Regensburg–Hof railway

Regensburg–Oberkotzau Railway
Overview
Native name	Bahnstrecke Regensburg–Oberkotzau
Type	Heavy rail, Passenger rail Regional rail
Status	Operational
Locale	bavaria
Termini	Regensburg Oberkotzau
Stations	28
Line number	5050 (Weiden–Oberkotzau) 5860 (Regensburg–Weiden)
Operation
Opened	Stages between 1859–1882
Owner	Deutsche Bahn
Operator(s)	DB Regio, Vogtlandbahn
Technical
Line length	173.6 km (107.9 mi)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Operating speed	160 km/h (99 mph)
Route number	855

Regensburg Hbf.–Oberkotzau

Legend from Nuremberg Hbf(Nuremberg–Regensburg) from Ingolstadt Hbf(Danube Valley Railway) 0,0 Regensburg Hbf (339 m) B 15 to Munich Hbf(Munich–Regensburg) and Passau Hbf(Regensburg–Passau) to Regensburg river port from the Regensburg–Passau railway 3,2 Danube(342 m) B 8 and B 15 4,? Walhalla Railway 4,? vom Lokalbahnhof Walhallastraße 4,3 Regensburg-Walhallastraße Regensburg-Konradsiedlung 7,5 Regensburg-Wutzlhofen to Falkenstein(Regensburg–Falkenstein) B 16 B 15 11,4 Regendorf 15,1 Regenstauf Regen(136 m) A 93 B 15 24,0 Ponholz 27,2 Maxhütte-Haidhof(wedge station) to Burglengenfeld(Haidhof–Burglengenfeld) 33,1 Loisnitz 36,1 Klardorf from Furth im Wald(Schwandorf–Furth im Wald) B 15 42,6 Schwandorf 43,1 Naab(173 m) B 15 B 85 46,9 Irrenlohe to Nuremberg Hbf(Nuremberg–Schwandorf) Buchtal concrete works goods sidingBuch Valley Railway 50,9 Schwarzenfeld (Oberpf) Nabburg–Schönsee railway from Stulln(Nabburg–Schönsee) 58,3 Nabburg (368 m) 62,8 Pfreimd (372 m) A 93 A 6 69,2 B 14 69,5 Wernberg (382 m) 75,7 Luhe 78,1 Luhe-Wildenau A 93 Haidenaab(50 m) 81,5 Rothenstadt A 93 from Neukirchen (b. S.-R.)(Neukirchen–Weiden) 86,6 0,0 Weiden (Oberpf) to Bayreuth Hbf(Weiden–Bayreuth) B 22 Nachtmann freight siding 5,3 Altenstadt (Waldnaab) 6,1 Neustadt (Waldnaab)(Keilbahnhof) (406 m) to Neustadt (Waldnaab)(Neustadt–Eslarn) B 15 Waldnaab(62 m) Waldnaab(59 m) Waldnaab(72 m) 11,8 Lamplmühle A 93 Waldnaab(90 m) Waldnaab(47 m) 15,4 Windischeschenbach Waldnaab(43 m) Waldnaab(30 m) Waldnaab(51 m) Fichtelnaab(30 m) Fichtelnaab(42 m) from Erbendorf(Reuth–Erbendorf) 22,9 Reuth (b Erbendorf) (464 m) B 299 from Bärnau(Wiesau–Bärnau) 33,3 Wiesau (Oberpf) (506 m) ATW Wiesau goods siding to GRB Mitterteich(Wiesau–Cheb) B 303 41,4 Pechbrunn(formerly Groschlattengrün) from Nuremberg Hbf(Nuremberg–Cheb) 51,1 Marktredwitz (537 m) to Cheb(Nuremberg–Cheb) 54,2 Thölau Viaduct, 161 m from Leupoldsdorf(Holenbrunn–Leupoldsdorf) 58,5 Wunsiedel-Holenbrunn(formerly Holenbrunn) (563 m) to Selb(Holenbrunn–Selb) 62,4 Röslau (584 m) Eger(Viaduct, 99 m) 69,5 Marktleuthen (544 m) from Weißenstadt(Kirchenlamitz–Weißenstadt) 74,6 Kirchenlamitz-Ost (559 m) 81,1 Martinlamitz (520 m) B 289 Lamitz(48 m) from Bamberg(Bamberg–Hof) from Selb-Plößberg(Cheb–Oberkotzau) 87,0 121,6 Oberkotzau(wedge station with the line from Selb) see Bamberg–Hof railway 127,2 Hof Hbf to Bad Steben(Hof–Bad Steben) to Leipzig Hbf(Leipzig–Hof)

The Regensburg–Hof railway is a main line railway, about 180 kilometres long, which links the Upper Palatine regional capital of Regensburg via Schwandorf and Weiden in der Oberpfalz to Marktredwitz and Hof in Upper Franconia. Because the section from Regensburg to Wiesau runs parallel to the River Naab it is also known as the Naab Valley Railway (German: Naabtalbahn). In addition, the section from Marktredwitz to Hof is part of the Franconia-Saxony trunk line (Franken-Sachsen-Magistrale). It was opened between 1859 and 1882 and is one of the oldest railways in Germany.

History

On 12 April 1856, King Maximilian II of Bavaria gave the Bavarian Eastern Railway (German: Königlich privilegirte Actiengesellschaft der bayerischen Ostbahnen) permission to build the southern part of the line from Regensburg to Wiesau and on to Waldsassen. The first section was opened on 12 December 1859 from Regensburg to Schwandorf, (continuing to Hersbruck as the left Pegnitz line). Four years later, on 1 October 1863, the section opened to Weiden. A year later on 15 August 1864 the section from Weiden via Wiesau to Waldsassen was opened to traffic. After the extension from Waldsassen to Cheb (then a mostly German-speaking city called Eger) in Bohemia opened on 15 October 1865 and the connection from Hof to Cheb opened on 1 November 1865, it was possible to travel from Regensburg via Cheb to Hof. This route, however, crossed an international border. Cheb was then in the Austrian Empire and is now in the Czech Republic.

The Bavarian Eastern Railway was taken over by the Bavarian State Railways in 1875. On 15 August 1877, the section from Oberkotzau on the Bamberg–Hof line to Holenbrunn was opened as a branch line. On 15 May 1878, the Nuremberg–Cheb line was opened as far as Marktredwitz. On the same day a connection was completed from Marktredwitz to Oberkotzau. Four years later on 1 June 1882, the gap between Wiesau and Marktredwitz was finally closed. This made it possible to travel from Regensburg to Hof through Bavaria, without passing through Bohemia.

Opening dates

• 12 December 1859 (Regensburg–Irrenlohe, as part of the line to Nuremberg)
• 1 October 1863 (Irrenlohe–Weiden, as part of the line to Cheb)
• 15 August 1864 (Weiden–Wiesau, as part of the line to Cheb)
• 15 August 1877 (Holenbrunn–Oberkotzau, connection to Hof)
• 15 May 1878 (Marktredwitz–Holenbrunn)
• 1 June 1882 (Wiesau–Marktredwitz, closing the gap)