Gießen–Gelnhausen railway


The Gießen–Gelnhausen railway is a single-track, non-electrified mainline in the German state of Hesse. It runs from Gießen via Nidda to Gelnhausen.

Operations

The line is part of the government-owned railway network and is currently served by passenger trains operated by the HLB Hessenbahn GmbH, a subsidiary of Hessische Landesbahn, on behalf of the Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund.
In the 2003/2004 timetable, which commenced on 14 December 2003, services on weekends and holidays was reordered. In addition, the Nidda–Glauburg–Büdingen–Gelnhausen section is served every morning and evening by bus line 374. Until the 2009/2010 timetable, this route was still called line 610 and served the whole line from Gelnhausen to Gießen.

History

Planning on the line began in 1862 and it was built and operated by the Upper Hessian Railway Company and opened in several sections:
DateBeginningEndLength
29.12.1869GießenHungen21.83 km
29.06.1870HungenNidda13.23 km
30.10.1870NiddaBüdingen19.79 km
30.11.1870BüdingenGelnhausen14.91 km

An extension to Partenstein on the Bavarian Ludwig's Western Railway did not come about. However, the line became important from 1888 with the integration of some branch lines in the Vogelsberg and Wetterau.
The Upper Hessian Railway Company was nationalised in 1876 and its operations were taken over by the Grand Duchy of Hesse State Railways.