West Rhine Railway

West Rhine Railway
Overview
Other name(s)Left Rhine Railway
Native nameLinke Rheinstrecke
Line number2630
LocaleNorth Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse, Germany
Termini
Service
Route number470
Technical
Line length152 km (94 mi)
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge
Electrification15 kV/16.7 Hz AC Overhead catenary
Operating speed160 km/h (99 mph) (max)
Maximum incline< 0.02%
Route map

km
Köln Messe/Deutz
2.0
Cologne Central
0.4
1.1
Köln West
3.2
Köln Süd
│Köln Süd junction
3.0
Cöln-Pantaleon
5.8
Köln Eifeltor
8.0
Köln Eifeltor container terminal
9.4
Hürth-Kalscheuren
10.1
Hürth-Kalscheuren Südkopf junction
12.9
Brühl freight station
to Vorgebirge Railway [de] (to Vochem)
14.6
Brühl
19.5
Sechtem
25.8
Roisdorf
Voreifel Railway to Euskirchen
31.1
Bonn goods
31.9
Bonn
Bonn UN Campus
37.2
Bonn-Bad Godesberg Nord
39.0
Bonn-Bad Godesberg
41.3
Bonn-Mehlem
43.6
Bonn Neuer Weg
45.9
Rolandseck
48.2
Oberwinter
52.7
Remagen
Ahrbrücke junction
to Ahr Valley Railway
56.7
Sinzig
62.5
Bad Breisig
65.7
Brohl
69.2
Namedy
73.2
Andernach
76.9
Weißenthurm
81.6
Urmitz
Koblenz substation siding
87.0
Koblenz-Lützel Nord
89.4
Koblenz-Lützel
port railway
Koblenz Rheinbahnhof [de]
freight to Moselle line
Koblenz-Stadtmitte
Pfaffendorf Bridge (now road bridge)
to East Rhine Railway
91.2
Koblenz
94.3
Königsbach
99.8
Rhens
103.3
Spay
Hunsrück Railway to Emmelshausen
110.7
Boppard
115.6
Boppard-Bad Salzig
119.4
Boppard-Hirzenach
122.4
Werlau
125.3
St. Goar
Bank tunnel (367 m)
127.4
Urbar Nord
Bett tunnel (236 m)
Kammereck tunnel (289 m)
128.8
Urbar Süd
132.1
Oberwesel
138.5
Bacharach
142.0
Niederheimbach
146.6
Trechtingshausen
150.6
Bingen Vorbf
152.0
Bingen (Rhein)
152.4
0.0
Nahe
Prussia
Hesse
former
border
1.0
Bingen (Rhein) Stadt
4.6
Bingen-Gaulsheim
9.4
Gau Algesheim
Selz Valley Railway [de]
to Jugenheim-Partenheim
12.5
Ingelheim
17.5
Heidesheim (Rheinhessen)
20.2
Uhlerborn
23.1
Budenheim
Bundesautobahn 643 number.svg
A 643
Lenneberg viaduct
27.3
Mainz-Mombach
30.6
Mainz
Main Railway to Frankfurt
km
Source: German railway atlas[1]

The West Rhine railway (German: Linke Rheinstrecke, literally 'left (bank of the) Rhine route') is a famously picturesque, double-track electrified railway line running for 185 km from Cologne via Bonn, Koblenz, and Bingen to Mainz. It is situated close to the western (left) bank of the river Rhine and mostly aligned to allow 160 km/h operation between Cologne and Koblenz and between Bingen and Mainz. Line speed between Koblenz and Bingen is restricted by the meandering nature of the Rhine Gorge, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

  1. ^ Eisenbahnatlas Deutschland (German railway atlas). Schweers + Wall. 2009. ISBN 978-3-89494-139-0.