The Fröndenberg–Kamen railway is a single-track, partially electrified and partially disused railway line in the German state of
North Rhine-Westphalia. It runs from
Fröndenberg
Fröndenberg (; Westphalian: ''Frönnenbiärg'') is a town in the district of Unna, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
Geography
Fröndenberg is situated in the Ruhr valley, approx. 10 km south-east of the district capital Unna, near the H ...
via
Unna to
Unna-Königsborn and formerly on to
Kamen.
History
The Fröndenberg-Kamen line was built at the turn of the 20th Century as a railway branch line by the
Royal railway divisions (german: königliche Eisenbahndirection) of
Elberfeld and
Essen
Essen (; Latin: ''Assindia'') is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of makes it the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and D ...
of the
Prussian state railways to connect, in the form of an S-shaped curve, four stations on major east-west routes, which were built in the second half of the 19th century by three competing major private railway companies in
Westphalia (from north to south):
*
Kamen station on the
Dortmund–Hamm line, opened by 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 ...
in 1847,
*
Unna-Königsborn station
Unna-Königsborn station is located in the city of Unna in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is at the end of the remaining section of the line from Dortmund. Line S 4 trains of the Rhine-Ruhr S-Bahn reverse here on their way to and ...
on the
Welver–Sterkrade line, opened by the
Royal Westphalian Railway Company in 1876,
*
Unna station
Unna station is the main passenger station in the Westphalian city of Unna in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The other stations in the city that are served by regular passenger services are Unna-Königsborn, Unna West, Massen, Lün ...
on the
Dortmund–Soest line, opened by the
Bergisch-Märkische Railway Company in 1855,
*
Fröndenberg
Fröndenberg (; Westphalian: ''Frönnenbiärg'') is a town in the district of Unna, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
Geography
Fröndenberg is situated in the Ruhr valley, approx. 10 km south-east of the district capital Unna, near the H ...
station on the
Hagen–Warburg line, also opened by the Bergisch-Märkische Railway Company in 1870.
The first section was opened by the Royal Railway Division of Elberfeld on 2 January 1899 between Fröndenberg and Unna.
The next section from Unna to Unna-Königsborn was a joint project with the Royal Railway Division of Essen and built in just over a year. It was opened on 1 April 1900, originally for freight only.
[
]
The last part, from Unna-Königsborn to Kamen was the responsibility of the Essen Division alone. Only half a year later, the line was completed on 1 November 1900 and opened for freight. Almost a year later, on 1 October 1901, the first passenger train ran between Unna and Kamen.
[
]
Closures
In early 1926, passenger traffic was discontinued on the northern section between Unna and Kamen.[ The Unna-Kamen-Werne light railway was opened in 1909 on a similar route as an overland tramway ( interurban). It closed on 14 December 1950.
On 3 June 1955, freight traffic between Königsborn and Kamen was also discontinued][ and the line was subsequently dismantled. The former line can easily be identified from aerial photographs.
]
Current operations
Electrification of the Unn–Königsborn section was completed on 25 May 1984.[ The Fröndenberg–Unna section is still a non-electrified branch line with a top speed of 60 km/h. To increase speeds, level crossings are being upgraded. It is served only by the ]Hönnetal-Bahn The Sauerland Net (german: Sauerland-Netz) is a group of railway services in the western Sauerland and the eastern Ruhr of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and consists of three Regionalbahn services, RB 52 ( Dortmund– Hagen–Lüdens ...
(RB 54), which continues over the Letmathe–Fröndenberg line via Menden
Menden (, official name: ''Menden (Sauerland)''; Westphalian: ''Mennen'') is a city in the district Märkischer Kreis, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located at the north end of the Sauerland near the Ruhr river.
History
Menden's f ...
and the Hönne Valley Railway
The Hönne Valley Railway (german: Hönnetalbahn) is a 22 km long, single-track and non-electrified branch line in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, running from Menden (Sauerland) station, Menden (Sauerland) to Neuenrade through the Hön ...
to Neuenrade
Neuenrade is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, located in the hills of the Sauerland in the ''Märkischer Kreis''.
Geography
The highest elevation in the town area is the ''Kohlberg'' with an altitude of 514 m above sea level. The lowes ...
at 60-minute intervals.
Prior to the closure of the Westphalian line between Welver and Unna-Königsborn in 1968, passenger services were established on the line between Unna and Unna-Königsborn on 26 May 1963,[ continuing to ]Dortmund Stadthaus station
Dortmund Stadthaus station is an important railway station of the inner city of Dortmund in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is located in the inner city at the junction of Ruhrallee (Bundesstraße 54, B54) and Märkischen Straße ...
.
In 1972 a regular interval regional service was established from Unna via Unna-Königsborn, Dortmund Stadthaus and Dortmund-Dorstfeld to Dortmund-Marten Süd, which was extended in 1983 to Dortmund-Lütgendortmund. This was a direct precursor of line S 4 of the Rhine-Ruhr S-Bahn. In preparation for the S-Bahn, electrification of the line from Unna to Unna-Königsborn was completed on 25 May 1984 and on 28 June 1984 it was upgraded with a top speed of 80 km/h.[ S-Bahn services commenced on 3 June 1984 and operates at 20-minute intervals.]
File:Bahnhof Fröndenberg.jpg, Fröndenberg station
File:Bahnhof Fröndenberg 3.jpg, Fröndenberg station
File:Froendenberg-Ardey-Bahn1-Bubo.JPG, Ardey station
File:Froendenberg-Froemern2-Asio.JPG, Former Frömern station building
File:Froendenberg-Froemern1-Asio.JPG, Frömern station
File:Unna Bahnhof Suedseite.jpg, Unna station
Unna station is the main passenger station in the Westphalian city of Unna in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The other stations in the city that are served by regular passenger services are Unna-Königsborn, Unna West, Massen, Lün ...
before renovation in 2007/2008
File:BF Unna-Königsborn.jpg, Unna-Königsborn station
Unna-Königsborn station is located in the city of Unna in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is at the end of the remaining section of the line from Dortmund. Line S 4 trains of the Rhine-Ruhr S-Bahn reverse here on their way to and ...
File:BF Unna-West.jpg, Unna-West station
File:Bahnhof Kamen.jpg, Kamen station
File:Kamen01.jpg, Kamen station platforms
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Frondenberg-Kamen Railway
Railway lines in North Rhine-Westphalia
Railway lines opened in 1899
1899 establishments in Germany
Buildings and structures in Unna (district)
Unna