Wuppertal-Vohwinkel–Essen-Überruhr railway

Wuppertal-Vohwinkel–Essen-Überruhr railway
Overview
Line number
  • 2723 (W-Vohwinkel ↔ E-Kupferdreh)
  • 2400 (E-Kupferdreh ↔ E-Überruhr)
LocaleNorth Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Service
Route number450.9
Technical
Line length30 km (19 mi)
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge
Electrification15 kV/16.7 Hz AC overhead catenary
Operating speed120 km/h (74.6 mph) (maximum)
Route map

km
1.0
Essen-Steele
2.3
Essen-Steele Ost
(formerly Steele Hbf)
0.0 1.5
Essen-Steele Ost junction,
(Ruhr bridge part)
former Mülheim-Heißen–Altendorf line
Ruhr bridge, Steele
37.8
Essen-Überruhr
36.5
Essen-Holthausen
33.7
26.4
Essen-Kupferdreh Hespertalbahn
(siding, formerly Kupferdreh station)
25.8
Essen-Kupferdreh
23.2
Essener Steinkohle-Bergwerke siding
22.7
Schunke siding
20.9
Velbert-Nierenhof
18.5
Velbert-Langenberg
12.8
Neviges
12.5
Velbert-Neviges
11.9
Velbert town
(former route until 1868)
10.0
Kopfstation (terminus)
(former route until 1868)
8.8
Velbert-Rosenhügel
8.3
Asbruch
former Niederberg Railway from Kettwig
5.8
Oberdüssel
(siding )
4.7
Wülfrath-Aprath
2.8
Dornap
Original route to Düsseldorf
0.2
Wuppertal-Vohwinkel
0.0
Wuppertal-Vohwinkel
(old station)
km
Source: German railway atlas

The Wuppertal-Vohwinkel-Essen Überruhr Railway is a 30 km (19 mi) long, continuous two-track electrified main line. It is known as the Prince William Railway, the first railway linking the valleys of the Wupper and the Ruhr.

The first line on the route was opened in 1831 by the Deil Valley Railway Company (German: Deilthaler Eisenbahn Aktiengesellschaft) along the Deilbach Valley and was the first railway in Germany, although horse-hauled until its conversion to standard gauge in 1847.