St. Margrethen–Lauterach line

St. Margrethen–Lauterach line
A Bregenz-bound train crosses the old bridge over the Rhine in 2012 as construction proceeds on the new bridge that would open in 2013
Overview
Locale	Vorarlberg
Technical
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
map_name km Chur–Rorschach railway to Rorschach S7 0.000 St. Margrethen (SBB) ↓S3 R5 Chur–Rorschach railway to Buchs 0.749 SBB ÖBB A 13 Rheintaler Binnenkanal International Rhine Regulation Rly 1.604 Alpine Rhine   Switzerland Austria border International Rhine Regulation Rly 1.838 Lustenau Markt ( closed 12 June 2011 ) OMV siding 2.620 Lustenau Dornbirner Ach 6.483 Hard-Fussach 8.424 Lauterach West Lauterach Unterfeld Vorarlberg Railway to Bludenz S1 R5 9.580 Lauterach Nord Vorarlberg Railway to Lindau, Germany S1 S3 S7

The St. Margrethen–Lauterach line (Template:Lang-de) is a 9.580-kilometre (5.953 mi) long, single-track, electrified railway line in the Lake Constance region. It connects St. Margrethen station in the Swiss canton of St. Gallen with the Lauterach Nord junction in the Austrian state of Vorarlberg, where it joins the Vorarlberg line. The route is owned and operated by Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) and is mainly used by the border station in St. Margrethen.

History

The Vorarlberg Railway opened the connecting line between the Chur–Rorschach line and the Vorarlberg line on 23 November 23 1872. The first through express train between Zürich and Munich ran just under a year later, on 1 November 1873. The line, as with most of the Austrian railway network, was nationalized prior to World War I. The line was electrified on 2 January 1949.

Currently, local passenger service over the route is provided by the S3 of the Vorarlberg S-Bahn, which operates every half-hour between St. Margrethen and Bregenz. Additional long-distance EuroCity trains operate over the route between Zürich and Munich but make no intermediate stops. By, the line will be modernized and partially expanded to include two tracks, shortening travel times. Additional improvements will include improved noise protection for residents, flood protection, reopening the Lauterach West station, and converting the Lustenau and Hard-Fussach stations to be barrier-free.

External links

• Media related to St. Margrethen–Lauterach line at Wikimedia Commons
• Konsequenter Ausbau des Bahnangebots in Vorarlberg