A new suburban railway
Until this time, the Rheinbahn’s rail network backbone was the main-line track to Krefeld. It differed from all other services due to its higher average speeds and its faster and more comfortable coaches, which looked nothing like tram coaches. The benefits of such a suburban railway were also evident to passengers, and passenger frequencies on the Krefeld line were always higher than average.
There were plans to establish a similar service in North Duesseldorf. The Duesseldorf-Duisburg local railway, a joint venture between the cities of Duesseldorf and Duisburg, had been operating this line since 1898. The comments and nicknames given to the railway at the time make it evident that the rail company did not operate a particularly reliable service.
There had been preliminary negotiations in 1920 about the construction of an suburban railway to Duisburg. Unlike the railway to Krefeld, whose initial route took it through uninhabited regions, the new line to Duisburg involved deals to purchase or exchange numerous pieces of land. These property deals were time-consuming and unsatisfactory, because the railway cut through parcels of land in Kaiserswerth, which could only then be accessed from the rear by crossing the tracks.
Many property owners refused to sell, which meant it was necessary to instigate dispossession proceedings. The fact that these disputes were not without basis is evident when you travel from Duesseldorf to Duisburg. The railway still cuts through many plots of land that can only be accessed via somebody else’s property.
In anticipation of the Gesolei exhibition, for which planning commenced in 1924, the entire matter was accorded highest priority and construction commenced in the same year. Major projects of this type naturally also had employment policy implications. Much of the track laying work, the planning activities and the permanent way were put out to tender and implemented as job creation measures. One year later, the construction of the track commenced, both from Duisburg and from Duesseldorf. The project was completed on 20 th April 1926, when the new suburban railway to Duisburg was finished. The vehicles that operated on this track were much more elegant than those on the Krefeld line. Lessons had been learned and past experience incorporated the new designs.
These vehicles also had little in common with tramcars. They were heavy, elegantly-furnished and looked more like express train coaches. They were designed so that they could also be used on the Krefeld line if necessary.