Aargau Southern Railway

Aargau Southern Railway (Aargauische Südbahn) is a former railway company in Switzerland. Between 1873 and 1882, the Schweizerische Centralbahn (SCB) and the Schweizerische Nordostbahn (NOB) jointly built a connecting line to the Gotthardbahn. The line was operated by the SCB and ran from Rupperswil to Immensee. Branch lines ran from Wohlen to Bremgarten and from Hendschiken to Brugg.

Aargau Southern Railway
NPZ as S26 S-Bahn service between Sins and Mühlau
Overview
Native name	Aargauische Südbahn
Locale	Switzerland
Termini	Rupperswil/Brugg AG Immensee
Line number	652, 653
Technical
Line length	51.96 km (32.29 mi)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in)
Electrification	15 kV/16.7 Hz AC overhead catenary
Maximum incline	1.3%
Route map km elev from Olten 35.6 Rupperswil 374 m from Zürich 0.0 Brugg AG from Basel 35.9 Villnachern 0.0 from Olten 4.2 Lupfig 5.3 Birr 31.9 from Suhr and Zofingen 31.9 Lenzburg 406 m 31.9 Seetal railway to Lucerne from Zürich 8.7 Othmarsingen 419 m 30.0 64.1 Gexi junction, to Olten 65.2 Hendschiken 67.9 Dottikon-Dintikon 69.5 substation siding 69.5 Dottikon substation 71.8 WM from Villmergen 71.8 Wohlen 423 m standard gauge connection to Bremgarten West metre gauge line to Dietikon 77.8 Boswil-Bünzen 81.5 Muri AG 85.4 Benzenschwil 88.5 Mühlau 92.7 Sins 95.2 Oberrüti Reuss from Lucerne 99.4 Rotkreuz 429 m Rotkreuz freight yard to Zürich SBB line to Zug and Thalwil 102.2 Brüglen 454 m Meierskappel-Risch SBB line from Lucerne 106.9 0.0 Immensee 460 m Gotthard Railway to Arth-Goldau Source: Swiss railway atlas[1]

The routes were opened in this order:

• 23 June 1874: Rupperswil - Lenzburg - Hendschiken - Wohlen
• 1 June 1875: Wohlen - Muri
• 1 September 1876: Wohlen - Bremgarten West
• 1 December 1881: Muri - Immensee
• 1 June 1882: Hendschiken - Brugg

In 1902, the Aargauische Südbahn (together with the SCB) became part of the Swiss Federal Railways. In 1912, the line between Wohlen and Bremgarten West was permanently leased to the Bremgarten-Dietikon-Bahn and was equipped with a third rail for 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 ³⁄₈ in) metre gauge trains. A planned line between Brugg and the German town of Waldshut was never built.

On 26 May 1969 a line was opened near Brugg to directly connect with the Bözberg line. Previously all trains operating between the Gotthard and the Bözberg lines had to reverse in Brugg. During the construction of the Heitersberg Line (opened in 1975), the Rupperswil–Lenzburg–Othmarsingen section was significantly upgraded so that it could be used by most east-west trains between Zurich and Bern.

The line is 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in) standard gauge and electrified at 15 kV 16.7 Hz and has two tracks throughout. The line from Brugg to Rotkreuz is the main route for freight trains between the Basel freight yard and the St Gotthard and Italy and is therefore an important rail freight route.

Between Rotkreuz and Hendschiken S26 S-Bahn services operate every half-hour. Due to lack of capacity between Gexi junction (north of Hendschiken) and Lenzburg, currently only one train per hour continues to (or starts from) Aarau via Lenzburg. The other half-hourly S-Bahn service starts or ends at Othmarsingen, where it connects to the S3 service to Lenzburg and Aarau. The S23 S-Bahn service operates on the Aarau–Lenzburg–Brugg route hourly.

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  Re 420 with a replacement train service between Mühlau and Sins
• 
  Re 482 with a freight train crossing the Reuss at Oberrüti

References

1. Eisenbahnatlas Schweiz [Swiss railway atlas]. Schweers + Wall. 2012. pp. 11–12, 22. ISBN 978-3-89494-130-7.