Mühlacker station
Encyclopedia
Mühlacker station is in the town of Mühlacker
in the German state of Baden-Württemberg
. It is at the junction of the Karlsruhe–Mühlacker line and the Western Railway
. With its five platform tracks, it is the largest station in Enz district. It is served by InterCity
, regional and Karlsruhe Stadtbahn services.
government decided to build a rail link to the Rhine Valley Railway to connect to Mannheim and the nearby industry. Baden
, however, was more interested in connecting Pforzheim
to its rail network. After years of negotiations between the Kingdom of Württemberg and the Grand Duchy of Baden, an agreement was reached on the route of the Western Railway on 4 December 1850.
The line branched from the Northern Railway in Bietigheim
, running for 23 km until it reached a point between Weilern Eckenweiher Hof and Mühlacker. A station was built there, which would later be the end of a line from Pforzheim. Both settlements were to the south of the town of Dürrmenz. Experts of both countries criticized the route of the line because it prevented the important town of Vaihingen having a well-located station. Baden criticized the location of an important frontier station at a secluded farmhouse. On 1 October 1853 the Royal Württemberg State Railways
(Königlich Württembergischen Staats-Eisenbahnen, KWSt.E.) opened the Western Railway. Unusually for Germany, the new station was named after the locality of Mühlacker, not after the community that it was part of.
As a result of the industrialisation stimulated by the railway, the population of Mühlacker increased so that by 1900 it was larger than Dürrmenz and, in due course, Dürrmenz was renamed Dürrmenz-Mühlacker. From 1859 to 1862, the Western Railway between Bietigheim and Mühlacker was duplicated. From the southwest the Grand Duchy of Baden State Railway
(Großherzoglich Badische Staatseisenbahnen, BadStB) opened its line from Durlach on 1 June 1863. It replaced a horse-drawn bus between Pforzheim and Mühlacker, which was established in October 1853. By 1869 the BadStB had installed a second track on its line.
The new border station consisted of the Württemberg through station and the Baden terminal station. Now Mühlacker had two stations operated by two national railways with their own officials and operating methods. One problem was the design of timetables, as the Württemberg station used Stuttgart
time and the Baden station used Karlsruhe
time. This meant that up to the introduction of the single railway time on 1 April 1893 there was a time difference of three minutes.
In the 1880s, the station won important long-distance traffic. On 5 June 1883 the Orient Express
ran for the first time on the line from Paris Gare de l'Est
to Giurgiu
(now in Romania
). In order to save time train did not stop in Mühlacker from 1901. Duplication of the Mühlacker-Bretten line was completed in 1890. The continuation of the Zabergäu Railway
, which at that time ended in Güglingen
, was proposed in 1897. The new line would run via Sternenfels
, Diefenbach, Freudenstein, Maulbronn
, Schmie and Lienzingen to Mühlacker. The project was rejected the KWSt.E. In 1913, a plan was submitted for a line called the Platten Railway (Plattenbahn) from Renningen
via Friolzheim
to Mühlacker, but it was not supported by the Royal Württemberg State Railways and by 1920 it was no longer being considered.
On 1 April 1920 KWSt.E. and BadStB were integrated in Deutsche Reichsbahn
. This marked the end of the station as a border between different rail systems. In 1921, the boundary posts between the two former zones of the railway station were removed. On 11 November 1930, the town of Dürrmenz-Mühlacker was renamed as Mühlacker at the request of the town council.
In 1941 a new connecting curve was built at the west of the station between the Karlsruhe–Mühlacker line and the Western Railway towards Bruchsal. This allowed trains running from Pforzheim towards Bruchsal to avoid reversing in Mühlacker station and therefore had a strategic advantage for moving troop transports faster towards France. From October 1944, bombing and strafing attacks began on the railways and the trains in the vicinity. Altogether 14 people lost their lives. Tracks and buildings were partially damaged.
During the reconstruction Deutsche Bundesbahn
, electrified the Bietigheim–Mühlacker line. On 6 October 1951 the first electric train ran from Stuttgart. Electric operations were extended on 23 May 1954 to Bretten
and on 1 June 1958 to Karlsruhe
. In the 1960s plans were developed for a Mannheim–Stuttgart high-speed line. It was eventually decided to build a station on the line at Vaihingen
, not Mühlacker. The commissioning of the new line on 2 June 1991 meant that only a few express trains continued to run through Mühlacker.
From 1997 some Karlsruhe Stadtbahn services on line S 9 ran from Bretten to Mühlacker and on 30 May 1999 all S 9 trains ran to and terminated in Mühlacker. The former border station resumed its old role as a nodal point with dense regular interval operations and long-distance connections.
The Württemberg station building was originally a two-story building with a pitched roof. A striking feature of the Western Railway stations was their entrances, which were highlighted with alternating red and yellow sandstone. In 1885 the KWSt.E. added one floor to the building and added an extension on the eastern side. The single-storey extension provided working space for the post office.
In 1863 the BadStB established its entrance building at the former station garden. The building has a three-story centre section with a hipped roof. It is bordered on the right and left by two two-story buildings.
Mühlacker station is classified by Deutsche Bahn
as a category 4 station
.
The signal box in Mühlacker has an interlocking of class SpDrL30.
Mühlacker
Mühlacker is a town in the eastern part of the Enz district in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. Mühlacker station has direct rail connections with Stuttgart, Karlsruhe, Heidelberg, Pforzheim and the Northern Black Forest....
in the German state of Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
. It is at the junction of the Karlsruhe–Mühlacker line and the Western Railway
Württemberg Western Railway
The Western Railway in Württemberg was opened in 1853 and ran from Bietigheim-Bissingen to Bruchsal. It was the first railway link between the states of Württemberg and Baden in Germany and one of the oldest lines in Germany....
. With its five platform tracks, it is the largest station in Enz district. It is served by InterCity
Intercity (Deutsche Bahn)
Intercity is the second-highest train classification in Germany, after the ICE. Intercity services are loco-hauled express services, usually over long-distances. There are Intercity routes throughout Germany, and routes generally operate with a two-hour frequency, with multiple routes giving a more...
, regional and Karlsruhe Stadtbahn services.
History
In the 1840s the WürttembergWürttemberg
Württemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg or Wurtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....
government decided to build a rail link to the Rhine Valley Railway to connect to Mannheim and the nearby industry. Baden
Baden
Baden is a historical state on the east bank of the Rhine in the southwest of Germany, now the western part of the Baden-Württemberg of Germany....
, however, was more interested in connecting Pforzheim
Pforzheim
Pforzheim is a town of nearly 119,000 inhabitants in the state of Baden-Württemberg, southwest Germany at the gate to the Black Forest. It is world-famous for its jewelry and watch-making industry. Until 1565 it was the home to the Margraves of Baden. Because of that it gained the nickname...
to its rail network. After years of negotiations between the Kingdom of Württemberg and the Grand Duchy of Baden, an agreement was reached on the route of the Western Railway on 4 December 1850.
The line branched from the Northern Railway in Bietigheim
Bietigheim-Bissingen station
Bietigheim-Bissingen station is a junction station in the town of Bietigheim-Bissingen in the German state of Baden-Württemberg where the Württemberg Western Railway separates from the Franconia Railway. With its eight station tracks it is the largest station in the district of Ludwigsburg...
, running for 23 km until it reached a point between Weilern Eckenweiher Hof and Mühlacker. A station was built there, which would later be the end of a line from Pforzheim. Both settlements were to the south of the town of Dürrmenz. Experts of both countries criticized the route of the line because it prevented the important town of Vaihingen having a well-located station. Baden criticized the location of an important frontier station at a secluded farmhouse. On 1 October 1853 the Royal Württemberg State Railways
Royal Württemberg State Railways
The Royal Württemberg State Railways were the state railways of the Kingdom of Württemberg between 1843 and 1920...
(Königlich Württembergischen Staats-Eisenbahnen, KWSt.E.) opened the Western Railway. Unusually for Germany, the new station was named after the locality of Mühlacker, not after the community that it was part of.
As a result of the industrialisation stimulated by the railway, the population of Mühlacker increased so that by 1900 it was larger than Dürrmenz and, in due course, Dürrmenz was renamed Dürrmenz-Mühlacker. From 1859 to 1862, the Western Railway between Bietigheim and Mühlacker was duplicated. From the southwest the Grand Duchy of Baden State Railway
Grand Duchy of Baden State Railway
The Grand Duchy of Baden was an independent state in what is now southwestern Germany until the creation of the German Empire in 1871. It had its own state-owned railway company, the Grand Duchy of Baden State Railways , which was founded in 1840...
(Großherzoglich Badische Staatseisenbahnen, BadStB) opened its line from Durlach on 1 June 1863. It replaced a horse-drawn bus between Pforzheim and Mühlacker, which was established in October 1853. By 1869 the BadStB had installed a second track on its line.
The new border station consisted of the Württemberg through station and the Baden terminal station. Now Mühlacker had two stations operated by two national railways with their own officials and operating methods. One problem was the design of timetables, as the Württemberg station used Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
time and the Baden station used Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe
The City of Karlsruhe is a city in the southwest of Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg, located near the French-German border.Karlsruhe was founded in 1715 as Karlsruhe Palace, when Germany was a series of principalities and city states...
time. This meant that up to the introduction of the single railway time on 1 April 1893 there was a time difference of three minutes.
In the 1880s, the station won important long-distance traffic. On 5 June 1883 the Orient Express
Orient Express
The Orient Express is the name of a long-distance passenger train service originally operated by the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits. It ran from 1883 to 2009 and is not to be confused with the Venice-Simplon Orient Express train service, which continues to run.The route and rolling stock...
ran for the first time on the line from Paris Gare de l'Est
Gare de l'Est
is one of the six large SNCF termini in Paris. It is in the 10th arrondissement, not far from the Gare du Nord, facing the Boulevard de Strasbourg, part of the north-south axis of Paris created by Baron Haussmann...
to Giurgiu
Giurgiu
Giurgiu is the capital city of Giurgiu County, Romania, in the Greater Wallachia. It is situated amid mud-flats and marshes on the left bank of the Danube facing the Bulgarian city of Rousse on the opposite bank. Three small islands face the city, and a larger one shelters its port, Smarda...
(now in Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
). In order to save time train did not stop in Mühlacker from 1901. Duplication of the Mühlacker-Bretten line was completed in 1890. The continuation of the Zabergäu Railway
Zabergäu Railway
The Zabergäu Railway was a spur line from the Franconia Railway. It ran for 20.3 km from Lauffen am Neckar to Leonbronn through an area known as the Zabergäu...
, which at that time ended in Güglingen
Güglingen
Güglingen is a town in the district of Heilbronn in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. It is situated 18 km southwest of Heilbronn.-Geography:Güglingen is situated in a valley called Zabergäu in the southwest district of Heilbronn....
, was proposed in 1897. The new line would run via Sternenfels
Sternenfels
Sternenfels, consisting of the villages of Diefenbach and Sternenfels, is the most northern municipality in the Enz in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. The town is located at the border of the Kraichgau and Stromberg regions. Sternenfels is considered a showcase village and was mentioned in several...
, Diefenbach, Freudenstein, Maulbronn
Maulbronn
Maulbronn is a city in the district of Enz in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany.-History:Founded in 1838, it emerged from a settlement, built around a monastery, which belonged to the Neckar Community in the Kingdom of Württemberg. In 1886, Maulbronn officially became a German town and was an...
, Schmie and Lienzingen to Mühlacker. The project was rejected the KWSt.E. In 1913, a plan was submitted for a line called the Platten Railway (Plattenbahn) from Renningen
Renningen station
Renningen station serves the town of Renningen in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is at the junction of the Rankbach Railway and the Württemberg Black Forest Railway...
via Friolzheim
Friolzheim
Friolzheim is a town in the district of Enz in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. The 47 metre tall telecommunications tower, Friolzheimer Riese is located here....
to Mühlacker, but it was not supported by the Royal Württemberg State Railways and by 1920 it was no longer being considered.
On 1 April 1920 KWSt.E. and BadStB were integrated in Deutsche Reichsbahn
Deutsche Reichsbahn
Deutsche Reichsbahn was the name of the following two companies:* Deutsche Reichsbahn, the German Imperial Railways during the Weimar Republic, the Third Reich and the immediate aftermath...
. This marked the end of the station as a border between different rail systems. In 1921, the boundary posts between the two former zones of the railway station were removed. On 11 November 1930, the town of Dürrmenz-Mühlacker was renamed as Mühlacker at the request of the town council.
In 1941 a new connecting curve was built at the west of the station between the Karlsruhe–Mühlacker line and the Western Railway towards Bruchsal. This allowed trains running from Pforzheim towards Bruchsal to avoid reversing in Mühlacker station and therefore had a strategic advantage for moving troop transports faster towards France. From October 1944, bombing and strafing attacks began on the railways and the trains in the vicinity. Altogether 14 people lost their lives. Tracks and buildings were partially damaged.
During the reconstruction Deutsche Bundesbahn
Deutsche 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 '...
, electrified the Bietigheim–Mühlacker line. On 6 October 1951 the first electric train ran from Stuttgart. Electric operations were extended on 23 May 1954 to Bretten
Bretten station
Bretten station is the centre of rail transport in the town of Bretten in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. The Württemberg Western Railway and the Kraichgau line cross at the station.-History :...
and on 1 June 1958 to Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe Hauptbahnhof
is the central railway station in the German city of Karlsruhe. The station is classified as one of the major Category 1 stations in Germany, due to its function as a hub connecting several railway lines with each other.- History :...
. In the 1960s plans were developed for a Mannheim–Stuttgart high-speed line. It was eventually decided to build a station on the line at Vaihingen
Vaihingen (Enz) station
Vaihingen station is a long-distance and the regional station at an important railway junction in the town of Vaihingen an der Enz in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is classified by Deutsche Bahn as a category 3 station....
, not Mühlacker. The commissioning of the new line on 2 June 1991 meant that only a few express trains continued to run through Mühlacker.
From 1997 some Karlsruhe Stadtbahn services on line S 9 ran from Bretten to Mühlacker and on 30 May 1999 all S 9 trains ran to and terminated in Mühlacker. The former border station resumed its old role as a nodal point with dense regular interval operations and long-distance connections.
Reception Building
The two historical station buildings in Mühlacker have survived. They are the Württemberg station building on platform track 1 and the Baden railway station building on platform track 50.The Württemberg station building was originally a two-story building with a pitched roof. A striking feature of the Western Railway stations was their entrances, which were highlighted with alternating red and yellow sandstone. In 1885 the KWSt.E. added one floor to the building and added an extension on the eastern side. The single-storey extension provided working space for the post office.
In 1863 the BadStB established its entrance building at the former station garden. The building has a three-story centre section with a hipped roof. It is bordered on the right and left by two two-story buildings.
Railway operations
The station is a railway junction where the Karlsruhe–Mühlacker line meets the Württemberg Western Railway. Platform track 1 serves trains towards Vaihingen (Enz), while track 2 serves trains toward Pforzheim. On track 3 Karlsruhe Stadtbahn trains start on the line to Bretten. Track 4 is only used by non-stopping trains and this side of the platform is blocked by a railing. Regional trains to Bretten stop on track 5. Track 6 is a passing loop with no platform for trains to Bretten. Track 50 is the last track of the Baden Railway’s former terminal station, which once had four tracks. At the eastern end of the platform there is a connection to track 1. Stadtbahn trains to Pforzheim start on track 50.Mühlacker station is classified by Deutsche Bahn
Deutsche Bahn
Deutsche Bahn AG is the German national railway company, a private joint stock company . Headquartered in Berlin, it came into existence in 1994 as the successor to the former state railways of Germany, the Deutsche Bundesbahn of West Germany and the Deutsche Reichsbahn of East Germany...
as a category 4 station
German railway station categories
About 5,400 railway stations in Germany that are owned and operated by the Deutsche Bahn subsidiary DB Station&Service are assigned into seven categories, denoting the service level available at the station....
.
The signal box in Mühlacker has an interlocking of class SpDrL30.
Long distance services
| Route | Frequency | |
|---|---|---|
| (Basel Basel SBB railway station Basel SBB is the central railway station in the city of Basel in Switzerland. Trains run by the Swiss Federal Railways to destinations within Switzerland use this station, as well as Deutsche Bahn Intercity-Express trains to Germany as well as Zürich and Interlaken... – Freiburg – Offenburg Offenburg station Offenburg station is in Baden-Wurttemberg and has seven tracks on four platforms. Offenburg used to be railway town and the station was of major economic importance to it. In recent years the maintenance facilities and much of the rail freight yards have been closed... –) Karlsruhe Karlsruhe Hauptbahnhof is the central railway station in the German city of Karlsruhe. The station is classified as one of the major Category 1 stations in Germany, due to its function as a hub connecting several railway lines with each other.- History :... – Pforzheim Pforzheim Hauptbahnhof is the main station in the city of Pforzheim in the German state of Baden-Württemberg.-Rail services :Pforzheim Hauptbahnhof is served by several lines operated at regular intervals, including an Interregio-Express/ Regional-Express line, a Regionalbahn line and two Karlsruhe Stadtbahn lines... – Mühlacker – Stuttgart Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof is the Hauptbahnhof of the city of Stuttgart, the capital of the Land of Baden-Württemberg, in southwestern Germany. It is the largest regional and long-distance railway station in Stuttgart, the main node of the Stuttgart S-Bahn network, and, together with the halt at Charlottenplatz, the main... – Aalen Aalen station Aalen station is a junction on the Rems Railway from Stuttgart, the Brenz Railway from Ulm, the Upper Jagst Railway to Crailsheim and Ries Railway to Donauwörth... – Nuremberg Nürnberg Hauptbahnhof Nuremberg Central Station is the main railway station for the city of Nuremberg in Germany. It is the largest station in north Bavaria and belongs to the 20 stations in the highest category of importance allocated by DB Station&Service.... |
120 minutes | |
Regional services
| Route | Frequency | |
|---|---|---|
| align="center" | | Stuttgart – Vaihingen Vaihingen (Enz) station Vaihingen station is a long-distance and the regional station at an important railway junction in the town of Vaihingen an der Enz in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is classified by Deutsche Bahn as a category 3 station.... – Mühlacker – Pforzheim – Karlsruhe-Durlach Karlsruhe-Durlach station Karlsruhe-Durlach station is the second largest station in the city of Karlsruhe in the German state of Baden-Württemberg after Karlsruhe Hauptbahnhof... – Karlsruhe Karlsruhe Hauptbahnhof is the central railway station in the German city of Karlsruhe. The station is classified as one of the major Category 1 stations in Germany, due to its function as a hub connecting several railway lines with each other.- History :... |
120 minutes |
| align="center" | | Stuttgart – Ludwigsburg Ludwigsburg station Ludwigsburg station is in Ludwigsburg in the German state of Baden-Württemberg on the Franconia Railway and the Backnang–Bietigheim line. It is served by regional trains and the Stuttgart S-Bahn. Until 2005 the Ludwigsburg–Markgröningen lines also connected to the station... – Bietigheim Bietigheim-Bissingen station Bietigheim-Bissingen station is a junction station in the town of Bietigheim-Bissingen in the German state of Baden-Württemberg where the Württemberg Western Railway separates from the Franconia Railway. With its eight station tracks it is the largest station in the district of Ludwigsburg... – Vaihingen – Mühlacker – Pforzheim – Karlsruhe-Durlach – Karlsruhe |
120 minutes |
| align="center" | | Stuttgart – Ludwigsburg – Bietigheim – Vaihingen – Mühlacker – Bretten Bretten station Bretten station is the centre of rail transport in the town of Bretten in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. The Württemberg Western Railway and the Kraichgau line cross at the station.-History :... – Bruchsal Bruchsal station Bruchsal station is the centre of the rail transport in the city of Bruchsal in the German state of Baden-Württemberg.-History :The original station of the baroque town of Bruchsal opened on 10 April 1843 as part of the Karlsruhe–Heidelberg section of the old Baden main line, which eventually... – Heidelberg Heidelberg Hauptbahnhof is the central station for Heidelberg. In 2005 it was used by 30,472 passengers daily and is one of the largest passenger stations in Baden-Wurttemberg. The main station entrance opened in 1955 in Willy-Brandt-Platz in the western district of Heidelberg, on the edge of the district. Diagonally... |
120 minutes |
Stadtbahn
| Line | Route |
|---|---|
| (Wörth Wörth am Rhein Wörth am Rhein is a municipality in the southernmost part of the district of Germersheim, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the left bank of the Rhine, approx. 10 km west of the city center of Karlsruhe and just north of the German-French border.... –) Karlsruhe-Knielingen – Karlsruhe Entenfang – Karlsruhe-Durlach – Pforzheim – Mühlacker – Vaihingen (Enz) – Bietigheim (at 60 minute intervals) |
|
| Bruchsal – Bretten – Mühlacker (at 60 minute intervals) |