Völklingen station

Völklingen station is the main railway station in the city of Völklingen in the German state of Saarland. It is now only served by passenger trains on the Saar line (Saarstrecke) between Trier and Saarbrücken.LocationThe station is located south-west of central Völklingens on the southern ring road. To the west lies the World Heritage Site of the former Völklingen Ironworks, which was formerly connected by sidings to the station’s yard.HistoryThe station was built during the construction of the Saar line, which was opened from Saarbrücken to Merzig on 16 December 1858. In 1860, the first station building was built, which was located to the east of the present building. In the Franco-Prussian War, the station was a target of French artillery fire, which led to the closure of rail operations. In 1872, a branch line was built to the Grube Viktoria (a colliery named after Victoria, Princess Royal) in Püttlingen branching off the Saar line to the east of the station. The Völklingen–Thionville railway was opened in 1880. In 1893 the station had become too small and the current Alten Bahnhof ("old station") was built. The line to Püttlingen was extended to Lebach in 1911. This line was closed in 1985 and today the section in Völklingen is used as a bike path. In the heyday of the nearby Völklingen Ironworks, the station served as an important transportation hub for steel workers and raw materials. From the mid-1960s the Saar line was electrified. The new station building adjacent to the existing building was opened in 1992 after a new building had been under discussion since 1975. The old station was heritage listed. Until 2002, Völklingen was served by InterRegio trains; it has since only been served by regional traffic.