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Heilbronn, Germany: Stadtbahn

Description

Heilbronn abandoned its original streetcar system during 1951-1955, replacing them in part with electric trolleybuses, which were in turn replaced with diesel buses at the end of 1960.

In the early 1990s, stimulated by the example of nearby Karlsruhe, planning began for a new electric Stadtbahn system that would use existing railway tracks as well as new tracks. In September 1999, Karlsruhe's route S4 was extended to Heilbronn's main railroad statin (Hauptbahnhof), and in July 2001, along Kaiserstraße through the center of Heilbronn to the Harmonie station. In late 2004 there was another short extension to Pfühlpark, bringing the length of route S4 from Karlsruhe to 73 km (45 miles). A further 27-km cross-country extension to Öhringen is now being completed, and should open sometime in 2005. Routes from Heilbronn to other nearby towns have been proposed.

As in Karlsruhe, the Stadtbahn trains are operated by the Albtal-Verkehrs-Gesellschaft (AVG). They use 750 V DC in the inner-city section, and 15000 V AC when running on railroad tracks. In addition to the cross-country services to Karlsruhe (one all-stops train and one express train per hour on weekdays), there are local trains (twice per hour on weekdays) that run westward only as far as Schwaigern West, producing a combined local service of three trains per hour (every 20 minutes). (This is per the timetable of December 2004.)

From Heilbronn to Eppingen, the Stadtbahn is under the Heilbronner Verkehrsverbund (HNV), and from Eppingen to Karlsruhe, under the Karlsruher Verkehrsverbund (KVV), with separate fare structures and ticketing systems. Like most German transit systems, the HNV and the KVV offer a bewildering variety of individual and group tickets, as well as unlimited-travel tickets for periods ranging from one day to a full year, all with fares based on distance using a zone system.

Within the HNV, single adult tickets cost 1.70 to 5.20 € depending on distance. A Tageskarte that allows unlimited travel for one day within the HNV region costs 9.20 €.

For a trip from Heilbronn to Karlsruhe or vice versa, the simplest alternative, assuming a round trip, is probably the Regio-X ticket (11.00 €), which allows unlimited travel for 24 hours within the entire KVV system, plus the Stadtbahn routes that extend outside the KVV, including the S4 and S41 to Heilbronn.

Pictures

These pictures were taken on 17 June 2004, during a brief visit on an excursion from Karlsruhe.

[picture] An S41 train is about to leave the end of the line (at that time), Heilbronn-Harmonie, a couple of minutes past its scheduled departure time of 1:49 pm. It is scheduled to reach Karlsruhe Marktplatz at 3:33 pm, and finally Freudenstadt in the Black Forest at 5:32 pm, a distance of about 150 km (93 miles) in 3 hours and 43 minutes. In the December 2004 timetable change, this through-routing was eliminated because of problems maintaining the schedule.

Another problem with such long journeys is pointed out on the Stadtbahn Heilbronn FAQ page:

It's a long way to Karlsruhe or the Black Forest. Why are there no toilets in the Stadtbahn cars despite the long travel times — the ones in the bistro cars are always closed?

The problem will be resolved in the coming year. The Stadtbahn will get new cars, and they will be equipped with toilets. In that connection the AVG is now working on a servicing concept, that foresees servicing stations in Eppingen and at the Albtalbahnhof [in Karlsruhe]. That's why the toilets in the bistro cars cannot be used either, so far — there are no servicing stations along the route.

[picture] The train in the preceding trip has just started its trip and passed us as it crosses the Allee and enters Kaiserstraße. We can now see that the rear car is a RegioBistro with a café in the center unit. I've read that the food service turned out to be unprofitable, and has therefore been discontinued.

[picture] A few blocks further on, an eastbound S41 train passes the Heilbronn city hall (Rathaus).

[picture] A westbound local S4 train to Schwaigern West leaves the Kaiserstraße pedestrian/transit zone.

[picture] Just after leaving the Heilbronn railroad station, an eastbound S4 or S41 train crosses the Neckar River.

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This page was last updated on 16 January 2005, and reviewed on 16 May 2005.

Presbyterian College > Academic Web Server > Jon Bell > Transit > (Cities | Types) > Heilbronn

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