Aargauische Südbahn

Aargauische Südbahn

Legend Bözberg line to Basel x20px 0.0 Brugg To Basel via Olten 35.6 Rupperswil 4.2 Lupfig 5.3 Birr 32.4 To Zofingen To Zürich 31.9 Lenzburg x20px Seetalbahn to Luzern 8.7 Othmarsingen 30.0 64.1 Gexi junction 11.1 65.2 65.2 Hendschiken 67.9 Dottikon-Dintikon 69.5 Dottikon yard 69.5 x20px 71.8 WM from Villmergen 71.8 Wohlen Standard gauge connection 1.5 Wohlen Oberdorf 4.0 Erdmannlistein 7.0 Bremgarten West(end of mixed gauge) BD metre gauge line to Dietikon 77.8 Boswil-Bünzen 81.5 Muri 85.4 Benzenschwil 88.5 Mühlau 92.7 Sins 95.2 Oberrüti Reuss From Lucerne 99.4 Rotkreuz Rotkreuz freight yard To Zürich Freight only connection to Gotthard Railway

Aargauische Südbahn ("Southern railway of Aargau") 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.

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.

• NPZ zwischen Mühlau und Sins.jpg

  NPZ as S26 S-Bahn service between Sins and Mühlau

• Re 420 mit Dispopendel zwischen Mühlau und Sins.jpg

  Re 420 with a replacement train service between Mühlau and Sins

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  Re 482 with a freight train crossing the Reuss at Oberrüti