Flieden–Gemünden railway

Flieden–Gemünden railway
Regional train into the Burgsinn station
Overview
Other name(s)	Fulda–Main-Bahn
Native name	Bahnstrecke Flieden–Gemünden
Status	Operational
Owner	Deutsche Bahn
Line number	3825, 3826
Locale	Hesse Bavaria
Termini	Flieden Gemünden (Main)
Stations	9
Service
Type	Heavy rail, Passenger/Freight rail Regional rail
Route number	801
Operator(s)	DB Bahn
Rolling stock	Alstom Coradia (DBAG class 440)
History
Opened	Stages between 1868–1873
Technical
Line length	56.3 km (35.0 mi)
Number of tracks	Double track
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	15 kV/16.7 Hz AC Overhead line
Operating speed	160 km/h (99 mph)
Route map Legend Kinzig Valley Railway from Fulda 0.0 Flieden 314 m Kinzig Valley Railway from Schlüchtern 3.3 A66 5.5 Distelrasen (Flieden-Fulda yards) Schlüchtern–Elm connecting curve 10.2 Elm (former station) 310 m 12.4 Ebertsberg tunnel (232 m) 13.0 Brandenstein tunnel (150 m) 16.6 Vollmerz 18.0 Ramholz tunnel (new, 474 m) 21.6 Sterbfritz 22.2 Sterbfritz tunnel (1092 m) 24.2 Mottgers 29.9 Altengronau Nord 30.2 Ziegenberg tunnel (208 m) former Sinn Valley Railway to Wildflecken 33.2 Jossa 34.0 Ruppertsberg tunnel (321 m) Sinn, Hesse / Bavaria state border 36.4 Obersinn 38.4 Mittelsinn 43.5 Burgsinn to high-speed to Würzburg from high-speed from Hanover 48.3 Rieneck Sinnberg (junction) Rieneck-Tunnel (422 m) 50.4 Rieneck Würzburg ↔ Hannover high-speed line 54.3 Gemünden Zollberg (junction) Main–Spessart railway from/to Aschaffenburg Franconian Saale Valley Railway from Bad Kissingen 55.0 Gemünden Saalebrücke (junction) 56.3 Gemünden (Main) Wern Valley Railway to Waigolshausen Main–Spessart railway to Würzburg Source: German railway atlas[1][page needed]

The Flieden–Gemünden railway is a double track electrified railway line from Fulda, Flieden and Schlüchtern via Jossa to Gemünden am Main. The northern part of the line is in the German state of Hesse and it crosses into Bavaria south of Jossa.

The route runs from Fulda, initially on the same tracks as the line via Hanau to Frankfurt am Main, the Kinzig Valley line. At Flieden it leaves the Kinzig Valley line and runs through the Spessart and Rhön foothills through the closed stations of Elm and Vollmerz, followed by Sterbfritz station, which remains open to passengers, and the abandoned stations of Mottgers and Altengronau Nord before reaching Jossa in the Sinn Valley.

The route mostly follows the Sinn river and runs partly parallel to the Würzburg–Hannover high-speed line. There is a link to the new line south of Burgsinn through the Burgsinn depot. The old 388 metre-long Ramholz tunnel (built 1868-1871) has been replaced by a new 474 metre-long tunnel. The new tunnel was broken through in June 2007.^[2][3] Since 17 June 2008 trains running to the south have used the new tunnel.

The railway line was part of the old North-South line from Hanover to Würzburg. It was opened in 1872. Prior to the opening of the Schlüchtern Tunnel in 1914 all trains between Frankfurt and Fulda on the train Kinzig Valley line had to reverse in Elm.

Regionalbahn trains run between Schlüchtern and Jossa roughly every two hours and roughly hour between Jossa and Gemünden.