Brunswick–Magdeburg railway

The railway Brunswick- Magdeburg is a 83 km long main railway Deutsche Bahn AG. It is next to the Berlin- Lehrter railway and the high-speed line Hannover- Berlin one of the major east-west routes between Hanover and Berlin. Important intermediate stations are king Lutter, Helmstedt and express life.

Today it serves mainly the east-west freight, next to it is traveled by intercity and regional trains.

History

Prehistory

Braunschweig and Magdeburg had been in 1843 connected to a railway line on Wolfenbüttel, Jerxheim and Oschersleben. Although this route made ​​a detour to the south, but led by structurally simple terrain. In addition, could be shared to Wolfenbüttel the railway Brunswick- Bad Harzburg and the railway line from Oschersleben Magdeburg- Halberstadt. This compound belonged to the ducal Brunswick State Railway and the Magdeburg- Halberstadt Railway Company.

1844 followed the railway line between Hanover and Braunschweig, 1846 that of Magdeburg to Potsdam. Also in 1845 opened old main station Braunschweig was built as the previous building in 1838 as a railhead.

Having developed more and more traffic, wanted to build a direct link between Berlin and Hanover in the early 1860s, the Magdeburg- Halberstadt Railway ( MHE ). This was first rejected by the Hanoverian and Brunswick government. After the lost war of 1866, this had no influence, the Prussian MHE went to the construction of the Berlin- Lehrter rail over Stendal. Now not only the cities of Magdeburg and Braunschweig, but also the Berlin- Potsdam- Magdeburg Railway Company ( BPME ) saw a threat to their importance, especially as it was only connected to the network of rival MHE in the West.

Construction and opening

The BPME decided to build a dedicated connection between their regular route and the route network Brunswick, which had since been sold to a bank and is now operated as Brunswick Railway Company,. While in the east of the port was clear in Magdeburg, various alternatives were discussed in the West. Braunschweig was as a city and thanks to the connections to the west rewarding, but inconvenient because of the terminus station. They opted for a route from Magdeburg to express life, and the one where it divides into a branch to Helmstedt after Schoningen. From Helmstedt from the Brunswick Railway Company continued to build to Brunswick, while in Schoningen was a connection via Jerxheim after Börßum to the Brunswick Southern Railway in Kreiensen since 1868. There she found connection both to Göttingen and Kassel ( Hanoverian Southern Railway ) and to Altenbeken and further to the Ruhr area ( railway Altenbeken - Kreiensen ). This meant the new route the same connections to the west as the main line of the MHE.

Between Eilsleben and Brunswick Lappwald and the foothills of the Elm were to cross. The track here is curvy and runs over dams and through incisions.

On September 15, 1872, the line was opened.

Development to the division of Germany

The one year older, Lehrter remained undisputed as quick connect passenger between Hanover and Berlin, the connection via Helmstedt lived of the two cities and the traffic of Hanover in the direction of Halle / Leipzig. In addition, strong freight established on both branches.

1937 drove five express trains per day in each direction on Helmstedt, including with the use since 1892 D 31/32, the oldest German D- train.

Transit route

Since the connection performs relatively undemanding terrain and has no large engineering structures, it was impassable for a few days during and after the Second World War. The Allies decided this connection exclusively to use for military transport of the Western powers in Berlin. Also for the civilian transit traffic this way was released. The Lehrter remained usable, but was less busy.

1960 today Braunschweig Hauptbahnhof was opened. Since then, no direction change between Magdeburg and Hannover is necessary.

According to the Transport Agreement of 1972 between Helmstedt and transport back Eilsleben was offered.

In the 1980s, an expansion of transit routes was negotiated between West and East. The GDR preferred here Lehrter train, even at the transit traffic from Potsdam and Magdeburg to keep out. In the West, however, was discussed connections to Braunschweig.

After the German reunification

Even with diesel drove in 1991 the first Inter City of Hannover Brunswick and Magdeburg to Berlin.

As part of the " German Unity Transport Projects " was immediately after the fall of the Berlin wall, a upgrading of the Helmstedt - Magdeburg - Berlin recorded as VDE # 5 in attack. The aim was to produce a powerful link between the provincial cities of Magdeburg and Potsdam and the German capital, Berlin. In addition, the former cross-border section to Helmstedt should be modernized and, inter alia, the electrification gap. The plan was a standard extension for a speed of 160 km / h including electrification.

As early as 1993, the section was Helmstedt - Magdeburg expanded to 160 km / h and electrified, the same year the Intercity express service has been taken on this route to Berlin. East of the road over the railway line Biederitz - Trebnitzgrund and Kanonenbahn was initially taken from Güterglück, only in 1995 was the direct connection via Brandenburg ( Havel ) and Potsdam for electric trains.

A significant turning point in long-distance transport in 1998, when the high-speed line Hannover- Berlin began operations. Of the long-distance trains to Berlin since only drive the ICE Frankfurt- Berlin from Braunschweig to the junction of the loop Weddeler hourly on this track. In addition, hourly public ICs and in days outlying ICEs from Hannover to Leipzig via this route. After Potsdam no long-distance trains more about this route.

Operation

In passenger traffic, the route through the Intercity lines IC 55 Leipzig- Magdeburg- Hanover -Dortmund- Cologne and IC 56 Dresden -Leipzig- Magdeburg- Hanover -Bremen -Oldenburg is served hourly.

In addition, there by the RB40 in a transport hourly regional train.

In addition, there is strong freight. The track is, in addition to a few others, part of an electrified corridor of the Czech Republic and the industrial regions in Saxony and Saxony -Anhalt to the German and Dutch ports on the North Sea.