History Bonn–Cologne Railway Company

old underpass near roisdorf

two options examined route: direct line along course of rhine have been cheaper. have passed through sparsely populated area, have produced few passengers. half century later route used rhine bank railway (rheinuferbahn) built cologne-bonn railway (köln-bonner eisenbahnen)—now line 16 of cologne , bonn stadtbahns.

another option built, 29 km-long line, later part of west rhine line (linke rheinstrecke). runs in wide arc through roisdorf, sechtem, brühl , kalscheuren st. pantaleon station in cologne. terminal station built after passing through pantaleon gate of medieval wall.

opening of cologne–bonn railway @ augustusburg palace, brühl in 1844

the site bonn station debated. location in poppelsdorfer allee selected, because easier extend line there south.

the first earthworks built in march 1842. line opened on 15 february 1844 after grand ceremony of inauguration on 13 february. summer of 1844 6 daily pairs of trains ran. first 4 locomotives came manchester.

extension rolandseck

in 1844, bce increased capital fund extension koblenz , shares oversubscribed fourfold. construction of new route, however, delayed partly because bonn university protested prussian king frederick william iv against fragmentation of poppelsdorfer allee (avenue) on land. king commissioned landscape architect peter joseph lenné design of intersection of railway , poppelsdorfer allee.

the bce authorised on 4 august 1854 extend line @ least rolandseck. important part of success, possible travellers change conveniently train steamship @ station. in addition constriction of rhine valley there made construction of competing lines on western side of rhine impossible. on 18 october 1855 line completed via bad godesberg , mehlem rolandswerth , on 21 january 1856 entire 14 km long extension rolandseck opened.

takeover of company

on 1 january 1857, bonn–cologne railway company acquired rhenish railway company 1.05 million prussian thalers.

forty years later köln-bonner eisenbahnen (kbe) established similar name (but more modern spelling), not related bce.