Buchloe–Lindau railway
Class 218 with TEE 66 in Geltendorf
Overview
Native name	Bayerische Allgäubahn
Line number	5362
Locale	Bavaria, Germany
Service
Route number	970
Technical
Line length	152.938 km (95.031 mi)
Number of tracks	2
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Minimum radius	273 m (896 ft)
Electrification	15 kV/16.7 Hz AC overhead catenary (Hergatz–Lindau-Aeschach)
Operating speed	160 km/h (99 mph)
Maximum incline	1.0%
Route map km elev from Augsburg from Munich 0.000 Buchloe 617 m to Memmingen 6.904 Jengen-Beckstetten 641 m 12.167 Pforzen 663 m Dynamit AG siding (1940–1954) former Irsee mine railway 15.146 Leinau 664 m from Schongau (until 1977) Wertach 20.289 Kaufbeuren 680 m 25.185 Biessenhofen siding to Füssen 25.692 Biessenhofen 700 m 29.894 Ruderatshofen 722 m 33.684 Aitrang (siding, former station) 747 m 38.190 St. Alban 43.755 Günzach 801 m 48.440 Bk Immenthal (until 1975) 53.632 Wildpoldsried 722 m 56.788 Betzigau 722 m 59.080 Bk Lenzfried (until 1974) 61.901 from Neu-Ulm 61.935 from Pfronten-Steinach Upper Iller bridges 62.833 Kempten (Allgäu) Hbf (until 1969) 695 m 62.457 Kempten (Allgäu) Hbf (since 1969) 705 m to Isny 64.400 Workshop 65.050 Eich 66.362 Kempten-Hegge 711 m Waltenhofener Bach 69.379 Waltenhofen 718 m 74.340 Martinszell (Allgäu) formerly Oberdorf 736 m 76.985 to Werdensteiner Moos peat store siding 78.648 Seifen (Schwab) 710 m Konstanzer Ach from Oberstdorf 84.490 Immenstadt 731 m 86.550 Bühl a Alpsee 91.692 Ratholz 733 m 96.635 Thalkirchdorf 757 m 100.784 Oberstaufen tunnel (160 m) 101.338 Oberstaufen 789 m Obere Argen 108.423 Harbatshofen 111.858 Ellhofen Tobel bridge (162 m) Rentershofen embankment from Weiler (Allgäu) (until 1991) 114.385 Röthenbach (Allgäu) 705 m to Scheidegg (until 1993) 119.062 Heimenkirch 665 m 121.200 Biesenberg 123.597 Opfenbach 614 m 125.312 Hämmerle bridge (Leiblach, 163 m) 126.211 Maria Thann 590 m 127.520 Wohmbrechts from Kißlegg 129.842 Hergatz 555 m 135.533 Hergensweiler 527 m 139.070 Schlachters 512 m 139.070 Weißensberg crossover 141.080 Rehlings 144.828 Oberreitnau 470 m 147.560 Lindau-Schönau 148.320 Bk Taubenberg 148.926 Bodolz 151.170 Lindau-Aeschach from Friedrichshafen Stadt 151.518 Lindau-Aeschach junction (formerly Holben) Aeschach Curve Lindau-Reutin to Bludenz Bodensee embankment 152.938 Lindau-Insel 399 m km elev Source: German railway atlas[1]

The Buchloe–Lindau railway is a double-track, largely non-electrified main line in the German state of Bavaria. It runs through the Allgäu from Buchloe to Lindau in Lake Constance via Kaufbeuren and Kempten. Together with the connecting Munich–Buchloe railway it is known in German as the Bayerische Allgäubahn (Bavarian Allgäu railway).

The Royal Bavarian State Railways (Königlich Bayerischen Staatseisenbahnen) put the line into operation between 1847 and 1854 as part of the Ludwig South-North Railway (Ludwig-Süd-Nord-Bahn). The Hergatz–Lindau section was electrified between 2018 and 2020 as part of the Munich–Lindau upgraded line project, which uses a shorter but largely single-track route via Memmingen.

History

The line from Buchloe to Lindau was built as part of the Ludwig South-North Railway from Hof via Augsburg and Kempten to Lindau. The first 20.3 kilometres from Buchloe to Kaufbeuren were opened to traffic on 1 September 1847. This was followed by the 42.52 km over the King Louis Bridge (König-Ludwig-Brücke, later replaced by the Upper Iller bridge—Obere Illerbrücke) to the former Kempten terminus on 1 April 1852. The 21.66 km to Immenstadt were added on 1 May 1853. Another 16.85 km section to Oberstaufen were inaugurated on 1 September 1853 and the next 49.8 km to the Lindau suburb of Aeschach on 12 October 1853. The last 1.8 km section from Aeschach via the Bodensee embankment to the Lindau Stadt (Lindau town) terminus on the island of Lindau finally went into operation on 1 March 1854.^[2] Duplication of the original single track was completed in 1907.

Until the journey times between Munich and Lindau was reduced by around 30 minutes with the introduction of DB Class V 200 diesel locomotives in the mid-1960s, the line was operated with steam locomotives. The former Bavarian S 3/6 (later class 18) locomotives provided high-quality, international express train services here for many decades. They were still used for express services at the end of 1967.

From 23 May 1954 to 31 May 1958, railway buses ran from Augsburg and Biessenhofen via Pforzen, continuing for a short time to run by rail to Roßhaupten, before reaching Füssen by road.

The Bundesbahn Central Offices tested almost every diesel locomotive class was on the line because of its hilly profile. These included the one-off 232 001 (later class V 320 001), which was subsequently operated as Deutsche Bundesbahn's only six-axle diesel locomotive.

From 1975, Deutsche Bundesbahn intended to electrify the route between Munich and Lindau, although this was not implemented. The relocation of Lindau station to the mainland had already been considered at that time as it would make sense if a new railway tunnel was built through the Alps.^[3] The then planned Splügen Railway (Splügenbahn) formed the background for the planning of the electrification and its timing. Switzerland in particular wanted to use the Munch–Memmingen–Lindau route as an important access route for this unrealised Alpine crossing.

alex in Lindau

Die Länderbahn operated a service known as the Allgäu-Express on the line from the end of 2003, initially in partnership with the Swiss Federal Railways. It was called the Arriva-Länderbahn-Express from 2007 to 2010 and then the alex until the end of its concession on 13 December 2020.

Heimenkirch station was reopened with the timetable change on 12 December 2010.

Since the beginning of 2011, individual sections of the Buchloe–Lindau line have been upgraded for the operation of tilt trains, allowing operations at up to 160 km/h.^[4] The tilting technology operation was integrated into the timetable at the timetable change on 11 December 2011.^[5] The journey time from Augsburg to Lindau was reduced by 25 minutes (from 2:32 to 2:07).

Beginning at the timetable change in December 2014, a total of seven trains were operated with new TRAXX (class 245) diesel locomotives and double-decker cars on the Munich–Füssen route and during peak hours on the Munich–Kempten route, replacing trains composed of class 218 locomotives and single-decker Silberling cars.^[6][7]

The Oberstaufen Tunnel, which previously could only be operated at 30 km/h, was renovated in 2016 and extended to 160 metres. The line between Immenstadt and Oberstaufen was closed from 3 April^[8] to 6 December 2016.^[9][10] As part of the construction work, the Oberstaufen station was rebuilt with sets of points, restoring its status as a Bahnhof (full station).^[11]

In February 2008, Germany and Switzerland signed a letter of intent committing to upgrading the Munich–Lindau line and electrifying the previously non-electrified section between Geltendorf and Lindau.^[12] It was eventually decided to electrify and upgrade the alternative route via Memmingen. On the Buchloe–Lindau line, only the 23 kilometre-long section was electrified. Deutsche Bahn commenced electrical operations on the Hergatz–Lindau-Aeschach junction section in December 2020. As a result, the international connections via Kempten were discontinued at the timetable change on 13 December 2020. During the construction phase, however, from December 2019, long-distance trains were routed over the Buchloe–Lindau line with a stop in Kempten.^[13] Electrification of the remaining Lindau-Aeschach junction–Lindau-Insel section was completed by December 2021.^[14]

Operations

Regional services

Regional Express hauled by DB Class 218 diesel locomotive in Munich on the way to Kaufbeuren on the Buchloe–Lindau railway

All remaining stations on the Allgäu line have at least hourly services, except Günzach, where trains run only two hours. The DB Regional Express service from Munich to Lindau-Reutin (RE 70) runs every two hours. This is coupled with the RE 76 to Immenstadt, which continues to Oberstdorf. The two-hourly RE 7 service from Augsburg to Lindau-Reutin, which is coupled between Augsburg and Immenstadt with the RE 17 service between Augsburg and Oberstdorf, also runs on the whole line. Together these two services provide an hourly service.

There are also regional services of Bayerische Regiobahn (BRB) on the Buchloe–Biessenhofen section operating between Munich and Füssen (RB 68; three train pairs a day) and between Augsburg and Füssen (RB 77; approximately hourly).

Sources