The Fischbach Valley Railway (,

KBS The Korean Broadcasting System (KBS; ) is the national broadcaster of South Korea. Founded in 1927, it is one of the leading South Korean television and radio broadcasters under the government of South Korea. The KBS operates seven radio net ...

681) is a railway line in the German state of the

Saarland Saarland (, ; ) is a state of Germany in the southwest of the country. With an area of and population of 990,509 in 2018, it is the smallest German state in area apart from the city-states of Berlin, Bremen, and Hamburg, and the smallest in ...

that runs from

Saarbrücken Saarbrücken (; Rhenish Franconian: ''Sabrigge'' ; ; ; ; ) is the capital and largest List of cities and towns in Germany, city of the state of Saarland, Germany. Saarbrücken has 181,959 inhabitants and is Saarland's administrative, commerci ...

along the Fischbache, which flows into the

Saar Saar or SAAR has several meanings: People Given name * Sarr Boubacar (born 1951), Senegalese professional football player * Saar Ganor, Israeli archaeologist * Saar Klein (born 1967), American film editor Surname * Ain Saar (born 1968), E ...

in Saarbrücken, to Wemmetsweiler. Since the opening of the Wemmetsweiler curve in 2003, the line branches west to

Lebach Lebach () is a town in the district of Saarlouis, in Saarland, Germany. It is approximately northeast of Saarlouis and north of Saarbrücken Saarbrücken (; Rhenish Franconian: ''Sabrigge'' ; ; ; ; ) is the capital and largest List of ci ...

as the Prims Valley Railway (''Primstalbahn'') and east to Neunkirchen.

History

Coal mines were developed in the Fischbach in the early 1870s. Collieries were started at Camphausen in 1871, at Brefeld in 1872 and at Maybach in 1873. During the planning phase some consideration was given to the transport of coal. Initially it was planned that the coal mines would be connected with branch lines to the Sulzbach valley. Since the proposal would have required a tunnel through a ridge, this plan was soon dropped. In addition, the line through the Sulzbach valley was already heavily congested. For this reason it was decided in 1866 to build a line from Neunkirchen to Saarbrücken via the Fischbach valley. In 1873, a license was granted to build the line. Loading of coal at Camphausen mine started in February 1879. The line was opened via Brefeld and Wemmetsweiler to Neunkirchen on 15 October 1879. The branch line to the Maybach colliery was opened on 6 April 1881. When the Göttelborn coal mine was sunk in 1887, a branch line was created from Merchweiler to the Göttelborn colliery, which was opened on 1 October 1891. In 1965, the entire line was electrified. Following the closure of the Göttelborn mine, the Merchweiler–Göttelborn branch line continues to be used to operate to the Weiher power station. Passenger services have, however, long been focused more on

than on Neunkirchen, requiring passenger trains to reverse in Wemmetsweiler station. To avoid this, a connecting curve (the so-called ''Wemmetsweiler curve'') was planned from the 1990s. In 2003, this curve was constructed, connecting to Illingen. Wemmetsweiler station was closed for passengers in 2006 and replaced by ''Wemmetsweiler Rathaus'' station, which is closer to central Wemmetsweiler. The bridge of state road L 128 over the line in Wemmetsweiler was replaced during urban redevelopment by a 54 metre long railway tunnel.

Notes

References

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External links

* * * {{coord missing, Saarland Railway lines in the Saarland Railway lines opened in 1879 1879 establishments in Germany Buildings and structures in Neunkirchen (German district) Buildings and structures in Saarbrücken