Essen-Altenessen station

Essen-Altenessen (Bahnhof Essen-Altenessen—"Old Essen") is a railway station situated in Essen in western Germany. It is served by Regional-Express service RE3 (Rhein-Emscher-Express), Regionalbahn lines RB32 (Rhein-Emscher-Bahn) and RB35 (Emscher-Niederrhein-Bahn) and lines U11 and U17 of the Essen Stadtbahn.

Essen-Altenessen
Through station
Tram (left) and elevated S-Bahn tracks (right) in 2006
Location	Hövelstraße 8, Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia Germany
Coordinates	51°29′3″N 7°0′27″E
Owned by	Deutsche Bahn
Operated by	DB Netz DB Station&Service
Line(s)	Duisburg–Dortmund railway (KBS 416)
Platforms	2
Train operators	DB Regio NRW eurobahn
Connections	RE3 (Rhein-Emscher-Express) RB32 (Rhein-Emscher-Bahn) RB35 (Emscher-Niederrhein-Bahn)
Other information
Station code	1694[1]
DS100 code	EEAL[2]
IBNR	8001900
Category	5[1]
Fare zone	VRR: 354[3]
Website	www.bahnhof.de
History
Opened	1847
Services
Preceding station   eurobahn   Following station Oberhausen Hbf toward Düsseldorf Hbf RE 3 Rhein-Emscher-Express Gelsenkirchen Hbf toward Hamm Hbf Preceding station   Abellio Rail NRW   Following station Essen-Bergeborbeck toward Duisburg Hbf RB 32 Rhein-Emscher-Bahn Essen Zollverein Nord toward Dortmund Hbf Essen-Bergeborbeck toward Mönchengladbach Hbf RB 35 Emscher-Niederrhein-Bahn Essen Zollverein Nord toward Gelsenkirchen Hbf Preceding station   Rhine-Ruhr Stadtbahn   Following station Bäuminghausstraße toward Messe West-Süd Gruga U11 Kaiser-Wilhelm-Park toward Buerer Straße Bäuminghausstraße toward Margarethenhöhe U17 Kaiser-Wilhelm-Park toward Karlsplatz
Location
Essen-Altenessen Location in North Rhine-Westphalia Show map of North Rhine-Westphalia Essen-Altenessen Location in Germany Show map of Germany Essen-Altenessen Location in Europe Show map of Europe

History

The station was opened on 15 May 1847 on the trunk line of the former Cologne-Minden Railway Company (Cöln-Mindener Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft, CME).[4] under the name of Essen CM. It and Essen-Bergeborbeck are the oldest stations in modern Essen.

A railway association was founded in 1841 by the community of Essen to persuade the Cologne-Minden Railway Company to move its proposed route further south to run through Essen. Even the offer of a subsidy of 2,000 Prussian thalers failed to persuade the CME to change its route because it wanted to avoid hills where possible, running roughly along the course of the Emscher. As a result of this rejection, the city of Essen later spent over 16,000 thalers to establish a road connecting to Altenessen station.[5]

Until the establishment of Essen BM (Bergisch-Märkische) station (which later became Essen Hauptbahnhof) in 1862, Altenessen station served as Essen station. The freight sector was of particular importance to the station, especially the transport of coal from numerous mines in the two communities. In 1872, the station was renamed Altenessen.[4][5]

Integration in the station in the rail network

A nearly two-kilometre long line the station connected via Helene junction to Essen-Stoppenberg was opened on 27 April 1874.[6] A line opened in 1880, connecting this station to Essen BM, which was renamed Essen Hauptbahnhof in 1897.[7] In addition, connections existed to Essen-Nord (renamed Essen Rh in 1885 after its builder, the Rhenish Railway Company) and Essen-Segeroth station, which since 1868 had also been called Essen CM and Essen-Altenessen Rheinisch station (Altenessen Rh, from 1912).[8] After the incorporation of Altenessen in Essen in 1915, the Altenessen station was renamed Essen-Altenessen in 1920.[4]

The station was built as a "wedge" station with central station building between the Cologne-Minden line and the line to Stoppenberg.[9]

By 1887 the tracks were at ground level, with a nearby level crossing over Essen-Horster Strasse, now Altenessener Strasse. The approximately 170–180 trains running per day (not including shunting) meant that the crossing was closed for up to seven hours each day. That made it necessary to rebuild the station, the street and the line. Altenessener Strasse was lowered by 2.64 meters, while the rail lines were raised and three bridges were built. The bridge over Altenessener Strasse and Lierfeldstraße on the line to Stoppenberg was opened on 30 September 1901. The bridge over Altenessener Strasse on the main line was opened on 10 November 1901.[10]

The Second World War and later

The rail bridge over Lierfeldstraße linking Altenessen with Essen

In the Second World War there was a slave labour camp of the railway division (Reichsbahndirektion) of Essen/Ruhr at the station for 27 French prisoners.[11] Heavy air raids in October 1944 destroyed the railway tracks, stopping train operations run through Altenessen.[12] Several bombs also hit the station.[13]

The station was renovated in 1999, following the demolition of the station building.

Current services

Today the station serves only as a stop for local traffic on the route between Oberhausen and Gelsenkirchen. It is served every hour by Regional-Express service RE3, Rhein-Emscher-Express (Düsseldorf–Duisburg–Oberhausen–Altenessen–Gelsenkirchen–Herne–Dortmund–Hamm) Regionalbahn lines RB32 (Rhein-Emscher-Bahn) and RB35 (Emscher-Niederrhein-Bahn) and lines U11 and U17 of the Essen Stadtbahn.[4]

The station is also a hub for urban transport. It is served by tram line 106 (via Essen Hbf, Rüttenscheid, Holsterhausen to Altendorf or Bergeborbeck), bus line 140 (from Borbeck to Stoppenberg), 162/172 (Altenessen ring line) and 183 (Karlsplatz via Stoppenberg to Katerberg) and Essen Stadtbahn lines U11 (Gelsenkirchen-Horst via Essen Hbf to Messe/Gruga) and U17 (Karlsplatz via Essen Hbf to Mülheim).[14]

References

1. "Stationspreisliste 2020" [Station price list 2020] (PDF) (in German). DB Station&Service. 4 November 2019. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
2. Eisenbahnatlas Deutschland (German railway atlas) (2009/2010 ed.). Schweers + Wall. 2009. ISBN 978-3-89494-139-0.
3. "Wabenplan Essen" (PDF). Ruhrbahn. November 2012. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
4. "Essen-Altenessen (EEAL) operations". NRW rail archive (in German). André Joost. Retrieved 20 September 2011.
5. Thomas Dupke (2002). "Kohle, Krupp und Kommunalentwicklung". In Borsdorf (ed.). Essen – Geschichte einer Stadt (in German). p. 293.
6. "Operations on line 2173: Essen-Stoppenberg ↔ Essen Altenessen". NRW rail archive (in German). André Joost. Retrieved 20 September 2011.
7. "Operations on line 2172: Essen Hbf ↔ Gelsenkirchen-Zoo". NRW rail archive (in German). André Joost. Retrieved 20 September 2011.
8. "Operations on line 2255: Essen-Altenessen Rheinisch link". NRW rail archive (in German). André Joost. Retrieved 20 September 2011.
9. Town map of 1927 and 1970
10. Sanel. "Die Brücken am Bahnhof". Altenessen Info (in German). Retrieved 20 September 2011.
11. Josef Heidelbach (2000). "Fern der Heimat zur Arbeit gezwungen". In Lesebuchkreis Altenessen (ed.). Altenessen unter dem Hakenkreuz 1933–1945 (in German). p. 88.
12. Elisabeth Lucht (2000). "Erlebnisse meiner Lehrzeit 1943-1947". In Lesebuchkreis Altenessen (ed.). Altenessen unter dem Hakenkreuz 1933–1945 (in German). pp. 31/32.
13. Wladislaus Przybilla (2000). "Fräulein Maria - Dokument einer Zeugenschaft - gefährliche Nächstenliebe". In Lesebuchkreis Altenessen (ed.). Altenessen unter dem Hakenkreuz 1933–1945 (in German). p. 64.
14. Ruhrbahn timetable

External links

• "Essen-Altenessen station". NRW Rail Archive (in German). André Joost. Retrieved 12 September 2011.