The Hanover–Würzburg high-speed railway was the first of several
high-speed railway line
This article provides a list of operated high-speed rail networks, listed by country or region.
The International Union of Railways defines high-speed rail as public transport by rail at speeds of at least for upgraded tracks and or faster f ...
s for
InterCityExpress traffic that were built in
Germany. While technically starting in the village of
Rethen and ending at
Würzburg Hauptbahnhof
Würzburg Hauptbahnhof is a railway station for the city of Würzburg in the German state of Bavaria. It was opened in 1864 to the north of the inner city as a replacement for the former ''Ludwigsbahnhof'' (Ludwig's station) in the city centre, ...
, it is a de facto link between
Hanover and
Würzburg
Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is a city in the region of Franconia in the north of the German state of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the ''Regierungsbezirk'' Lower Franconia. It spans the banks of the Main River.
Würzburg ...
, with stops at
Göttingen,
Kassel, and
Fulda. Early construction started in 1973, the line opening fully in 1991.
At in length, it is the longest newly built rail line in Germany, and its construction costs are estimated to be about
DM 40 million (€20.45 million) per kilometre.
History
The
Deutsche Bundesbahn began construction of the line in 1973. Since it was designed for fast passenger trains as well as for express freight trains, its maximum incline is a mere 1.25%. Combined with the hilly terrain, this made the construction of 61 tunnels and 10 large bridges necessary. Of the 327 km of total length, 120 km are in tunnels, the two longest being the
Landrücken Tunnel
The Landrücken Tunnel is a railway tunnel on the Hanover-Würzburg high-speed rail line. With a length of it is the longest tunnel in Germany.
Geography
The tunnel is in east Hessen between the stations of Fulda and Würzburg. Between the n ...
(10,779 m) south of
Fulda, the second longest being the
Münden Tunnel (10,525 m) south of
Hann. Münden. The highest bridge is the Rombach Valley Bridge near
Schlitz at 95 metres.
Notwithstanding 10,700 complaints and 360 lawsuits, the line was opened fully in 1991, though the
Würzburg
Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is a city in the region of Franconia in the north of the German state of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the ''Regierungsbezirk'' Lower Franconia. It spans the banks of the Main River.
Würzburg ...
–
Fulda part was used by
InterCity
InterCity (commonly abbreviated ''IC'' on timetables and tickets) is the classification applied to certain long-distance passenger train services in Europe. Such trains (in contrast to regional, local, or commuter trains) generally call at m ...
trains as early as 1988. The standard speed on the line is 250 km/h (155 mph); 280 km/h may be reached by trains running late.
On 1 May 1988 the
InterCityExperimental
The Intercity Experimental, later renamed ICE V, was an experimental train developed by the Deutsche Bundesbahn for research into high-speed rail in Germany. It is the predecessor of all Intercity Express trains of the Deutsche Bahn.
Design
The ...
set a new
land speed record for railed vehicles
The world record for a conventional wheeled passenger train is held by France's TGV (''Train à Grande Vitesse''), set in 2007 when it reached on a section of track.
Japan's experimental maglev train L0 Series achieved on a 42.8 km ma ...
at 406.9 km/h (252.8 mph) between
Fulda and
Würzburg
Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is a city in the region of Franconia in the north of the German state of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the ''Regierungsbezirk'' Lower Franconia. It spans the banks of the Main River.
Würzburg ...
.
On 26 April 2008, trainset 11, travelling as ICE 885, collided with a flock of sheep near
Fulda. Both power cars and ten of the 12 non-powered cars derailed. The train came to a stop 1300 meters into the
Landrücken Tunnel
The Landrücken Tunnel is a railway tunnel on the Hanover-Würzburg high-speed rail line. With a length of it is the longest tunnel in Germany.
Geography
The tunnel is in east Hessen between the stations of Fulda and Würzburg. Between the n ...
. 19 of the 130 passengers suffered mostly minor injuries; four of them had to be treated in hospitals.
Safety
Deutsche Bahn AG keeps special trains for accident assistance ready, when passenger trains are on the line; from midnight to early morning these trains are out of service when the line is used for cargo transport. The trains are hauled by two specially rebuilt
Class 714 locomotives and are designed to get firefighters and rescue workers to accident scenes in tunnels and on difficult-to-access sections of track. Both engines are equipped with infrared cameras and remote controls, so that the driver can steer the train into a tunnel from the first (air-tight) car of the train without endangering themselves. The trains are stationed at
Hildesheim Hauptbahnhof,
Kassel Hauptbahnhof
Kassel Hauptbahnhof is a Deutsche Bahn railway station in the city of Kassel, in the German state of Hesse. Situated in the central borough of Mitte, it is the city's second important railway station after the opening of Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe ...
,
Fulda and
Würzburg Hauptbahnhof
Würzburg Hauptbahnhof is a railway station for the city of Würzburg in the German state of Bavaria. It was opened in 1864 to the north of the inner city as a replacement for the former ''Ludwigsbahnhof'' (Ludwig's station) in the city centre, ...
. They initially were painted in a bright reddish-orange livery akin to
fire engine
A fire engine (also known in some places as a fire truck or fire lorry) is a road vehicle (usually a truck) that functions as a firefighting apparatus. The primary purposes of a fire engine include transporting firefighters and water to an ...
s, but since the late 1990s they have been painted standard DB livery red, apparently to make them less obvious to concerned passengers.
See also
*
High-speed rail in Germany
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hanover-Wurzburg high-speed railway
High-speed railway lines in Germany
Railway lines in Lower Saxony
Railway lines in Hesse
Railway lines in Bavaria
Transport in Hanover
Buildings and structures in Göttingen (district)
Würzburg