Köthen–Aschersleben railway

The railway line Köthen - Aschersleben forms an east -west connection in Saxony -Anhalt and connects several major cities. The eastern section between Köthen and Bernburg one of the oldest railways in Germany.

History

Getting serious plans for the construction of the line on the part of the duchy of Anhalt, there were 1845 At this time Köthen already owned railway connections in three directions: . Concerning the Magdeburg- Leipzig railway to Magdeburg and Halle ( Saale), on the main line of the Anhalt line to Dessau. 1845 Anhalt -Köthen Bernburger railroad was founded and shortly thereafter got the approval for the construction of the line Köthen -Bernburg.

The following year, the route was opened. This Köthen now possessed three stations; in Bernburg still used today station building was erected until 1865. The only stop along the way was then Bien village. At the station opening in 1865, the portion Bernburg - Aschersleben was opened for traffic; before the track was taken over in 1863 by the Magdeburg- Halberstadt Railway Company. 1879 took over the Prussian state the route. In the 1880s, the importance Bernburgs grew as an industrial city. It sidings were built at the Solvay plants and to a salt mine in the south of Bernburg. During this time, a depot was opened in Bernburg.

1889, the branch line was opened after rounders, while the railway station in Baalberge, 1890 the branch line to Calbe (Saale ). 1898/1899 was the track, a second track. There were 1908 plans for the electrification of the line. On the track the first battery railcars were used from 1908. Between Köthen and Güsten the second track was dismantled after the Second World War. On the route reversed after the war, many trains with rubble in the southern lignite mines. In 1952 was built between Köthen and Bernburg the breakpoint Frenz.

In 1962 the section Aschersleben - Güsten the second track again. In 1964, the branch distance of Bien village after Gerlebogk was shut down and dismantled. 1967 Baalberge station was rebuilt. With it, today's siding of the rock salt mine was. Same time, the single-track section Köthen -Bernburg was double-tracked again. Also In 1976, the new depot Güsten ( Bw Güsten ) and gradually took over the function of Bw Bernburg, which was dissolved in 1991. In the early 1990s the branch line was dismantled after Edderitz. In 1992, the German Reichsbahn the electrification of the line and some connecting lines. 1995 burned down the former workshop in Bernburg, in the same year joined the Bw Güsten. Since about 2000, the route was modified again and again: in Güsten emerged of an electronic interlocking. In the years 2010 and 2011, Bernburg station as part of economic stimulus programs of the Federal Republic of Germany has been modernized.

Planning

Planned modernization in the field Bernburg is 6n in the course of construction of the B. Also west of Köthen the route is to be modernized.

Operation

After the Elbe- Saale -Bahn won the tender of the Altmark flare -Anhalt network, run since 2004 DMUs Class 642 (Siemens Desiro Classic ) only as hourly regional train on the track. Previously, the route of class 218 was served with pieces of silver and briefly of railcars DB - 628 series, partly as a Regional Express. Trains in Köthen continue on the path to Dessau. In general, driving in single traction only during rush tractions are to be found. In section Güsten - Aschersleben additionally operates the regional train Magdeburg- Aschersleben, and between Güsten and Schierstedt the Regional Express Magdeburg to Erfurt on this route. Similarly, the distance at Bernburg regional rail of the relation Bernburg - calbe is shared (Saale ) Ost ( every two hours ). All these services are also run from the Elbe -Saale -Bahn, the Regional Express mostly in double traction. Between Baalberge and Bernburg the HEX Veolia Saxony-Anhalt is running on two hourly track with diesel railcars LINT 27 which run to Halle ( Saale).

Since the timetable change 2009, the trains run to the breakpoint Frenz only every two hours. The route is heavily used in the freight sector, especially the sidings to rotary cement, Solvay GmbH and K S in Bernburg provide for regular goods traffic. Therefore run here often locomotives of DB Schenker Rail, but also private freight provider.

Due to problems in the vehicles of the series 612 to the tilting technology had to be adapted to the KBS 330 of the schedule, for this reason, wrong in 2010 Monday to Friday a Regional Express and a HEX train on this route. Both trains were doing on the goods bypass Köthen and they kept in Güsten and Bernburg.

Since December 2012 during the day, only every second train runs directly to Aschersleben. The remaining trains already engaged in Güsten, so that may have to change in the regional trains from Magdeburg in Aschersleben here.

Route description

After leaving the station of Köthen you pass under a bridge. The freight station Köthen allowed to lie to the left. Continue on the southern outskirts Köthen and then through a fertile plain to the breakpoint Frenz. After a few kilometers Bien village comes into view with the still highly visible Ladestraße and a decaying goods shed. The Bien Train Station is built back to a breakpoint. The next stop is Baalberge, having previously crossed the Fuhne and south of the route of rounders is pushed to the track. In Baalberge is the connection to the potash mines of the K S in Bernburg and a relatively large freight yard. It reaches the breakpoint Peace Hall. The earlier also connected salt mine no longer exists. Now you can reach Bernburg with a variety of level crossings, most still in the construction of the plant for signaling and safety equipment Berlin. In the station of Bernburg the route of rounders ends and begins after calbe (Saale ). There is also the railway siding of Solvay in Bernburg with several sidings. Shortly after leaving the station, one passes the premises of Solvay on the right. It follows the bridge over the Saale. Shortly thereafter the route gets a third track for the route of calbe (Saale ), which is still a few miles running in parallel and then turns sharply to the north-east. Is the breakpoint Bernburg -Waldau, who only trains the relation to Calbe (Saale ) is operated on this track. After the junction of the line to calbe (Saale ), the route reaches the transfer of the A 14 on the eastern outskirts of Ilberstedt is the breakpoint at an old mine. Here, the B 185 runs almost parallel to the road. Shortly before Güsten first encounters the route of here broken and dismantled Kanonenbahn and then the route of Beautiful Beck on track. The train station is back Güsten built on three platforms. West of Güsten the route runs through the valley of the Wipper and just before the breakpoint Giersleben leaves the Kanonenbahn the route again. The terrain is hilly and now clearly a little later the stop in Schierstedt is achieved. Now approaching Aschersleben, which is reached from the east. Shortly before the end of the track in Aschersleben railway station take the path on the route from Halle ( Saale).