Frauenfeld–Wil railway

The Frauenfeld–Wil railway (German: Frauenfeld–Wil-Bahn, FW) is a 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) metre gauge railway line[2] in Switzerland, which connects the town of Frauenfeld in the canton of Thurgau, to the town of Wil in the canton of St. Gallen, following the valley of the Murg river. The line is owned and operated by the Frauenfeld-Wil-Bahn AG, forms part of the Tarifverbund Ostwind, and operates as service S15 of the St. Gallen S-Bahn.

Frauenfeld–Wil railway
An old Frauenfeld–Wil train in Münchwilen
Overview
TypeLight rail
LocaleSwitzerland
TerminiFrauenfeld
Wil
Services1
Operation
Opened1887
electrification 1921
Character841
Technical
Line length17.44 km (10.84 mi)
Track gauge1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) metre gauge
Electrification1200 V DC Overhead line
Highest elevation570.8 m (1,873 ft)
Maximum incline46 ‰ or 4.6 %
Route diagram
km
elev
SBB line from St. Gallen
SBB line from Wattwil
0.00
 Wil
571 m
depot and workshop;
Rollbock yard
Thurbo line to Weinfelden
SBB to line to Winterthur
2.35
 Schweizerhof
531 m
3.89
 Münchwilen
516 m
4.66
 Münchwilen Pflegeheim
509 m
6.50
 Rosental
487 m
7.95
 Wängi GB
474 m
8.27
 Wängi
470 m
9.01
 Wiesengrund
465 m
9.81
 Jakobstal
460 m
11.49
 Matzingen
447 m
12.62
 Weberei Matzingen
440 m
13.92
 Murkart
431 m
15.13
 Lüdem
423 m
16.85
 Frauenfeld Marktplatz
417 m
SBB line from Winterthur
17.45
 Frauenfeld
405 m
SBB line to Weinfelden
Source: Swiss railway atlas[1]

Plans to build a tramway between Frauenfeld and Wil were first made in the early 1850s. The rail line opened in 1887, and was electrified in 1921. Around 1.25 million passengers use the line every year.

Locals call the train "Wilerbähnli" or "Wiler Bähnli".[3]

Operation

Trains run every 30 minutes, requiring 3 trains in operation at once, with trains crossing at the stations of Matzingen and Schweizerhof.

In 2011 the railway company ordered five new ABe4/8 low floor trains from Stadler Rail, to replace the old trains. However, there are plans for a 15 minutes interval in future and therefore some of the old trains will be retained. The first train was delivered in March 2013 and was tested for 3 months. It went into regular service on 26 June 2013.[4][5][6]

Stations
New train in Frauenfeld

15 stations are served by the line.[7]

StationkmAltitude
Frauenfeld17.44404.6
From Frauenfeld there are trains to Winterthur and Weinfelden.
Frauenfeld Marktplatz16.85417since 1996
Lüdem15.13423
Murkart13.92431
Weberei Matzingen12.62440
Matzingen11.49447
Jakobstal9.81460
Wiesengrund9.01465
Wängi8.27470
Wängi GB (Service Station)7.95474
Rosental6.5487
Münchwilen Pflegeheim4.66509
Münchwilen TG3.89516
Schweizerhof (Service Station)2.66530
Wil0.00570.8
From Wil there are trains to Winterthur, Weinfelden, St. Gallen and Wattwil.

Freight traffic

Freight trains ran on the line from 1907 until the early 2000s. This included transporter wagons from 1977 onwards.[8]

References
  1. Eisenbahnatlas Schweiz (Swiss railway atlas). Schweers + Wall. 2012. pp. 4, 13. ISBN 978-3-89494-130-7.
  2. Barrow, Keith. "Swiss metre-gauge emu on test". International Railway Journal. Simmons-Boardman Publishing Inc. Retrieved 14 August 2013.
  3. "Das Wiler Bähnli macht es vor". St. Galler Tagblatt.
  4. "Frauenfeld-Wil-Bahn buys five new Stadler vehicles" (PDF). Stadler Rail. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  5. "Neue Fahrzeugflotte" [New vehicle fleet] (in German). Frauenfeld-Wil-Bahn. Retrieved 11 August 2013.
  6. "Worldwide Review". Tramways & Urban Transit. Light Rail Transit Association. September 2013. p. 399.
  7. "Bahnstrecke Frauenfeld-Wil". schienenverkehr-schweiz.ch.
  8. "Wilerbähnli". Felix's Homepage.

Further reading
  • Waldburger, Hans (1987). Die Frauenfeld–Wil-Bahn. Geschichte einer Regionalbahn 1887–1987 (in German). Luzern: Minirex AG. ISBN 3-907014-00-6.
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