Elsenz Valley Railway

Elsenz Valley Railway
Overview
Native name	Elsenztalbahn
Line number	4110 (Neckargemünd–Meckesheim) 4114 (Meckesheim–Bad Fr’hall)
Locale	Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Termini	Neckargemünd Bad Friedrichshall
Service
Route number	665.5/710.41
Technical
Line length	46.4 km (28.8 mi)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Minimum radius	300 m (980 ft)
Electrification	15 kV/16.7 Hz AC overhead
Operating speed	120 km/h (75 mph)
Maximum incline	ca. 2.2%
Route map Legend from Kassel S1S2S5S51 Neckar Valley Railway from Heidelberg 9.760 Neckargemünd 124 m Neckar Valley Railway to Eberbacht and Bad Friedrichshall S1S2 12.370 Waldhilsbach (until ca. 1958) 14.260 Bammental 128 m 14.600 Elsenz 15.058 Reilsheim 131 m 15.200 Reilsheim industrial track (siding) 15.282 Elsenz 17.660 Mauer (b Heidelberg) 135 m 19.800 0.000 Meckesheim 141 m line to Wiesloch (until 1922) Schwarzbach Valley Railway to Aglasterhausen S51 2.809 Zuzenhausen 150 m 6.095 Hoffenheim 152 m 9.993 Sinsheim (Elsenz) S 42 158 m 12.080 Sinsheim Museum/Arena (since 1995) 12.913 Steinsfurt 169 m 13.010 Elsenz to Eppingen S5 19.900 Grombach 244 m 24.866 Babstadt 251 m 27.884 Bad Rappenau siding to Rappenau salt works 28.830 Bad Rappenau Kurpark (since 1 May 2015) 33.802 Bad Wimpfen 168 m 30.864 Bad Wimpfen-Hohenstadt (since 1955[1]) 188 m 35.000 Bad Wimpfen Solvay (siding) 35.305 Bad Wimpfen Im Tal (since 1 May 2015) Bad Wimpfen Neckarbrücke (1947–1952) 35.700 Bridge over the Neckar (211 m) Neckar Valley Railway from Heidelberg–Eberbach S 41 Franconia Railway from Würzburg 36.350 Bad Friedrichshall 155 m Former Lower Kocher Valley Railway to Ohrnberg (until 1993) Franconia Railway to Stuttgart S 41S 42 Source: German railway atlas[2]

The Elsenz Valley Railway (Elsenztalbahn) or Neckargemünd–Bad Friedrichshall railway is an electrified, partly double-tracked main line in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, running from Heidelberg via Sinsheim to Bad Friedrichshall, that, for part of its course, follows the Elsenz river that gives it its name. The crossing stations on the single-tracked sections were controlled by mechanical signal boxes until 2008, but are now controlled by electronic interlockings.

The section from Heidelberg to Meckesheim was opened on 23 October 1862 by the Grand Duchy of Baden State Railway as part of the Odenwald Railway and is one of the oldest railways in Germany. The section from Meckesheim to Bad Rappenau was opened by the Baden State Railway on 25 June 1868 and it was extended to Bad Friedrichshall-Jagstfeld on 5 August 1869.

The line has been electrified to allow the extension of the Rhine-Neckar S-Bahn on the Heidelberg–Steinsfurt section of the line and the operation of Heilbronn Stadtbahn on the section between Sinsheim and Bad Friedrichshall-Jagstfeld.