The Nuremberg–Regensburg railway is a long mainline railway in the
German state of
Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
that runs from
Nuremberg
Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ...
via
Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz and
Parsberg
Parsberg is a town in the county of Neumarkt in Bavaria, Germany. It is 23 km southeast of Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz, and 33 km northwest of Regensburg, next to the A3 autobahn, the main route from Nuremberg to Regensburg (and then ...
to
Regensburg
Regensburg or is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the Danube, Naab and Regen rivers. It is capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the state in the south of Germany. With more than 150,000 inhabitants, Regensburg is the f ...
. It is one of the main routes to Austria for passengers and a link for regional transport between the Nuremberg region and the major centre of Regensburg. It is also one of the major routes for freight traffic to Eastern Europe. The line was opened by the
Bavarian Eastern Railway Company The Royal Bavarian Eastern Railway Company (''Königlich privilegirte Actiengesellschaft der bayerischen Ostbahnen'') or Bavarian Ostbahn was founded in 1856. Within just two decades it built an extensive railway network in the eastern Bavarian prov ...
between 1871 and 1873.
History
The line was planned from 1869 by the ''Bavarian Eastern Railway'' (german: AG der Bayerischen Ostbahnen) as a short cut between Nuremberg and Regensburg, over shorter than the line via
Hersbruck
Hersbruck () is a small town in Middle Franconia, Bavaria, Germany, belonging to the district Nürnberger Land. It is best known for the late-gothic artwork of the Hersbruck altar, the "Hirtenmuseum" and the landscape of Hersbruck Switzerland.
Hi ...
,
Amberg
Amberg () is a town in Bavaria, Germany. It is located in the Upper Palatinate, roughly halfway between Regensburg and Bayreuth. In 2020, over 42,000 people lived in the town.
History
The town was first mentioned in 1034, at that time under t ...
and
Schwandorf
Schwandorf is a town on the river Naab in the Upper Palatinate, Bavaria, Germany, which is the seat of the Schwandorf district.
Sights
* Catholic parish church of St. Jakob
* Kreuzberg Church: Catholic parish, monastic and pilgrimage church of ...
opened in 1859, which is now the
Nuremberg–Schwandorf line and part of the
Regensburg–Weiden line.
The line was originally built as a single track and was duplicated between 1894 and 1896. It was electrified in 1950.
On 15 June 1988 construction began on the second line of the
Nuremberg S-Bahn
The Nuremberg S-Bahn (german: S-Bahn Nürnberg) is an S-Bahn network covering the region of Nuremberg, Fürth and Erlangen which started operations in 1987 and is now integrated into the Greater Nuremberg Transport Association (Verkehrsverbund Gr ...
. The Nuremberg–
Feucht
Feucht is a market town and municipality southeast of Nuremberg in the district of Nürnberger Land in Bavaria, Germany. The name Feucht () is derived from the Old High German noun "viuhtje" - "fichta", which is the spruce tree (vernacularly Féic ...
section has been modified so that S-Bahn trains run on their own tracks next to the mainline tracks; these were opened on 21 November 1992.
The Felstor tunnel in the
Naab
__NOTOC__
The Naab (Czech: ''Nába'') is a river in Bavaria, Germany, and is a left tributary of the Danube. Including its main source river Waldnaab, it is long. Its average discharge at the mouth is .
The Naab is formed by the confluence of t ...
valley, with a length of 16 metres (according to other sources: 10 metres) was the shortest railway tunnel in Germany until 31 May 2010, when its roof was removed with explosives because its renovation was considered too expensive.
Opening dates
The line was opened in three stages:
*Nuremberg–Neumarkt: 1 December 1871
*Neumarkt–Seubersdorf: 15 May 1873
*Seubersdorf–Regensburg: 1 July 1873
The reason for the different opening dates was a delay in completing the Laber viaduct between Neumarkt and Seubersdorf.
Route
Starting at
Nürnberg Hauptbahnhof
Nürnberg Hauptbahnhof (German for ''Nuremberg main station'') or Nuremberg Central Station , the line turns southeast and passes through the Nuremberg districts of Gleißhammer, Zerzabelshof and
Langwasser
Langwasser is a part (''Stadtteil'') of Nuremberg in the southeastern area of the city. It was developed as a prototype of the satellite town concept in the 1960s and is primarily a suburban residential area. The name Langwasser (translated as "lon ...
and past the Lorenzer Reichwald (national forest) to Feucht, where the
route to Altdorf branches off. From there it runs almost directly to
Schwarzenbruck
Schwarzenbruck is a municipality in the district of Nürnberger Land in Bavaria in Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe aft ...
and crosses the Schwarzach river just past Ochenbruck station. The route now crosses the first ridge of the
Franconian Alb, eventually reaching
Postbauer-Heng
Postbauer-Heng is a municipality in the district of Neumarkt in Bavaria in Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russi ...
. There, the route bends to the east, runs through a gap between the Grünberg and Tyrolberg mountains and enters the Neumarkt basin. It runs across the basin in a straight line to the southeast partly on embankments through Pölling to
Neumarkt station, from where the former
Sulz Valley Railway branched off to the south. Passing the Neumarkt district of Hasenheide, the line swings south and above
Sengenthal
Sengenthal is a municipality in the district of Neumarkt in Bavaria in Germany. Local economy
Sengenthal is the headquarters of the construction company Max Bögl the developer of Transport System Bögl who also have a testing site in Sengenth ...
the line begins to climb the Franconian Alb. Only remnants are left of the former George Behringer KG (
HeidelbergCement
HeidelbergCement is a German multinational building materials company headquartered in Heidelberg, Germany. It is a DAX corporation and is one of the largest building materials companies in the world. On 1 July 2016, HeidelbergCement AG complete ...
) siding.
Shortly after Sengenthal the line turns east and runs to
Deining station. The line crosses a valley on an embankment and gains height and shortly afterwards reaches the
European Watershed at a height of about 510 m above sea level. After about two kilometres, the route crosses the impressive Laber Viaduct over the valley of the Weiße Laber. The line now runs roughly south-east through the furrowed valleys of the Franconian Alb, some of which are crossed on bridges and some partly on embankments.
There are deep cuttings through major ranges, including near Kleinalfalterbach and Seubersdorf. Nearby is
Seubersdorf station, where a junction to a branch line to Velburg was planned. The line continue through cuttings and embankments to
Parsberg
Parsberg is a town in the county of Neumarkt in Bavaria, Germany. It is 23 km southeast of Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz, and 33 km northwest of Regensburg, next to the A3 autobahn, the main route from Nuremberg to Regensburg (and then ...
station, which also serves as the unloading station for the transfer of military vehicles to the nearby Hohenfels Military training camp.
Above Mausheim the line reaches the high plateau of the Franconian Alb and runs to Beratzhausen station, which is located on the southern slopes of the valley of the
Schwarze Laber above the village of Beratzhausen. The line soon crosses the valley and reaches
Laaber
Laaber is a municipality in the district of Regensburg in Bavaria in Germany. It lies on the River Schwarze Laber (note the spelling difference).
The now-ruined medieval castle on the hill above the town centre was once the seat of the Lords of ...
station on the northern slope of the valley. The line runs further to the southeast above the valley of the Schwarze Laber, reaching Undorf station, and turns to the east towards the
Naab
__NOTOC__
The Naab (Czech: ''Nába'') is a river in Bavaria, Germany, and is a left tributary of the Danube. Including its main source river Waldnaab, it is long. Its average discharge at the mouth is .
The Naab is formed by the confluence of t ...
. It passes through Etterzhausen and then runs east on the slope above the valley of the Naab.
The line crosses the
Danube
The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...
at the confluence of the Naab and the
Regensburg–Ingolstadt railway from Ingolstadt and runs directly to the east. It runs through the Regensburg district of Prüfening and the Regensburg freight yard and finally reaches
Regensburg Hauptbahnhof
Regensburg Hauptbahnhof is the main railway station in the city of Regensburg in southern Germany.
Location
Regensburg Hauptbahnhof is located on the southern edge of the old city (''Altstadt'') in the immediate vicinity of Schloss St. Emmera ...
.
File:Nuernberg-Hauptbahnhof 1.JPG, Nürnberg Hauptbahnhof
Nürnberg Hauptbahnhof (German for ''Nuremberg main station'') or Nuremberg Central Station
File:bahnhof neumarkt.jpg, Neumarkt station
File:021104 bahnhof-regensburg 1-640x480.jpg, Regensburg Hauptbahnhof
Regensburg Hauptbahnhof is the main railway station in the city of Regensburg in southern Germany.
Location
Regensburg Hauptbahnhof is located on the southern edge of the old city (''Altstadt'') in the immediate vicinity of Schloss St. Emmera ...
Upgrading
The line is completely double track and electrified. In 2007 the route was upgraded for
active tilting, including work on overhead lines, signalling and bridges at a cost of € 6.7 million.
Between Nuremberg Hauptbahnhof and Feucht the
S-Bahn line between Nuremberg and Feucht runs parallel as one or two tracks. Between Reichwald junction (near Feucht) and Nuremberg Hbf the tracks are shared with the
Nuremberg–Munich high-speed line. The line-speed is 160 km/h.
Transport associations
The Nuremberg–Parsberg section of the line is served by
Regionalbahn line R5 of the ''Greater Nuremberg Transport Association'' (''Verkehrsverbund Großraum Nürnberg'', VGN). Between Neumarkt and Regensburg the line is integrated in the ''Regensburg Transport Association'' (''Regensburger Verkehrsverbund'', RVV).
Operations
Long-distance services consist of
InterCity Express
The Intercity Express (commonly known as ICE ()) is a system of high-speed trains predominantly running in Germany. It also serves some destinations in Austria, Denmark (ceased in 2017 but planned to resume in 2022), France, Belgium, Switzerla ...
(ICE-T) services, operated with
class 411 and 415 rolling stock, and a pair
InterCity
InterCity (commonly abbreviated ''IC'' on timetables and tickets) is the classification applied to certain long-distance passenger train services in Europe. Such trains (in contrast to regional, local, or commuter trains) generally call at m ...
services hauled by
Class 101 locomotives.
Austrian Federal Railways
Austrian may refer to:
* Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent
** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law
* Austrian German dialect
* Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...
locomotives are no longer used for passenger transport on the line.
Regional transport includes
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 f ...
(RE) trains on the Nuremberg–Neumarkt–Parsberg–Beratzhausen–Regensburg route, continuing to
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...
, normally composed of
class 111 electric locomotives and
double deck carriages.
Regionalbahn (RB) trains are operated between Nuremberg and Neumarkt and between Neumarkt and Regensburg. Some trains run continuously from Nuremberg to Regensburg. The trains are composed of
n-coach sets, hauled by
class 143 electric locomotives on the Nuremberg–Neumarkt section or class 111 locomotives between Neumarkt and Regensburg.
The Nuremberg–Neumarkt section is operated as line S4 of the
Nuremberg S-Bahn
The Nuremberg S-Bahn (german: S-Bahn Nürnberg) is an S-Bahn network covering the region of Nuremberg, Fürth and Erlangen which started operations in 1987 and is now integrated into the Greater Nuremberg Transport Association (Verkehrsverbund Gr ...
with
class 143 electric locomotives and sets of “x” carriages, while awaiting an approval for class 442 (Talent 2) electric multiple units to operate in Nuremberg.
References
Footnotes
Sources
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nuremberg-Regensburg railway
Railway lines in Bavaria
Rail transport in Nuremberg
Buildings and structures in Regensburg
Railway lines opened in 1871
1871 establishments in Germany
Buildings and structures in Regensburg (district)
Neumarkt (district)
Buildings and structures in Nürnberger Land