Bonn Stadtbahn
Encyclopedia
The Bonn Stadtbahn is a part of the local public transit system in Bonn and the surrounding Rhein-Sieg
area. Although with six actual Stadtbahn
lines and three tram
lines it is relatively small, two of the Stadtbahn lines connect to the much larger Cologne Stadtbahn
(and are numbered according to that system, not Bonn's).
The entire network comprises 125.36 kilometres of trackage, of which 95.84 km are allocated for Stadtbahn use and the remaining 29.52 km are used by the tram network. There are 64 stations. Additionally, 8.5 kilometres of the Stadtbahn and 12 of the stations are located underground.
(the West German
national railway company) there was the independent Cologne-Bonn railway (KBE) and three separate tram concerns:
This arrangement was inexpedient for a city which boasted 140,000 inhabitants and served as the seat of government for West Germany. The existing arrangement faced competition from the development of automobile traffic, and the federal government was anxious to transform Bonn from a provincial town to a modern capital. At the time trams were considered outmoded and un-modern, so the government was willing to provide funds for removal and replacement.
In 1967 the Bonn City Council approved a new transportation plan which included underground railway
(U-Bahn) between Bonn and Bad Godesberg
; the initial ground breaking took place in October of the same year. The overall concept involved a mixed system of streetcars (operated by the SSB) and heavy rail (operated by the KBE). However, the KBE went into financial decline at the end of the decade and survived only with the support of the North Rhine-Westphalia
government; in this environment expansion was impossible. Instead, the railway lines of the KBE would be used to provide a link between Bonn and the Cologne tram network. To this end, new, lighter rolling stock was introduced that would be more suitable on Cologne's Rhine bridges and subway tunnels. The Siegburg lines had already switched to Stadtbahn rolling stock in 1974. On 22 March 1975, the Bonn Stadtbahn was officially inaugurated.
The Bonn Stadtbahn operates over former tram and heavy rail routes, which were either rebuilt for city rail traffic or replaced by underground lines. The only completely new section is the connection over the Südbrücke (South Bridge), which is used by the 66 and 68 on the southbound journey from Bonn Hauptbahnhof
to Ramersdorf and Bad Honnef
.
stop at United Nations place, which is served by all Stadtbahn lines, but not by the tram system. The majority of the line runs through a tunnel constructed in 1975, replacing the BGM-operated tram line which ran aboveground along the Adenauerallee and down to Bad Godesberg
.
The Bonn Stadtbahn is composed of six lines all together, of which four operate regularly and two at peak hours:
Rhein-Sieg
The Rhein-Sieg-Kreis is a Kreis in the south of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis, Oberbergischer Kreis, Altenkirchen, Neuwied, Ahrweiler, Euskirchen, Rhein-Erft-Kreis, the urban district of Cologne...
area. Although with six actual Stadtbahn
Stadtbahn
A ' is a tramway or light railway that includes segments built to rapid transit standards, usually as part of a process of conversion to a metro railway, mainly by the building of tunnels in the central city area....
lines and three tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
lines it is relatively small, two of the Stadtbahn lines connect to the much larger Cologne Stadtbahn
Cologne Stadtbahn
The Cologne Stadtbahn is a light rail system in the German city of Cologne, including several surrounding cities...
(and are numbered according to that system, not Bonn's).
The entire network comprises 125.36 kilometres of trackage, of which 95.84 km are allocated for Stadtbahn use and the remaining 29.52 km are used by the tram network. There are 64 stations. Additionally, 8.5 kilometres of the Stadtbahn and 12 of the stations are located underground.
History
In the middle of the 1960s Bonn lay at the heart of five different railway enterprises. Besides the Deutsche BundesbahnDeutsche Bundesbahn
The Deutsche Bundesbahn or DB was formed as the state railway of the newly established Federal Republic of Germany on September 7, 1949 as a successor of the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft '...
(the West German
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
national railway company) there was the independent Cologne-Bonn railway (KBE) and three separate tram concerns:
- The tram network operated by the city of Bonn (SWB), which had declined in the 1950s.
- The SSB, which operated electrified services in the Rhein-SiegRhein-SiegThe Rhein-Sieg-Kreis is a Kreis in the south of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis, Oberbergischer Kreis, Altenkirchen, Neuwied, Ahrweiler, Euskirchen, Rhein-Erft-Kreis, the urban district of Cologne...
area between Bonn, Beuel, SiegburgSiegburg--122.148.78.228 05:06, 14 November 2011 Siegburg is a city in the district of Rhein-Sieg-Kreis, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany...
, and Bad HonnefBad HonnefBad Honnef is a spa town in Germany near Bonn in the Rhein-Sieg district, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is located on the border of the neighbouring state Rhineland-Palatinate...
. - The BGM, which operated a tram line from Bonn through Bad GodesbergBad GodesbergBad Godesberg is a municipal district of Bonn, southern North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. From 1949 till 1990 , the majority of foreign embassies to Germany were located in Bad Godesberg...
to Mehlem.
This arrangement was inexpedient for a city which boasted 140,000 inhabitants and served as the seat of government for West Germany. The existing arrangement faced competition from the development of automobile traffic, and the federal government was anxious to transform Bonn from a provincial town to a modern capital. At the time trams were considered outmoded and un-modern, so the government was willing to provide funds for removal and replacement.
In 1967 the Bonn City Council approved a new transportation plan which included underground railway
Underground railway
Underground railway may refer to:*The Underground Railroad, a network of clandestine routes by which African slaves in the 19th century United States attempted to escape*Rapid transit, urban railways that sometimes use tunnels...
(U-Bahn) between Bonn and Bad Godesberg
Bad Godesberg
Bad Godesberg is a municipal district of Bonn, southern North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. From 1949 till 1990 , the majority of foreign embassies to Germany were located in Bad Godesberg...
; the initial ground breaking took place in October of the same year. The overall concept involved a mixed system of streetcars (operated by the SSB) and heavy rail (operated by the KBE). However, the KBE went into financial decline at the end of the decade and survived only with the support of the North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
government; in this environment expansion was impossible. Instead, the railway lines of the KBE would be used to provide a link between Bonn and the Cologne tram network. To this end, new, lighter rolling stock was introduced that would be more suitable on Cologne's Rhine bridges and subway tunnels. The Siegburg lines had already switched to Stadtbahn rolling stock in 1974. On 22 March 1975, the Bonn Stadtbahn was officially inaugurated.
Routes
Bonn Hauptbahnhof
is a railway station located on the left bank of the Rhine along the Cologne–Mainz line. It is the principal station serving the city of Bonn. In addition to extensive rail service from Deutsche Bahn it acts as a hub for local bus, tram, and Stadtbahn services....
to Ramersdorf and Bad Honnef
Bad Honnef
Bad Honnef is a spa town in Germany near Bonn in the Rhein-Sieg district, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is located on the border of the neighbouring state Rhineland-Palatinate...
.
Stammstrecke
The "Stammstrecke" (trunk route) is the 4.5 kilometre segment between the Bonn Hbf and the Deutsche TelekomDeutsche Telekom
Deutsche Telekom AG is a telecommunications company headquartered in Bonn, Germany. It is the largest telecommunications company in Europe....
stop at United Nations place, which is served by all Stadtbahn lines, but not by the tram system. The majority of the line runs through a tunnel constructed in 1975, replacing the BGM-operated tram line which ran aboveground along the Adenauerallee and down to Bad Godesberg
Bad Godesberg
Bad Godesberg is a municipal district of Bonn, southern North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. From 1949 till 1990 , the majority of foreign embassies to Germany were located in Bad Godesberg...
.
Stadtbahn
| Line | Route | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 16 | Köln KOLN KOLN, digital channel 10, is the CBS affiliate in Lincoln, Nebraska. It operates a satellite station, KGIN, on digital channel 11 in Grand Island. KGIN repeats all KOLN programming, but airs separate commercials... -Niehl-Sebastianstraße - Köln Hauptbahnhof Köln Hauptbahnhof Köln Hauptbahnhof is the central railway station in Cologne, Germany.The station is an important local, national and international hub, with many ICE, Thalys and Intercity trains calling there, as well as regional RegionalExpress, RegionalBahn and local S-Bahn trains... - Rheinuferbahn - Bonn Hauptbahnhof Bonn Hauptbahnhof is a railway station located on the left bank of the Rhine along the Cologne–Mainz line. It is the principal station serving the city of Bonn. In addition to extensive rail service from Deutsche Bahn it acts as a hub for local bus, tram, and Stadtbahn services.... - Stammstrecke - Bad Godesberg |
in cooperation with Cologne Stadtbahn Cologne Stadtbahn The Cologne Stadtbahn is a light rail system in the German city of Cologne, including several surrounding cities... |
| 18 | Köln-Thielenbruch Thielenbruch (KVB) Thielenbruch station is a terminal and former depot of Cologne Stadtbahn located in the quarter of Dellbrück in Cologne. It is the northern terminus of Stadtbahn lines 3 and 18.- Terminal :... - Köln Hauptbahnhof Köln Hauptbahnhof Köln Hauptbahnhof is the central railway station in Cologne, Germany.The station is an important local, national and international hub, with many ICE, Thalys and Intercity trains calling there, as well as regional RegionalExpress, RegionalBahn and local S-Bahn trains... - Brühl Brühl, North Rhine-Westphalia Brühl is a town in the Rhineland of Germany. It is located in Rhein-Erft-Kreis, 20 km south of Cologne city center and at the edge of Naturpark Kottenforst-Ville Nature Reserve.-History:... – Vorgebirgsbahn – Bonn Hauptbahnhof Bonn Hauptbahnhof is a railway station located on the left bank of the Rhine along the Cologne–Mainz line. It is the principal station serving the city of Bonn. In addition to extensive rail service from Deutsche Bahn it acts as a hub for local bus, tram, and Stadtbahn services.... |
in cooperation with Cologne Stadtbahn |
| 63 | Tannenbusch Tannenbusch Tannenbusch is a section of Bonn, Germany with approx. 17,000 inhabitants. It is split between the subsections Alt-Tannenbusch and Neu-Tannenbusch. The roads in Tannenbusch are almost exclusively named after places in the former East German areas... – Rheinuferbahn – Bonn Hauptbahnhof Bonn Hauptbahnhof is a railway station located on the left bank of the Rhine along the Cologne–Mainz line. It is the principal station serving the city of Bonn. In addition to extensive rail service from Deutsche Bahn it acts as a hub for local bus, tram, and Stadtbahn services.... – Stammstrecke – Bad Godesberg Bonn-Bad Godesberg station Bonn-Bad Godesberg station is on the Left Rhine line in the in the Bonn district of Bad Godesberg in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia.It is a four-track through station, which does not have a “home” platform attached to the station building... |
|
| 66 | Siegburg Siegburg --122.148.78.228 05:06, 14 November 2011 Siegburg is a city in the district of Rhein-Sieg-Kreis, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany... – Siegburg/Bonn Siegburg/Bonn railway station Siegburg/Bonn is a railway station located in Siegburg, Germany. The station is located on the Cologne-Frankfurt high-speed rail line and sees service by several ICE lines as well as Rhine-Ruhr S-Bahn trains... – Bonn Hauptbahnhof Bonn Hauptbahnhof is a railway station located on the left bank of the Rhine along the Cologne–Mainz line. It is the principal station serving the city of Bonn. In addition to extensive rail service from Deutsche Bahn it acts as a hub for local bus, tram, and Stadtbahn services.... – Stammstrecke – Südbrücke – Siebengebirgsbahn – Bad Honnef Bad Honnef Bad Honnef is a spa town in Germany near Bonn in the Rhein-Sieg district, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is located on the border of the neighbouring state Rhineland-Palatinate... |
Nicknamed the "Telekom Express" |
| 67 | Siegburg Siegburg --122.148.78.228 05:06, 14 November 2011 Siegburg is a city in the district of Rhein-Sieg-Kreis, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany... – Siegburg/Bonn Siegburg/Bonn railway station Siegburg/Bonn is a railway station located in Siegburg, Germany. The station is located on the Cologne-Frankfurt high-speed rail line and sees service by several ICE lines as well as Rhine-Ruhr S-Bahn trains... – Bonn Hauptbahnhof Bonn Hauptbahnhof is a railway station located on the left bank of the Rhine along the Cologne–Mainz line. It is the principal station serving the city of Bonn. In addition to extensive rail service from Deutsche Bahn it acts as a hub for local bus, tram, and Stadtbahn services.... – Stammstrecke – Bad Godesberg Bad Godesberg Bad Godesberg is a municipal district of Bonn, southern North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. From 1949 till 1990 , the majority of foreign embassies to Germany were located in Bad Godesberg... |
Weekdays and school days, mornings only |
| 68 | Bornheim Bornheim Bornheim is a town in the Rhein-Sieg district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated on the West bank of the Rhine, approx. 10 km north-west of Bonn, 20 km south of Cologne.... – Vorgebirgsbahn – Bonn Hauptbahnhof Bonn Hauptbahnhof is a railway station located on the left bank of the Rhine along the Cologne–Mainz line. It is the principal station serving the city of Bonn. In addition to extensive rail service from Deutsche Bahn it acts as a hub for local bus, tram, and Stadtbahn services.... – Stammstrecke – Südbrücke – Ramersdorf |
Limited service on weekdays from Bornheim to Ramersdorf; at weekends line terminates at Bonn Hbf |
Tram
In addition to the Stadtbahn three tram lines remain in service:| Line | Route | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 61 | Dottendorf – Bonn Hauptbahnhof Bonn Hauptbahnhof is a railway station located on the left bank of the Rhine along the Cologne–Mainz line. It is the principal station serving the city of Bonn. In addition to extensive rail service from Deutsche Bahn it acts as a hub for local bus, tram, and Stadtbahn services.... – Stadthaus – Auerberg |
|
| 62 | Dottendorf – Bonn Hauptbahnhof Bonn Hauptbahnhof is a railway station located on the left bank of the Rhine along the Cologne–Mainz line. It is the principal station serving the city of Bonn. In addition to extensive rail service from Deutsche Bahn it acts as a hub for local bus, tram, and Stadtbahn services.... – Stadthaus – Bertha-von-Suttner-Platz – Siebengebirgsbahn – Oberkassel |
|
| 65 | Ramersdorf – Siebengebirgsbahn – Bertha-von-Suttner-Platz – Auerberg | Limited service |
External links
- Website der SWB Bus und Bahn (German)
- Bahnen in Bonn – Historie und neue Ideen (German)
- Stadtbahnbetrieb auf den Überlandstrecken zwischen Köln und Bonn (German) (will be closed by Dec 31 2008)
- Fotodokumentation Bonner Haltestellen mit Hintergrundinformationen (German)
- Historical Club SWB – We show history (German & English(Summary))