Freiburg freight bypass railway
The Freiburg freight bypass (right) branches off the Rhine valley railway at Gundelfingen
Overview
Line number	4312 (Gundelfingen–Leutersberg junctions) 4313 (Freiburg goods yard–Freiburg Messe/Uni)
Locale	Baden-Württemberg
Service
Route number	(only freight)
History
Opened	4 September 1905 (1905-09-04)
Technical
Line length	11.1 km (6.9 mi)
Number of tracks	2 (throughout)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	15 kV/16.7 Hz AC overhead catenary
Route map Rhine Valley Railway from Offenburg Gundelfingen 0.0 Gundelfingen junction Rhine Valley Railway to Freiburg Hbf 3.7 Freiburg freight yard Breisach line ↔ Freiburg Hbf until 1945 Dreisam 8.1 Freiburg Süd Rhine Valley Railway from Freiburg Hbf 11.1 Leutersberg (junction) Rhine Valley Railway to Basel Source: German railway atlas[1]

The Freiburg freight bypass railway is a line used only for freight transport to the west of Freiburg im Breisgau. The freight bypass railway allows freight trains to bypass the busy Freiburg Central Station (Hauptbahnhof) on a separate, direct line.

The freight bypass railway is classified as a main railway line and the whole line is double track and electrified with overhead wiring. It has the highest German track class of D4, which means that the line is built for axle loads of 22.5 tonnes and loads of 8.0 tonnes per metre of train.

The PZB 90 intermittent cab signalling system is used on the freight bypass railway. This contrasts with the parallel Rhine Valley Railway, which is protected by the LZB train protection system.

History

The Freiburg freight yard was built between 1901 and 1905 to overcome congestion at Freiburg station. The original location proposed was south of the main station on the Rhine Valley Railway, but because it provoked protests from the surrounding population, an undeveloped site west of central Freiburg was used instead.

Since this area was far from the existing railway facilities, it was connected by a new railway line, which is linked in the north and south of Freiburg with the Rhine Valley line. The new route could be built as a straight line, so it is a kilometre shorter than the old line via the central station.

The freight bypass railway was inaugurated on 4 September 1905.

Today's situation

As part of the new Karlsruhe–Basel high-speed railway, a new bypass of Freiburg is currently being planned for high-speed traffic to the west, broadly along the A 5 autobahn.

References