Lake Line

Lake Line (Schaffhausen–Rorschach)
TwoGTW 2/4sets ofThurboon theRhine Bridge at Feuerthalennear Schaffhausen; theMunotin the background
Overview
Native name	Seelinie
Line number	820(Schaffhausen–Romanshorn) 830(Konstanz–Kreuzlingen–Weinfelden) 845(Romanshorn–Rorschach)
Locale	Switzerland and Germany
Termini	Schaffhausen Rorschach
Technical
Line length	82.4 km (51.2 mi)
Number of tracks	mostlysingle track
Track gauge	1,435 mm(4 ft8+1⁄2in)
Electrification	15 kV/16.7 Hz ACoverhead catenary
Maximum incline	1.2%
Route map km elev DBfrom Basel SBBfrom Winterthur 48.76 Schaffhausen ↓S1 403.8 m DBto Konstanz Emmersberg Tunnel(761 m) 47.21 Rhine Bridge(262 m) Schaffhausen Zürich 46.93 Feuerthalen 408.7 m 45.33 Langwiesen 408.7 m 44.77 Zürich Thurgau 404.2 m 43.28 Schlatt 404.2 m 39.75 St. Katharinental (since 2002) 413.0 m Geisslibach bridge (94 m) 38.18 Diessenhofen 412.9 m 35.57 Schlattingen 426.5 m SBBfrom WinterthurS29 31.81 31.81 Etzwilen 438.2 m Museumsbahn SEHR & RStoSingen (Hohentwiel) 34.55 Thurgau Schaffhausen 34.86 Stein am Rhein ↑S29 413.1 m 35.40 Schaffhausen Thurgau 36.93 Eschenz 417.2 m 39.84 Mammern 411.7 m 45.59 Steckborn 403.7 m 48.91 Berlingen 402.6 m 51.33 Mannenbach-Salenstein 399.4 m 54.01 Ermatingen 402.1 m 56.00 Triboltingen (since 1998) 403.0 m 57.86 Tägerwilen-Gottlieben(Tägerwilen SBBuntil 1996) 403.5 m Thurbofrom WilS14S44 59.15 Tägermoos 401.7 m MThB from Wil(1911–2001) 60.69 Kreuzlingen 403.3 m 61.43 414.76 Switzerland / SBB Germany / DB 399.4 m DBfrom Basel 414.34 Konstanz ↑S14S44 398.0 m 414.74 100.88 Germany / DB Switzerland / SBB 61.80 100.17 Kreuzlingen Hafen 402.1 m 98.83 Kurzrickenbach Seepark(since 1998) 405.0 m 97.50 Bottighofen (1946–1998) 405.0 m 97.98 Bottighofen (since 1998) 405.1 m 96.17 Münsterlingen-Scherzingen(since 1998) 404.8 m 95.40 Münsterlingen Spital(since 1998) 404.9 m 94.56 Landschlacht (since 2002) 408.0 m 92.92 Altnau 409.0 m 90.49 Güttingen 409.7 m 88.09 Kesswil 405.0 m 86.11 Uttwil 405.8 m 82.15 Romanshorn ↓S7(reverse of direction) 398.5 m SBBfrom WinterthurS7 80.97 Romanshorn West 403.8 m 81.78 83.32 Romanshorn Süd 399.2 m SOBto St. GallenS1 84.72 Egnach 400.9 m 88.75 Arbon Seemoosriet (since 2007) 399.9 m 90.29 Arbon 398.7 m 90.80 Thurgau St. Gallen 91.64 Steinach (since 2007) 402.0 m 92.19 St. Gallen Thurgau 93.47 Horn 402.5 m 94.40 Thurgau St. Gallen 96.32 Rorschach Hafen↓S25 397.9 m SBBfrom St. Gallen 97.27 Rorschach ↑S7 399.0 m ABto HeidenS25 to Chur Source: Swiss railway atlas

TheLake Line(German:Seelinie), as it is referred to by theSBBin English, is theSwissrailway line running fromRorschachviaRomanshorn,Konstanz(Germany),Kreuzlingen,Steckborn,Stein am RheinandDiessenhofentoSchaffhausen.The scenic route follows the southern border ofLake Constance(Bodensee) and theHigh Rhine(Hochrhein). It forms the Swiss section of thering railwayaround Lake Constance.

History

The Lake Line was built in four sections (see below) between 1869 and 1895. The loop viaKonstanzcrosses theborder between Switzerland and Germanytwice. The sections of the Lake Line were built by tworailway companies,theSwiss Northeastern Railway(NOB) and theSwiss National Railway(SNB). The SNB were taken over by the NOB in 1878, and in 1902 the latter was transferred into theSwiss Federal Railways(SBB). In 1996, the line was taken over by theMittelthurgaubahnfollowing a competition. They introduced half-hourly fixed-interval services and modernised both track and rolling stock. WhenMittelthurgaubahnwent bankrupt in 2003 the line went into the possession of SBB's subsidiaryTHURBO,which had been intended as a joint venture between the SBB andMittelthurgaubahn.

Rorschach–Romanshorn

Rorschach Hafenin 1860

On 15 October 1869, the section fromRomanshorntoRorschachwas opened by the NOB. It connected to the already existing railway between Rorschach andRorschach Hafenof theUnited Swiss Railways(VSB), which opened in 1856. Between Rorschach and Rorschach Hafen, the NOB built its own track next to the VSB track and this section is stilldouble-trackedtoday while the rest of the line issingle-tracked(except for stations where trains cross regularly).

In 1893, the line was connected to theThur Valley Railwayso that trains could operate betweenWinterthurand Rorschach without reversing direction in Romanshorn. The NOB line competed with theRorschach–St. Gallen railwayandSt. Gallen–Winterthur railway linesof VSB.

Between 1869 and 1976,train ferriesoperated from Romanshorn to other ports ofLake Constance.

Romanshorn–Kreuzlingen Hafen–Konstanz

On 1 July 1871, not quite two years after the Rorschach–Romanshorn section started operations, the Romanshorn–Konstanzline opened by the NOB. It connects to theHigh Rhine Railway(betweenBaseland Konstanz), which opened in 1863. With the incorporation of Emmishofen into themunicipalityof Kreuzlingen in 1928, the former Emmishofen railway station changed its name toKreuzlingen,and the former Kreuzlingen railway station becameKreuzlingen Hafen.

Etzwilen–Kreuzlingen–Konstanz

THURBOtrainset passing byUntersee

The section along thelower Lake Constance (Untersee)was bult by the SNB, whose goal was to build an independent railway line between Lake Constance andLake Geneva(Lac Leman). The section betweenEtzwilenand Konstanz/Kreuzlingen Hafen opened on 17 July 1875, on the same day as SNB'sWinterthur–Etzwilen railwayandEtzwilen–Singen railwaylines. The SNB wentbankruptin 1878 and its railway lines were taken over by the NOB.

Schaffhausen–Etzwilen

The westernmost section between the city ofSchaffhausenand Etzwilen was built by the NOB in order to connect the village ofStein am Rhein,located in the eastern part of thecanton of Schaffhausen,with the capital of saidcanton.The section between Etzwilen andFeuerthalenopened on 1 November 1894. The final section between Feuerthalen andSchaffhausenopened, due to delays in construction of theEmmersberg tunnel,on 2 April 1895.

Electrification

The sections of the Lake line areelectrifiedsince the following dates:

Date	Section
15 Mai 1928	(Winterthur–) Romanshorn–Rorschach
16 Dezember 1945	Schaffhausen–Etzwilen
6 Mai 1946	Kreuzlingen–Kreuzlingen Hafen–Romanshorn
7 Oktober 1946	(Winterthur–) Etzwilen–Stein am Rhein
5 Oktober 1947	Stein am Rhein–Kreuzlingen
27 Mai 1962	Kreuzlingen–Konstanz
1 Juni 1969	Konstanz–Kreuzlingen Hafen

Services

There is currently no service operating on the entire line. As of the December 2023 timetable change,sections of the Lake Line are operated by the following regional train services, of which most belong to theBodensee S-Bahn:

• S1ofSt. Gallen S-Bahnbetween Romanshorn and Schaffhausen
• S7of St. Gallen S-Bahn between Romanshorn and Rorschach
• S14andS44of St. Gallen S-Bahn between Kreuzlingen and Konstanz
• S25of St. Gallen S-Bahn between Rorschach Hafen and Rorschach
• S29ofZürich S-Bahnbetween Etzwilen and Stein am Rhein
• RE1ofTHURBObetween Konstanz and Romanshorn