Kraichgau Railway

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The Kraichgau Railway, also known as Kraichgaubahn, is a 64.8 km railway in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It runs from Karlsruhe via Bretten and Eppingen to Heilbronn and was built in 1880 to connect the Baden and Württemberg states. The line crosses the Kraichgau region, with a winding route that climbs five small ridges and passes three tunnels, mostly following river valleys.

Today the line is famous for being the birthplace of the Karlsruhe Stadtbahn tram-train system. In 1992 the section from Karlsruhe to Bretten opened as Stadtbahn line B, the first part of what would become the Karlsruhe model. The route was gradually extended: to Eppingen in 1997, to Heilbronn in 1999, and finally to Öhringen by 2005/2006. This made the Kraichgau line a pioneering example of vehicles that run as trams in city streets and as trains on conventional railway tracks.

Technical and operating details
- Length and gauge: 64.8 km long, standard gauge (1,435 mm).
- Electrification and speed: 15 kV/16.7 Hz AC overhead; trains can reach up to 100 km/h.
- Track layout: portions are double-tracked, but most of the line is single track with passing points. Some sections near Bretten–Gölshausen and Eppingen West are doubled.
- Tram-train operation: between Karlsruhe and Bretten, and in Heilbronn city, trains run on tram lines with platforms built for street operation. In Grötzingen there is a change from tram procedures to conventional railway rules and electrification. Platform heights vary: 55 cm at several stops for level boarding on Stadtbahn trains; 38 cm on others, with most platforms at least 120 m long to accommodate multiple units.
- Route numbers: official route 4201 from Grötzingen to Eppingen, and 4950 from Eppingen towards Crailsheim.

Operations and services
- Operator and network: the line is operated by the Albtal-Verkehrs-Gesellschaft (AVG) as part of the Karlsruhe Stadtbahn network, and links with the Heilbronner Hohenloher Haller Nahverkehr on the eastern side.
- City-center operation: in Karlsruhe and Heilbronn city centers, Stadtbahn services travel on streets, while through mainline sections use the railway tracks.
- Through services and travel times: trains run between Karlsruhe and Heilbronn about twice per hour. Regular services take about 98 minutes, while some express services are around 81 minutes.

Freight
- Freight traffic on the line has long been minimal. In recent years AVG has served a few freight sidings near Eppingen and Sulzfeld, but long-distance freight on the Kraichgau line is not common.

In summary, the Kraichgau Railway is a historic line that evolved into a pioneering tram-train corridor, linking Karlsruhe, Bretten, Eppingen, and Heilbronn with modern, flexible Stadtbahn operation while retaining its railway backbone for through services.