Nahe Valley Railway

Nahe Valley Railway
Coupled Class 612s leave Ottweiler towards Saarbrücken
Overview
Native name	Nahetalbahn
Line number	3511
Locale	Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland, Germany
Termini	Bingen (Rhein) Hbf Saarbrücken Hbf
Service
Route number	672 (Bingen–Bad Kreuznach) 680 (Bad-Kreuznach–Saarbrücken)
Technical
Line length	141.8 km (88.1 mi)
Number of tracks	2 (throughout)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	15 kV/16.7 Hz AC overhead catenary
Operating speed	160 km/h (99 mph) (max)
Route map Legend Left Rhine Railway from Koblenz 0.0 Bingen (Rhein) Hbf (wedge station) Left Rhine Railway to Gau Algesheim B 9 2.7 Münster-Sarmsheim former line from Hindenburg Bridge A 61 5.9 Laubenheim (Nahe) 8.0 Langenlonsheim Trans-Hunsrück Railway to Simmern 11.5 Bretzenheim (Nahe) B 41 14.6 Bad Kreuznach Gbf Nahe (first of 13 crossings on the line) Strategic railway from Gau Algesheim 16.2 Bad Kreuznach (wedge station) Kreuznach - Am Rheinstein (until 1905) (line to Bad Münster formerly had 4 tracks) Nahe 20.1 Bad Münster am Stein 20.4 Alsenz Valley Railway to Hochspeyer 20.5 B 48 20.7 former Glan Valley Railway to Homburg 22.2 Great Norheim Tunnel (235 m) 22.5 Little Norheim Tunnel (76 m) 23.3 Norheim 25.9 Niederhausen (Nahe) 31.2 Waldböckelheim 33.5 Boos Tunnel (424 m) former Glan Valley Railway (Draisine operations) 35.3 Staudernheim 38.4 Bad Sobernheim 42.7 Monzingen 47.0 Martinstein 49.2 Hochstetten (Nahe) B 41 53.0 Kirn 189 m 56.5 Kirn-Sulzbach (previously Kirnsulzbach) 60.5 Fischbach-Weierbach 63.8 Nahbollenbach 65.6 Gefallener-Fels Tunnel (201 m) 67.9 Idar-Oberstein 264 m 68.5 Homerich Tunnel (388 m) 69.2 Enzweil Tunnel (466 m) 70.2 Enzweiler 73.5 Sonnenberg (Nahe) (closed 1963) 73.6 Frauenberg Tunnel (407 m) 75.3 Kronweiler 75.5 Kupferheck Tunnel (211 m) 77.3 Bockspiel Tunnel (120 m) 77.7 Nohen 79.2 Brämericher Tunnel (209 m) 80.7 Heimbach (Nahe) line to Baumholder 81.3 Jährodt Tunnel (125 m) 82.1 Mausemühle Tunnel (145 m) 83.7 Hoppstädten (Nahe) former line from Birkenfeld 85.7 Neubrücke (Nahe) A 62 Nahe (last of 13 crossings on the line) Rhineland-Palatinate/Saarland border B 41 89.6 Nohfelden former Westrich Railway from Schwarzerden 91.8 Türkismühle 364 m Hochwald Railway to Hermeskeil Walhausen (Saar) / Brunnenstraße 94.6 Walhausen (Saar) 96.0 high point 384.4 m 98.6 Namborn B 41 100.9 Hofeld 103.0 Baltersweiler St. Wendel / Kelsweilerstraße former line from Tholey Blies 106.3 St. Wendel Blies 108.1 Oberlinxweiler Blies (2x) 111.2 Niederlinxweiler Blies (2x) Oster Valley Railway from Schwarzerden 114.8 Ottweiler (Saar) 117.9 Wiebelskirchen Tunnel (313 m) 118.5 Wiebelskirchen line from Homburg 120.6 Neunkirchen (Saar) Hbf (wedge station) Fischbach Valley Railway to Schiffweiler 123.1 Neunkirchen Hbf junction former line to Neunkirchen-Heinitz Königsgrube (mine) former connection to Schiffweiler B 41 124.9 0.0 Landsweiler-Reden Reden Grube (mine) 1.9 Itzenplitz Grube (1860–1958) 127.5 Bildstock (former route until 1955) 127.7 Bildstock Tunnel (old, 481 m) 127.9 Bildstock Tunnel (new, 341 m) (former route until 1955) Friedrichsthal (Saar)-Mitte 129.6 Friedrichsthal (Saar) Sulzbach viaduct, A 8 131,8 Sulzbach (Saar) Altenwald 133.1 Sulzbach (Saar) 136.4 Dudweiler Beginning of freight railway (GUB) 138.5 Jägersfreude A 623 139.0 Saarbrücken marshalling yard N junction Saarbrücken marshalling yard/ freight yard 140.9 Saarbrücken Hbf Srg Saarbrücken marshalling yard W junction (GUB) Palatine Ludwig Railway from Homburg and line from Sarreguemines 141.9 Saarbrücken Hbf Fischbach Valley Railway to Wemmetsweiler Forbach Railway to Metz Saar line to Trier Source: German railway atlas[1]

The Nahe Valley Railway (German: Nahetalbahn) is a two-track, partially electrified main line railway in the German states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland, which runs for almost 100 kilometres along the Nahe. It was built by the Rhine-Nahe Railway Company and connects Bingen am Rhein on the Left Rhine line with Saarbrücken. It was opened between 1858 and 1860 and is one of the oldest railways in Germany. The section south of Bad Kreuznach is part of the regionally important transport corridor between the two major cities of Mainz and Saarbrücken.