Duisburg. The
Ruhrort–Homberg train ferry
The Ruhrort–Homberg train ferry was a German train ferry on the Rhine between Ruhrort and Homberg, now districts of Duisburg.
History
While the Cologne-Minden Railway Company (''Cöln-Mindener Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft'', CME) was building its t ...
commenced services to Ruhrort station on the east bank of the Rhine on 12 November 1852, carrying carriages and freight wagons over the river. On 15 October 1849, the line was opened from Homberg to
Viersen
Viersen (; li, Veeëse) is the capital of the district of Viersen, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
Geography
Viersen is situated approximately 8 km north-west of Mönchengladbach, 15 km south-west of Krefeld and 20 km east o ...
via Trompet, Kaldenhausen,
Uerdingen
Uerdingen () is a district of the city of Krefeld, Germany, with a population of 17,888 (2019). Originally a separate city in its own right, Uerdingen merged with the city of Krefeld in 1929. Today, Uerdingen is best known for a local distillery ...
and
Crefeld
Krefeld ( , ; li, Krieëvel ), also spelled Crefeld until 1925 (though the spelling was still being used in British papers throughout the Second World War), is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located northwest of Düsseldorf, i ...
. the final leg to Gladbach (now Mönchengladbach) was completed two years later to the day, on 15 October 1851. In 1853 railway lines were opened to
Aachen
Aachen ( ; ; Aachen dialect: ''Oche'' ; French and traditional English: Aix-la-Chapelle; or ''Aquisgranum''; nl, Aken ; Polish: Akwizgran) is, with around 249,000 inhabitants, the 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, and the 28th- ...
and to Düsseldorf by the
Aachen-Neuß-Düsseldorf Railway Company (''Aachen-Neuß-Düsseldorfer Eisenbahngesellschaft'', AND).
On 1 April 1850, even before it had completed its line, the RCG, together with the AND, was nationalised by the
Prussia
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...
n government and became part of the ''Royal Directorate of the
Aachen-Düsseldorf-Ruhrort Railway Company'' (''Königliche Direction der Aachen-Düsseldorf-Ruhrorter Eisenbahn''). On 1 January 1866 this company was taken over by the
Bergisch-Märkische Railway Company
The Bergisch-Markisch Railway Company (german: Bergisch-Märkische Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft, BME), also referred to as the Berg-Mark Railway Company or, more rarely, as the Bergisch-Markische Railway Company, was a German railway company that togeth ...
(BME), which was also mostly state-owned.
The BME opened a line in 1862 from Mülheim-Styrum station on its
Witten/Dortmund–Oberhausen/Duisburg line to Duisburg-Ruhrort and remarked the distances along its track in kilometres from
Aachen RHE station (km 0.0) to
Dortmund
Dortmund (; Westphalian nds, Düörpm ; la, Tremonia) is the third-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne and Düsseldorf, and the eighth-largest city of Germany, with a population of 588,250 inhabitants as of 2021. It is the la ...
(km 164.3).
Partial closure
In 1873 the RhE replaced its original
Rheinhausen–Hochfeld train ferry
The Rheinhausen–Hochfeld train ferry was a German train ferry on the Rhine between Rheinhausen and Hochfeld, now districts of Duisburg. It was built by the Rhenish Railway Company and commenced operations on 23 August 1866.
History
Following th ...
by the
Duisburg-Hochfeld rail bridge
The Duisburg–Hochfeld railway bridge (german: Duisburg-Hochfelder Eisenbahnbrücke) spans the Rhine in the German city of Duisburg on the Duisburg-Ruhrort–Mönchengladbach railway, Duisburg-Ruhrort–Mönchengladbach line. The first bridge wa ...
. Subsequently the Ruhrort–Homberg ferry quickly lost traffic. In consequence, the line between Duisburg-Homberg and Hohenbudberg became increasingly unimportant.
The Ruhrort–Homberg ferry closed on 19 May 1907. The railway line between Homberg and Trompet was damaged in the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
and not returned to service. Today, the only traffic north of Trompet is to the siding of the Sachtleben Chemie company.
The opening of the
Lower Rhine line in 1904 established a connection between Rheinhausen and Trompet (continuing via
Moers
Moers (; older form: ''Mörs''; archaic Dutch language, Dutch: ''Murse'', ''Murs'' or ''Meurs'') is a German List of cities and towns in Germany, city on the western bank of the Rhine, close to Duisburg. Moers belongs to the district of Wesel (d ...
to
Kleve
Kleve (; traditional en, Cleves ; nl, Kleef; french: Clèves; es, Cléveris; la, Clivia; Low Rhenish: ''Kleff'') is a town in the Lower Rhine region of northwestern Germany near the Dutch border and the River Rhine. From the 11th century ...
), which proved to be more profitable, especially as it included a direct rail link to the Hohenbudberg marshalling yard. The original line between Trompet and Uerdingen was eventually closed for passenger on 30 September 1961; the closure of freight traffic followed a day later, on 1 October 1961.
Realignment in Viersen
In 1917 the current track in the Viersen area was laid. Originally the line ran from the location of the modern Viersen-Helenabrunn station initially parallel to the line that is now the
Mönchengladbach freight bypass (originally opened in 1909) and then running directly between Helenabrunn and Heimer (now suburbs of Viersen) to Viersen BME station. Helenabrunn station was in the higher part of Helenabrunn and Heimer. The line was moved further north, where it connected with the
Neuss–Viersen line, which was originally built by the
Rhenish Railway Company
The Rhenish Railway Company (German: ''Rheinische Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft'', RhE) was along with the Cologne-Minden Railway Company (CME) and the Bergisch-Märkische Railway Company (BME) one of the railway companies that in the mid-19th century ...
(''Rheinische Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft'', RhE), to run to Viersen RhE station (now
Viersen station
Viersen station is a station in the city of Viersen in the west of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
History
The first Viersen station was opened on 5 October 1849 by the Aachen-Düsseldorf-Ruhrort Railway Company (german: Königlich ...
). After the realignment, the BME station was abandoned and demolished. As a replacement for the Helenabrunn station, Viersen-Helenabrunn station (originally Helenabrunn) was built in Neuwerker Straße on the outskirts of modern Mönchengladbach.
Current situation
Although the first section of the line from Homberg to Hohenbudberg no longer exists, the greater part of the line is still in operation. Together with the western part of the
Osterath–Dortmund Süd line of the former ''Rhenish Railway Company'' and its branch line from Duisburg RHE station—now part of
Duisburg Hauptbahnhof
Duisburg Hauptbahnhof is a railway station in the city of Duisburg in western Germany. It is situated at the meeting point of many important national and international railway lines in the Northwestern Ruhr valley.
Lines
The station is situat ...
—it has developed into a major regional route. The main line from Duisburg Hauptbahnhof via Duisburg-Hochfeld Süd and Hohenbudberg to Mönchengladbach Hbf is now consistently double track and electrified.
Lack of modernisation prevents more intensive use of the line; between Duisburg Hauptbahnhof and Rheinhausen only four trains per hour can operate, one of which continues towards Moers and Xanten on the
Lower Rhine line. Furthermore, the line’s tracks cross the tracks of the
Lower Left Rhine line on the level in the vicinity of Krefeld station. There is a similar crossing on the level with the
Mönchengladbach–Düsseldorf line near Mönchengladbach station.
Rail services
The line is served every hour by a
Regional-Express
In Germany, Luxembourg and Austria, the Regional-Express (RE, or in Austria: REX) is a type of regional train. It is similar to a semi-fast train, with average speed at about 70–90 km/h (top speed often 160 km/h) as it calls at ...
service, the
Niers-Haard-Express
The Rhein-Haard-Express (RE 2) is a Regional-Express service in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), running from Osnabrück via Münster, Recklinghausen, Gelsenkirchen, Essen and Duisburg to Düsseldorf.
The Haard-Bahn (RB 42) ope ...
(RE 42), connecting Mönchengladbach and the Lower Rhine to the western and central Ruhr area and
Münster
Münster (; nds, Mönster) is an independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a state distr ...
.
Only slightly slower are two
Regionalbahn services, the
Rhein-Niers-Bahn
The Rhine-Niers-Bahn ( RB 33) is a Regionalbahn service in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It connects Essen Hbf, Duisburg Hbf on the Rhine with Mönchengladbach on the Niers, Aachen and Heinsberg (sections of timetable routes 420 ...
(RB 33) and the
Emscher-Niederrhein-Bahn
The Emscher-Niederrhein-Bahn (RB 35) is a Regionalbahn service in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It runs hourly between Gelsenkirchen and Duisburg with Mönchengladbach. Its name refers to the Emscher river (which runs near Dui ...
(RB 35), each running hourly, with alternating routings, one connecting
Aachen
Aachen ( ; ; Aachen dialect: ''Oche'' ; French and traditional English: Aix-la-Chapelle; or ''Aquisgranum''; nl, Aken ; Polish: Akwizgran) is, with around 249,000 inhabitants, the 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, and the 28th- ...
,
Mönchengladbach
Mönchengladbach (, li, Jlabbach ) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located west of the Rhine, halfway between Düsseldorf and the Dutch border.
Geography Municipal subdivisions
Since 2009, the territory of Mönchengladbac ...
and
Duisburg
Duisburg () is a city in the Ruhr metropolitan area of the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Lying on the confluence of the Rhine and the Ruhr rivers in the center of the Rhine-Ruhr Region, Duisburg is the 5th largest city in Nor ...
and the other connecting Mönchengladbach, Duisburg and
Wesel
Wesel () is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the capital of the Wesel district.
Geography
Wesel is situated at the confluence of the Lippe River and the Rhine.
Division of the city
Suburbs of Wesel include Lackhausen, Obrighove ...
(from 2018, it will continue to
Bottrop
Bottrop () is a city in west-central Germany, on the Rhine–Herne Canal, in North Rhine-Westphalia. Located in the Ruhr industrial area, Bottrop adjoins Essen, Oberhausen, Gladbeck, and Dorsten. The city had been a coal-mining and rail cent ...
rather than Wesel).
Fares
Fares for the entire route are set by the
Rhine-Ruhr public transport association (''Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr'', VRR).
Notes
External links
NRW railway archive of André Joost:
*
trecken/2332.htm Description of line 2332 Duisburg-Homberg–Duisburg-Trompet
*
trecken/2.htm Description of former line 2 Duisburg-Trompet–Krefeld-Uerdingen
*
trecken/2520.htm Description of line 2520 Krefeld-Uerdingen–Mönchengladbach Hbf
''Rhenish Railway Company:''
*
trecken/2312.htm Description of line 2312 Duisburg Hbf–Duisburg-Hochfeld Süd
*
trecken/2505.htm Description of line 2505 Duisburg-Hochfeld Süd–Krefeld-Uerdingen–Krefeld-Oppum
*
trecken/2504.htm Description of line 2504 Rheinhausen–Krefeld-Uerdingen–Abzweig Lohbruch
{{DEFAULTSORT:Duisburg-Ruhrort-Monchengladbach railway
Railway lines in North Rhine-Westphalia
Railway lines opened in 1849
1849 establishments in Prussia