Katzbach Railway

Katzbach Railway
Overview
Native name	Katzbachbahn
Line number	9412
Locale	Baden-Württemberg
Service
Route number	710.3
Technical
Line length	27.3 km (17.0 mi)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Minimum radius	155.19 m (509.2 ft)
Electrification	15 kV/16.7 Hz AC Overhead catenary
Route map Legend Baden-Kurpfalz Railway from Karlsruhe S 31S 32 Western Railway from Stuttgart -0.8 Bruchsal Bruhrain Railway to Germersheim Baden-Kurpfalz Railway to Heidelberg 0.8 Bruchsal Schlossgarten 1.3 Bruchsal Stegwiesen 2.2 Bruchsal Curve to the Mannheim–Stuttgart high-speed railway 3.0 Mannheim–Stuttgart high-speed railway 3.3 Ubstadt Curve to the Mannheim–Stuttgart high-speed railway 4.5 Ubstadt Ort Kraich Valley Railway to Menzingen S 32 5.2 Ubstadt Uhlandstraße 7.3 Stettfeld (Baden) 9.3 Zeutern Sportplatz 9.8 Zeutern 11.7 Zeutern Ost 14.4 Odenheim West 15.2 Odenheim terminus of the S 31 15.9 Odenheim Ost 19.6 Tiefenbach (Baden) 21.6 Eichelberg 21.8 Eichelberger Viaduct 23.2 Elsenz 26.5 Hilsbach Source: German railway atlas[1]

The Katzbach Railway (German: Katzbachbahn) is a branch line in southwestern Germany from Bruchsal to Odenheim that opened in 1896, and was extended in 1900 to Hilsbach. In 1960 services between Tiefenbach and Hilsbach were withdrawn, in 1975 the section between Odenheim Ost and Tiefenbach followed and, in 1986, the 600-metre-long section from Odenheim station to Odenheim Ost was closed. Since 1994 the line has been operated by the Albtal-Verkehrs-Gesellschaft (AVG), who electrified it in 1998 and integrated it into the network of the Karlsruhe Stadtbahn.

The line follows its namesake, the Katzbach stream, from Stettfeld to Odenheim. Together with the neighbouring Kraich Valley Railway from Bruchsal to Menzingen, with which it shares a common trackbed as far as Ubstadt Ort, it has formed a single operating unit since its inception.