{{BS-header|Bayreuth–Warmensteinach}}
{{BS-daten>
DE-KBS=862 (Bayreuth–Weidenberg) 863 (Weidenberg–Warmensteinach) |
STRECKENNR=5000 |
LÄNGE= 22.9 km (14.2 mi) |
SPURWEITE= {{RailGauge|1435}} |
NEIGUNG= |
RADIUS= |
V-MAX= |
BILDPFAD_FOTO= |
PIXEL_FOTO= |
TEXT_FOTO= |
BILDPFAD_KARTE= |
PIXEL_KARTE=
}}
{{BS-table}}
{{BS|STR |
from Schnabelwaid–Bayreuth}}
{{BS|eABZrg |
from HollfeldThe Bayreuth–Hollfeld railway was a branch line in the Bavarian province of Upper Franconia. It ran from Bayreuth to Hollfeld in the northern part of Franconian Switzerland.- Construction :Plans for the construction of this line went back to the 1860s... }}
{{BS-header|Bayreuth–Warmensteinach}}
{{BS-daten>
| DE-KBS=862 (Bayreuth–Weidenberg) 863 (Weidenberg–Warmensteinach) |
STRECKENNR=5000 |
LÄNGE= 22.9 km (14.2 mi) |
SPURWEITE= {{RailGauge|1435}} |
NEIGUNG= |
RADIUS= |
V-MAX= |
BILDPFAD_FOTO= |
PIXEL_FOTO= |
TEXT_FOTO= |
BILDPFAD_KARTE= |
PIXEL_KARTE=
}}
{{BS-table}}
{{BS|STR |
from Schnabelwaid–Bayreuth}}
{{BS|eABZrg |
from HollfeldThe Bayreuth–Hollfeld railway was a branch line in the Bavarian province of Upper Franconia. It ran from Bayreuth to Hollfeld in the northern part of Franconian Switzerland.- Construction :Plans for the construction of this line went back to the 1860s... }}
{{BS|ABZlg |
}
{{BS|ABZlf>
}
{{BS|SBRÜCKE|2,5||
Bundesstraße 2|}}
{{BS|BRÜCKE1|2,8||
Bundesautobahn 9|}}
{{BS|HST|3,6|Laineck|}}
{{BS|HST|4,5|
Friedrichsthal (b Bayreuth)|}}
{{BS|HST|6,9|
DöhlauWeidenberg is a municipality in the district of Bayreuth in Bavaria in Germany. The Ölschnitz river discharges near Weidenberg-Neunkirchen into the Red Main....
|}}
{{BS|HST|10,0|
Untersteinach (b Bayreuth)Weidenberg is a municipality in the district of Bayreuth in Bavaria in Germany. The Ölschnitz river discharges near Weidenberg-Neunkirchen into the Red Main....
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{{BS|HST|11,7|
GörschnitzWeidenberg is a municipality in the district of Bayreuth in Bavaria in Germany. The Ölschnitz river discharges near Weidenberg-Neunkirchen into the Red Main....
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{{BS|KBHFxe|13,9|
WeidenbergWeidenberg is a municipality in the district of Bayreuth in Bavaria in Germany. The Ölschnitz river discharges near Weidenberg-Neunkirchen into the Red Main....
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{{BS|exHST|15,6|Mengersreuth|}}
{{BS|exHST|17,6|Sophienthal|}}
{{BS|exHST|19,8|
ZainhammerWarmensteinach is a municipality in the district of Bayreuth in Bavaria in Germany.From here there is a chairlift, the Ochsenkopf South Chairlift, to the summit of the Ochsenkopf, the second highest mountain in the Fichtelgebirge....
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{{BS|exKBHFe|22,9|
WarmensteinachWarmensteinach is a municipality in the district of Bayreuth in Bavaria in Germany.From here there is a chairlift, the Ochsenkopf South Chairlift, to the summit of the Ochsenkopf, the second highest mountain in the Fichtelgebirge....
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The
Bayreuth–Warmensteinach railway is a
branch lineA branch line is a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line...
in the
BavariaBavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
n province of
Upper FranconiaUpper Franconia is a Regierungsbezirk of the state of Bavaria, southern Germany. It forms part of the historically significant region of Franconia , all now part of the German Federal State of Bayern .With more than 200 independent breweries which brew...
in southern
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It is the last still partially intact of the seven branch lines, that formerly served the
FichtelgebirgeThe Fichtelgebirge is a mountain range in northeastern Bavaria, Germany. It extends from the valley of the Red Main River to the Czech border, a few foothills spilling over into the Czech Republic. It continues in a northeastern direction as the Ore Mountains, and in a southeastern direction as...
.
History
On 1 January 1993 the line from
WeidenbergWeidenberg is a municipality in the district of Bayreuth in Bavaria in Germany. The Ölschnitz river discharges near Weidenberg-Neunkirchen into the Red Main....
to
WarmensteinachWarmensteinach is a municipality in the district of Bayreuth in Bavaria in Germany.From here there is a chairlift, the Ochsenkopf South Chairlift, to the summit of the Ochsenkopf, the second highest mountain in the Fichtelgebirge....
was closed; the official reason being bridge damage. On 10 June 2001 services on the remaining section were withdrawn. It had already been decided to dismantle the line, but this was prevented by its sale to the Deutsche Regionaleisenbahn (DRE). Operations restarted on 5 May 2002; but ceased again on 1 June 2004.
Because the former Bavarian Minister for Transport, Otto Wiesheu, refused to finance this non-federal line with public money, responsibility for the section of the line from Bayreuth to Weidenberg was transferred to the local authorities (Bayreuth district and Markt Weidenberg) under a construction rental agreement on 1 August 2005. By this means financial support could be provided under the community transport finance law. The new leaseholders transferred the operating powers on this section of line to the DRE.
The Bayreuth–Weidenberg section was thoroughly renovated in 2006 and opened to traffic from 10 January 2007 again. Currently seven pairs of trains run daily from Monday to Friday and, from 2011, weekend services will also be introduced.
Reactivated section to Warmensteinach
The extension of railway traffic from Weidenberg to Warmensteinach has currently foundered following a decision by the district of Bayreuth to restrict train services to the Bayreuth–Weidenberg section. As a result the Free State of Bavaria is not prepared to finance the upgrade of the adjoining section of line to Warmensteinach. Nevertheless there are attempts to reverse this district council decision as quickly as possible in order to satisfy the requirements for the renovation of the remaining section.
After initial objections the village of Warmensteinach proposed the reactivation of the remaining stretch of line. The market town of Weidenberg also supported a short-term reactivation of the line as far as the village of Mengersreuth (to date the line is still workable) or Sophienthal. In autumn 2007 the section was freed up and in 2008 a refurbishment plan was to be produced. The bridge at Mengersreuth (closed in 1993) was supposed to be opened again as part of the renovation work.
The reactivation of the line to Warmensteinach is being demanded by individual political parties in order to support the economy and tourism and to improve transport safety. In spring 2009 the Bavarian state parliament (the
LandtagA Landtag is a representative assembly or parliament in German-speaking countries with some legislative authority.- Name :...
) should decide on a proposal for a resolution by the
Fraktion Freie Wähler (Free Voters party).
On 16 August 2010 the Bayreuth district chief executive, Hübner, announced the final closure of the Weidenberg–Warmensteinach section. Due to the high investment costs, which would not be supported by the Free State of Bavaria, and the low numbers of passengers anticipated, renovating the line would not be worthwhile. Instead the bus services in the High Fichtelgebirge would be expanded.
Upper Franconia Diesel Network
The line is part of the Upper Franconia Diesel Network (
Dieselnetz Oberfranken) tendered by the
Bayerische EisenbahngesellschaftBayerische Eisenbahngesellschaft is the passenger transport company for regional railways in Bavaria. Founded in 1995, it is organised as a GmbH wholly owned by the Bavarian Government. The company does not provide any services or own tracks or rolling stock...
on 8 February 2008. This should see the introduction of new vehicles and improved services from 12 June 2011.
External links
{{Bayreuth branch lines}}
{{Fichtelgebirge branch lines}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bayreuth–Warmensteinach Railway}}