The Erfurt–Leipzig/Halle high-speed railway is a -long high-speed line in Germany between

Erfurt Erfurt () is the capital and largest city in the Central German state of Thuringia. It is located in the wide valley of the Gera river (progression: ), in the southern part of the Thuringian Basin, north of the Thuringian Forest. It sits i ...

and

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as ...

and Halle. It is listed in Germany's Federal Transport Plan (''Bundesverkehrswegeplan'') as " German Unity Rail Project no 8.2" (''Verkehrsprojekt Deutsche Einheit Schiene'', VDE 8.2) and is a section of the

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

–

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

high-speed route, part of the Line 1 of Trans-European Transport Networks (TEN-T) and on the east–west axis between

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label= Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...

and

Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on it ...

. To the north, it connects with the previously completed Berlin-Halle and

railways (VDE 8.3) and to in the south with the Nuremberg-Erfurt high-speed railway (VDE 8.1), which was opened in December 2017. The travel time from Munich to Berlin has been reduced to about four hours. The design speed is largely , reduced to on the branch to Halle. of the -long high-speed line is located in three tunnels; the six viaducts of the route together are more than long. With a length of approximately 6465 metres, the Saale-Elster Viaduct is the longest bridge structure in Germany and the longest bridge on a long-distance railway in Europe. The Unstrut Viaduct at 2668 m is the second longest railway bridge in Germany. Scheduled operations commenced on 13 December 2015. This shortened the journey times for ICE services over the between Erfurt and Leipzig from 70 to 43 minutes and the between Erfurt and Halle from 75 to 34 minutes. The cost of the project was estimated in mid 2014 to be €2.967 billion.

Lines

Route

The line runs east from Erfurt Hauptbahnhof parallel with the

Halle–Bebra railway The Halle–Bebra railway, known in German as the Thüringer Bahn ("Thuringian Railway"), is a 210 kilometre-long railway line from Halle (Saale) via Erfurt and Gerstungen to Bebra, mainly in Thuringia. As far as Gerstungen the line originally b ...

. The two lines pass through the southern edge of Erfurt marshalling yard and past that Vieselbach freight distribution centre (''Güterverkehrszentren''), which lies to the south of the existing line in Azmannsdorf. West of Vieselbach the new line leaves the existing line and runs in a northeasterly direction. When passing through the

Thuringian basin The Thuringian Basin (german: Thüringer Becken) is a depression in the central and northwest part of Thuringia in Germany which is crossed by several rivers, the longest of which is the Unstrut. It stretches about from north to south and around ...

, it passes the towns of Großmölsen,

Neumark The Neumark (), also known as the New March ( pl, Nowa Marchia) or as East Brandenburg (), was a region of the Margraviate of Brandenburg and its successors located east of the Oder River in territory which became part of Poland in 1945. Call ...

, Krautheim and

Buttstädt Buttstädt is a municipality in the district of Sömmerda, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated 16 km northeast of Weimar. The former municipalities Ellersleben, Eßleben-Teutleben, Großbrembach, Guthmannshausen, Hardisleben, Klein ...

. Apart from the Scherkonde Viaduct () and the Gänsebach Viaduct (), the line in this section has no major engineering structure. The Großbrembach overtaking loop lies between the two viaducts. The line reached the Finne ridge in

Herrengosserstedt Herrengosserstedt is a village and a former municipality in the Burgenlandkreis district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 July 2009, it is part of the municipality An der Poststraße An der Poststraße is a municipality in the Burgenlandkreis ...

and runs through the Finne Tunnel (6965 m) between

Rastenberg :''The Polish town of Kętrzyn was formerly known as Rastenburg.'' Rastenberg is a town in the district of Sömmerda, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated 22 km east of Sömmerda, and 23 km northeast of Weimar. History Within the Germ ...

and

Bad Bibra Bad Bibra () is a town in the Burgenlandkreis district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated northwest of Naumburg. It is part of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' ("collective municipality") An der Finne. Since July 2009 it has included the former m ...

. After a short section that includes the Saubachtal overtaking loop the line passes over the Saubach Viaduct (). This is immediately followed by the Bibra Tunnel () where the line passes below the Hermundurische Scholle plateau and comes to the surface again east of the Dissa valley. Northwest of Wetzendorf, the line crosses the valley of the

Unstrut The Unstrut () is a river in Germany and a left tributary of the Saale. The Unstrut originates in northern Thuringia near Dingelstädt (west of Kefferhausen in the Eichsfeld area) and its catchment area is the whole of the Thuringian Basin. ...

on the -long Unstrut Viaduct. It then passes through the Osterberg Tunnel (), which ends at Kalzendorf, and the Jüdendorf overtaking loop. It now runs across the plateau of the Querfurt Plate (''Querfurter Platte'') and no further major engineering structures are required on the line apart from the Stöbnitz Viaduct (). In Bad Lauchstädt, it passes under autobahn 38 and reaches the Dörstewitz overtaking loop. Halle02

The Saale-Elster Viaduct crosses the floodplains of the

Saale The Saale (), also known as the Saxon Saale (german: Sächsische Saale) and Thuringian Saale (german: Thüringische Saale), is a river in Germany and a left-bank tributary of the Elbe. It is not to be confused with the smaller Franconian Saale ...

and

White Elster The White Elster
Accessed on 16 Jan 2011. (, ) is a long river in central

Schkopau Schkopau is a municipality in the Saalekreis district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Geography It is situated at the confluence of the Saale River with its White Elster and Luppe tributaries, approx. north of Merseburg, and south of Halle. Sc ...

. The building of the longest bridge in Germany through several protected areas was particularly complex due to the

Habitats Directive The Habitats Directive (more formally known as Council Directive 92/43/EEC on the Conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora) is a directive adopted by the European Community in 1992 as a response to the Berne Convention. The E ...

(Council Directive 92/43/EEC), a bird sanctuary and a drinking water protection zone grade III, which together required numerous applications of administrative law. Another special feature of the infrastructure is the grade-separated junction with the link to Halle (Saale) via a 2112 m long viaduct, with a viaduct for the track towards Halle passing under the main viaduct. The branch connects with the existing

at Ammendorf/Beesen. Halle (Saale) Hauptbahnhof is connected to the new line over a link with a total length of . The line towards Leipzig adopts a course without major engineering structures. In Gröbers, it has a grade-separated crossing over the tracks of the Mitteldeutschland S-Bahn and the Magdeburg-Leipzig Railway and there are connections between these lines at Gröbers junction. Before reaching

Leipzig/Halle Airport Leipzig/Halle Airport (German: ''Flughafen Leipzig/Halle'') is an international airport located in Schkeuditz, Saxony, Germany and serves both Leipzig, Saxony, and Halle, Saxony-Anhalt. It is Germany's 14th largest airport by passengers and ...

, which has two outside platforms, it passes over Autobahn 9 on a bridge near the Schkeuditz Cross interchange (''Schkeuditzer Kreuz''). The line runs next to Autobahn 14 for nearly (kilometres 290–303) before turning off the A14 to approach Leipzig Messe station. After another six kilometres of upgraded line (''Ausbaustrecke''), the line ends in

Leipzig Hauptbahnhof Leipzig Hauptbahnhof (Leipzig main station, ) is the central railway terminus in Leipzig, Germany, in the district Mitte. At , it is Europe's largest railway station measured by floor area. It has 19 overground platforms housed in six iron train ...

Design parameters

The design speed is between Erfurt and Gröbers near Halle. Between Gröbers and Leipzig Messe, the line speed is and, between Leipzig Messe and Leipzig Hauptbahnhof, the line speed is . To allow this, the course of the line was planned with a reduced minimum curve radius of and a normal minimum curve radius of . The gradient of the new line is up to 1.25%. As of 1995, the width of the track formation for planning purposes, depending on track curvature, was between and a distance between track centres was . The latter was later reduced to . The reduced minimum vertical curve radius was with a normal minimum vertical curve radius of . Following the planning stage of 1995, overtaking loops were provided at intervals of about and crossovers at intervals of about seven kilometres. With the adoption of the four planned overtaking loop facilities (''Überholbahnhöfe''), the proposed crossovers could be dispensed with. Ballastless track is used for the continuous main tracks. The crossovers that are incorporated in the overtaking loop facilities at Großbrembach, Jüdendorf and Dörstewitz are designed for operations at and the turnout speed to the passing tracks is . Because of the confined situation between the Finne Tunnel and the Bibra Tunnel the maximum speed in the Saubachtal overtaking loop is only . The distances required between overtaking loops were determined in an operational scientific study and were calculated according to track information based on the forecast program of operations.

Engineering structures

The maximum height of embankments is and the maximum depth of cuttings is (DB guideline 836). Bridges and tunnels were provided where these values could not be complied with. Overall, 35 rail bridges and 39 road bridges were built in the course of the project. A special feature is the design of four major bridges as “semi-integral” bridges. The pier and superstructure are monolithically connected, but, in contrast to integral bridges, there are joints in the superstructure. The three tunnels extend for a total distance of . Because of the geological conditions, the planned mixed traffic and for safety reasons they were built as two tubes carrying a single track with track centres spaced by about . Connecting tunnels were built between them as escape routes at a maximum distance of . Structural measures against

tunnel boom Piston effect refers to the forced-air flow inside a tunnel or shaft caused by moving vehicles. It is one of numerous phenomena that engineers and designers must consider when developing a range of structures. Cause In open air, when a vehicl ...

were built where required in the portal areas. The six viaducts have a total length of . Originally they were to be long. (brochure, 50 A4 pages) In 1994, five major bridges were planned with a length of around ten kilometres.

Technology

NBS Erfurt Leipzig-Halle - ZHA an das Umspannwerk Erfurt Vieselbach

The line is subject to the Technical Specification for Interoperability as part of the trans-European high-speed railway network. The line is controlled by

electronic interlocking In railway signalling, an interlocking is an arrangement of signal apparatus that prevents conflicting movements through an arrangement of tracks such as junctions or crossings. The signalling appliances and tracks are sometimes collectively re ...

s (''Elektronische Stellwerke'', ESTW) that are remotely controlled by the Leipzig operations centre. This is assisted by the Erfurt Neubaustrecke sub-centre (ESTW-UZ) for the line outside the Erfurt/Halle/Leipzig nodes and four branch offices (ESTW-A) built at the overtaking loops. After the planning stage in 1997, it was still intended to build eleven substations (ESTW-A). The route is between Erfurt Hbf and Leipzig Messe is equipped with

European Train Control System The European Train Control System (ETCS) is the signalling and control component of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS). It is a replacement for legacy train protection systems and designed to replace the many incompatible ...

(ETCS). For the first time in Germany, ETCS Level 2 has been used without trackside signals and with no signal-based fallback. 1352

Eurobalise A Eurobalise is a specific variant of a balise being a transponder placed between the rails of a railway. These balises constitute an integral part of the European Train Control System, where they serve as "beacons" giving the exact location of a t ...

s have been installed with special mountings for protection from impacts. The four ETCS control centres (two in Erfurt, one each in Halle and Neuwiederitzsch) are designed as "two out of three" computer systems to deal with malfunctions. In an ETCS failure, the trains continue to operate under the ETCS ''Staff Responsible'' mode. An integrated user interface has been developed for the operation of the electronic interlockings and ETCS control centres. As a fallback to ETCS, an intermittent train control system (

Punktförmige Zugbeeinflussung PZB or Indusi is an intermittent cab signalling system and train protection system used in Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Romania, Israel, Serbia, on two lines in Hungary, on the Tyne and Wear Metro in the United Kingdom, and formerly on th ...

) was modelled, which would allow operations outside of stations with turnouts at speeds of up . Procedures were also developed for dealing with a malfunctioning GSM-R

Base transceiver station A base transceiver station (BTS) is a piece of equipment that facilitates wireless communication between user equipment (UE) and a network. UEs are devices like mobile phones (handsets), WLL phones, computers with wireless Internet connectivity, ...

, so that trains can be run through. The line was first put into operation with ETCS version SRS 2.3.0d (with additional changes), and it was initially scheduled to be upgraded to full functionality under ETCS Baseline 3 at the end of 2017. Therefore, only specifically approved vehicles (such as the

ICE T DBAG Class 411 and Class 415 are German tilting electric multiple-unit high-speed trains in service with DB Fernverkehr, commonly known as ICE T. Development Following the successful inauguration of the Intercity-Express system in 1991 ...

and some railway service vehicles) may operate on this route. The upgrade program has changed and, instead, further developments are to be carried out on the basis of baseline 2. A full installation of ETCS at the Erfurt, Halle and Leipzig junctions was tested, (Paper presented at the 52nd Railway Technical Symposium of the VDEI) and ultimately the Erfurt junction was partially equipped with ETCS. 15 GSM-R base stations were built along the line at intervals of six to eight kilometres comprising new and adapted existing base stations. In addition radio field amplifiers were built. The new line is built as

slab track A ballastless track or slab track is a type of railway track infrastructure in which the traditional elastic combination of ties/sleepers and ballast is replaced by a rigid construction of concrete or asphalt. Characteristics In ballastless ...

with the overtaking tracks and connections with the existing network built as conventional ballasted tracks. 34,000 sections of slab tracks were laid for the line. In the tunnels and on the Saale-Elster Viaduct this is designed to be usable by emergency road vehicles. These new designs were tested on a specially built test track. Trains must be equipped with emergency brakes between Großbrembach and Jüdendorf. Three new substations for the supply of traction power were built near Bachstedt, in the Saubach valley area and near Dörstewitz. Further, railway power lines with a length of were built (according to another source, ). Originally four substations and of railway power line were planned. The Weimar substation was upgraded. The new line was equipped with

catenary In physics and geometry, a catenary (, ) is the curve that an idealized hanging chain or cable assumes under its own weight when supported only at its ends in a uniform gravitational field. The catenary curve has a U-like shape, superfici ...

of class Re 330 between early 2011 and the end of September 2014. Around 3,000 overhead masts were required for this. The section completed in 2003 between Leipzig Messe and Gröbers was built with class SICAT 1.0 catenary.

History

Background

A trunk line between Berlin and Munich was included in

Friedrich List Georg Friedrich List (6 August 1789 – 30 November 1846) was a German-American economist who developed the "National System" of political economy. He was a forefather of the German historical school of economics, and argued for the German Custom ...

's proposed German rail network in 1833. The line that was completed between Berlin and Munich in 1851 was not built to an overall plan, but was a result of the development of various rail networks in the 1840s and was mainly built to promote regional interests. Since line improvements and technical developments were affected by the

division of Germany Division or divider may refer to: Mathematics * Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication * Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military * Division (military), a formation typically consisti ...

, which also meant that the line was cut at the border. After the

reunification A political union is a type of political entity which is composed of, or created from, smaller polities, or the process which achieves this. These smaller polities are usually called federated states and federal territories in a federal governm ...

, attention turned to closing gaps, restoration, rehabilitation and electrification of the existing lines. Today's railway line is the result of a decision of the Federal Government in April 1991 to fund the "German Unity Transport Projects", which were incorporated in the Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan (''Bundesverkehrswegeplan'') 1992. The project was listed as one of the "new projects" with a total projected cost of DM 4765 million (1 January 1991 prices). It was listed as an "urgent need" in the Federal Railway Development Act 1993 (''Bundesschienenwegeausbaugesetz''). (20-page brochure) The line was originally intended to be implemented by 2000. In 1994, it was included in the newly created Berlin–Verona Trans-European Corridor at the EU summit in Essen. (15-page brochure, status of January 1995) According to Deutsche Bahn, the need to establish the route arose among other things from traffic forecasts, which predicted rapidly increasing passenger and freight traffic between Berlin, Leipzig, Erfurt, Nuremberg and Munich. These traffic volumes could not be handled with the existing infrastructure. The quality of operation of existing routes would be unsatisfactory, partly due to heavy use and long service times. An upgrade of existing routes to overcome these problems would hardly be possible. Line improvements would usually have significant environmental impacts and would have strong impacts on existing buildings, due partly to dense settlement in the narrow valleys that the line passes through. The requirements of a modern railway in terms of traveling times and speeds could not be achieved by upgrading existing routes.

Planning and option selection

Preliminary planning by

Deutsche Reichsbahn The ''Deutsche Reichsbahn'', also known as the German National Railway, the German State Railway, German Reich Railway, and the German Imperial Railway, was the German national railway system created after the end of World War I from the regiona ...

(DR) was adopted for the project in the summer of 1991. A study produced in preparation for the decision of the Central Headquarters of the Reichsbahn (ZHvDR) was presented in November 1991. In early 1992, the planning was completed by DR and then passed to the Leipzig Project Centre of the ''Planungsgesellschaft Bahnbau Deutsche Einheit mbH'' (“Planning Corporation for German Unity Rail Construction”, PBDE). In the second half of 1992, the project was named "VDE 8/2". It would connect Erfurt via Halle/Leipzig to Bitterfeld. As part of a 194 km-long project, it would involve the upgrading of 71 km of existing line for a speed of and the rebuilding of 123 km of line for operations at 250 km/h. For the upgraded sections a further upgrade to allow operations at 200 km/h was provided as an option. With the estimated project cost of DM 4.765 billion that was given in the Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan 1992, PBDE estimated in September 1992 that the cost would be DM 5.545 billion. In addition, 85 km of railway power lines, three railway tunnels and five viaducts would be built. The plan was to run until 1997. The upgrading of the old line would be completed in 1996 and the new line would be completed in 2000. (brochure, no page numbering) Based on the study of November 1991, the PBDE prepared the preliminary design, which was confirmed by the ZHvDR in late 1992. Simultaneously, a consultation of state and environmental planning organisations took place with the participation of the states and the

Federal Agency for Nature Conservation The German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (german: Bundesamt für Naturschutz, ''BfN'') is the German government's scientific authority with responsibility for national and international nature conservation. BfN is one of the government's ...

. An investigation was made of the corridor to establish route options at a scale of 1:100,000. Among other things, conflicts and risks for spatial and environmental compatibility as well as effects on railway operations and economic aspects were taken into account. Among other things, the connection of the city of Halle, Leipzig/Halle Airport, the Leipzig Trade Fair and the freight centres in Erfurt and Leipzig were considered. The new line would not only shorten travel times, but also relieve the existing network. The axis between Erfurt and Halle was considered by the Reichsbahn as congested or overloaded. Based on this, five track alignment options were developed as part of a space sensitivity analysis with further options, including three options for connections with Leipzig. The examined planning area covered an area of about 3700 square kilometers. The following options were considered: * ''Option 1'', which was considered the preferred option, provided for a northern route. The existing line would be crossed between Großkorbetha and Halle. This option envisaged linking the line with Neuwiederitzsch, Gröbers and Schkopau/southern Halle with the existing network. The planned cost of the 123 km-long route (between Erfurt and Leipzig) was DM 4.4 billion. *A second option included a deviation from option 1 to the north of the border of Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. The route would have run south of Karsdorf via Roßbach to Großkorbetha. There would be a connecting curve to the line via Merseburg to Halle, while the main line would run to the east via

Bad Dürrenberg Bad Dürrenberg is a spa town in the Saalekreis district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the river Saale, approx. 8 km southeast of Merseburg. It is known for its graduation tower, the largest one in Germany. Geography The ...

and Leipzig/Halle Airport to reach the route of option 1 on a more easterly route. 1 The cost of the 128 km-long line was estimated to be DM 5.2 billion. (brochure) *''Option 3 '' foresaw a southern course in the Großkorbetha area. A branch would run from there, parallel with the autobahn, to the airport. In addition, there would be an upgrade of the existing line towards Merseburg and Halle. The 123 km-long route was calculated to cost DM 6.6 billion. *''Option 4'' involved an investigation of the extent that the new line could run parallel to the existing network. The studies showed that close “bundling” would have been possible only on a quarter of the length of the route. A longer tunnel was provided between Bad Sulza and Bad Kosen. The 125 km-long distance was calculated to cost DM 5.6 billion. *A fifth option for the line was identified running south of the existing line through the

Naumburg Naumburg () is a town in (and the administrative capital of) the district Burgenlandkreis, in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, Central Germany. It has a population of around 33,000. The Naumburg Cathedral became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2018. ...

area and parallel to Autobahn 9 in the Schkeuditz area. The 130 km long route was calculated to cost DM 5.0 billion. In the Leipzig area, a southern connection from Leipzig (via the Bayerischen Bahnhof) with a tunnel under the city centre to the Hauptbahnhof was examined. Options 1 and 2, were examined in depth and their operational, economic and environmental were aspects to be particularly advantageous. Both options followed the same general course in Thuringia and connected with Leipzig from the northwest. The remaining three options were eliminated due to longer travel times and additional costs of about DM 1 billion. Other alternative routes through the state of Thuringia (a combination of routes 1 and 5) were submitted by the city of Halle and Vieregg Rössler (a transport consultancy). In addition to the five main options at least eleven other alternatives were investigated in depth. (Plan submitted the Erfurt branch of the Federal Railway Authority on 22.January 1996, file no."1011 Rapf NBS 1.9-09/96") From the in-depth investigations, option 1 emerged as the cheapest option. They found it had, inter alia, the shortest travel time, the shortest route length, good environmental compatibility, convenient connections (Leipzig/Halle Airport, Leipzig freight transport centre and Leipzig-Wahren) and comparatively low investment costs. This option was registered for the Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan of 1992 and incorporated into the planning process. After almost eight months of planning, the regional planning procedure (including an environmental impact assessment) was initiated by the transmission by letter of the documents to the participating federal states on 15 September 1992. Around 1992, the planned costs of option 1 were estimated at DM 4.4 billion. Early in 1993, the cost of the 194 km comprehensive overall project, which at that time also included the Bitterfeld–Leipzig and Bitterfeld–Halle sections, was stated to be D-Mark 5.54 billion. The targeted ICE traveling time between Leipzig and Erfurt was stated to be 39 minutes. Construction was planned to start in 1994, with the commencement of operations in 1999/2000. When construction started in 1994, the commissioning was still foreseen in 2000, at a total cost of DM 4.5 billion as estimated in January 1994. In mid-1994, the planned investment was estimated at DM 4.592 billion (gross). Contracts for building the line would be awarded in eleven lots. On 3 March 1993, the state government of Thuringia confirmed the routes proposed by the PBDE on the basis of 42 studies. On 15 March, the project was endorsed by the State of Saxony through the Leipzig regional council. On 23 June 1993, it was finally certified by Saxony-Anhalt to comply with land development and environmental plans. The certification was bound by 23 conditions. All three states ultimately confirmed their support for the previously proposed option1. Saxony considered that some long-distance trains would stop at the airport and at Leipzig-Messe station. The application document for determining the course of the new lines was submitted to the Federal Ministry of Transport in 1994 and the track alignment (including the railway power lines (reprint from ''Aktuell'')) were confirmed on 23 June 1994; the Federal Environment Ministry endorsed the approval. The selected option, according to Deutsche Bahn, was the shortest route, would have the lowest construction and operating costs and would have the lowest land take. The travel times on the Erfurt-Halle and Erfurt-Leipzig routes would be shortest. The ability to stop at the airport and at the new trade fair and affordable connections to the planned Leipzig/Halle freight transport centre and the Leipzig-Wahren container terminal also favoured the chosen option. The environmental impacts were less than or equivalent to other possible routes. Not least, long-distance trains from the north-west towards Halle/Leipzig and Dresden could use part of the route. As part of the planning work, hundreds of exploratory holes were driven to a depth of up to 70 m. For the planning approval process, the line was divided into 14 planning approval sections. Taking advantage of the provisions of the Transport Infrastructure Planning Acceleration Act (''Verkehrswegeplanungsbeschleunigungsgesetz'') approval for construction of all sections was achieved in two and a half years between 1994 and 1996. As part of the planning approval procedure further large and small-scale regional route options were examined. The first planning approval (for section 2.1) was issued in early December 1994. By May 1995, proceedings had been initiated for all sections. On 12 December 1995, the last approval was granted on Thuringian territory.. The final decision, for the section between the crossing of the Unstrut and Halle, was adopted at the end of July 1996. All the planning approval process had been completed by early 1997. 18 tonnes of documents were produced for the planning approval process. On 20 June 2003, Deutsche Bahn CEO

Hartmut Mehdorn Hartmut Mehdorn (born 31 July 1942 in Warsaw) is a German manager and mechanical engineer. Until May 2009 he served as CEO of Deutsche Bahn AG, Germany's biggest railway company. He served as CEO of Germany's second largest airline Air Berlin unt ...

and Transport Minister

Manfred Stolpe Manfred Stolpe (16 May 1936 – 29 December 2019) was Federal Minister of Transport, Building and Urban Affairs of Germany from 2002 until 2005. Before, he was Ministerpräsident of the state Brandenburg from 1990 until 2002. Stolpe was, after ...

signed the financial agreement for the Erfurt–Halle/Gröbers section. The planned cost for the section stood at €1.9 billion, the cost of the whole line was estimated to be €2.67 billion. Completion was scheduled for 2015. In the event of a successful bid by Leipzig for the 2012 Summer Olympics, the line would have been put into operation as early as 2012. Finnetunnel-Sept2008-2

The contract to build the Finne Tunnel was awarded in December 2006. The contract for the Unstrut Viaduct was awarded in January 2007 and that for the Bibra Tunnel was awarded in August 2007. In January 2008, the Osterberg Tunnel contract followed; it was awarded at the end of February 2008. At the beginning of 2009, all major engineering structures were under construction. In January 2009, Deutsche Bahn called construction tenders for the subgrade of the ballastless section 2 (track-km 197.889 to km 215.937) and the ballastless section 3 (km 215.937 to km 228.685). Both contracts were to run from June 2009 to the end of April 2012. At the end of May 2009, this was followed by the invitation to tender for the contract for the ballastless section 4 (km 251.1 to km 272.1) as well as the ballastless section 5 including the Gröbers junction (km 279.9 bis km 286.9). These contracts were to run from November 2009 to November 2012 (lot 4) and from July 2010 to December 2015 (lot 5). In July 2009, finally, the integration of the line into the Erfurt junction was tendered, which would be built between December 2009 and December 2010. In July 2011, a contract worth €200 million was awarded for the production of slab track and for of noise and wind barriers between Erfurt and Gröbers. This work would be completed by the end of 2013. The proposed line speed in the 1990s was stated as partly , (brochure, 50 A4 pages), and partly , The design speed was always set at . The line speed limit was later raised to . Between Gröbers and Leipzig Messe it is now set at ; from Leipzig Messe to Leipzig Hbf the permitted speed is . A total of around 15,000 land parcels were affected by the construction projects. The area required for the line is specified as 370 hectares, of which 160 hectares are for the track. Environmental and landscape planning compensatory measures are scheduled for an area of about 2000 hectares.

Construction

Neubaustrecke Erfurt - Leipzig-Halle 20120325 353

Neubaustrecke Erfurt - Leipzig-Halle 20120325 108

Neubaustrecke Erfurt - Leipzig-Halle 20120325 395

The turning of the sod ceremony was held for the link between Gröbers and Leipzig on 2 October 1996. The Secretary of State Johannes Nitsch, Saxon Economics Minister Kajo Schommer and DB Chairman Ulf Häusler laid the foundations for a 130 m long pedestrian and cycle bridge over the six-lane Autobahn and the planned new line. In mid-1997, the archaeological investigation was carried out between Leipzig and Gröbers. In mid-1999, the Federal Minister of Transport

Franz Müntefering Franz Müntefering (; born 16 January 1940) is a German politician. He was Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) from 2004 to 2005 and again from 18 October 2008 to 13 November 2009. He served as the minister of Labour and Social Affairs, ...

stopped the construction work that had already begun. He justified this by the underfunding of the transport budget. The projects could be taken up at a later time if the traffic demand was rising and sufficient funds were available. New investment finance for new construction projects should be diverted to the development of the existing network. Construction on the new line was limited to the section between Leipzig and Gröbers to improve the market share of the airport link. A delay in the construction of the Leipzig-Gröbers section was announced in early 2001. Due to geological problems in a former mining area, the commissioning of the section through the Gröbers railway junction was postponed for one year to 2003. €370 million has been invested in this -long section of the new railway between Leipzig Messe and Flughafen Leipzig/Halle. The track is in this section is currently operated at up to . The section was opened on 30 June 2003. In mid-March 2002, the federal government announced a freeze on work on the whole route and announced its intention to adjust funding for the DB. The then Chancellor

Gerhard Schröder Gerhard Fritz Kurt "Gerd" Schröder (; born 7 April 1944) is a German lobbyist and former politician, who served as the chancellor of Germany from 1998 to 2005. From 1999 to 2004, he was also the Leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germa ...

announced on 10 March 2002 that construction would resume. The project had not been adequately funded by the previous government and have therefore had to be postponed. Deutsche Bahn welcomed the decision. Yet at the end of February 2002, the former Minister of Transport Bodewig suggested that the realisation of the project was uncertain. The construction of the Saubach Viaduct began in the first half of 2004. The first construction phase of the transformation of the southern approach to Halle to introduce the new line ran into the town started in October 2005. New external platforms were built south of the existing site at Ammendorf/Beesen station. A new

took over the functions of four new signal boxes and a total of 6300 m of noise barriers were built. After the completion of this work, the speed is in this section was raised from . A total of €92.5 million was invested in these works, including €64.4 million from the

European Regional Development Fund The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) is one of the European Structural and Investment Funds allocated by the European Union. Its purpose is to transfer money from richer regions (not countries), and invest it in the infrastructure and s ...

. The upgrade of the long section was completed at the end of May 2008. In a second stage of construction, the connection of the new line, including a crossing structure, was built from 2010 to 2011. The construction of the Saale-Elster Viaduct started in 2006; some access roads had previously been built on platforms on stilts in a

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

. By February 2006 preconstruction work was under way in the Unstrut Viaduct area. In December 2006, the Saubach Viaduct was completed as the first major engineering structure on this section. The Federal Government and Deutsche Bahn AG announced in December 2006 that the project would be completed in 2015. In December 2006, a parliamentary group of supporters was founded to promote the "completion of the German Unity Transport Project No. 8“ with more than 20 members in the Bundestag. The parliamentarians wanted to work for an accelerated completion of the line. From the summer of 2007, a series of road overbridges were under construction between Erfurt and Buttstädt. In September 2007, the site equipment began to be installed for the west portal of the Finne Tunnel. On 30. April 2008, construction started on the Finne Tunnel, the longest tunnel on the route. Between September 2008 and 2010, archaeological excavations along the future route found evidence of more than 7500 years of human history. More than 100,000 finds were found in an area of more than 100 hectares. A total of 150 staff were employed in eight excavation team. It was one of the largest archaeological excavations in Germany. About €11 million was spent on the work. The Finne Tunnel was structurally complete in the spring of 2012. The earthworks of the long section in the

was completed in June 2012. The construction site was connected via a construction track to the Erfurt node, so that the installation of the slab track, the

, the electrical engineering and the train control and protection systems could be started in this section. The Saale-Elster Viaduct and Osterberg Tunnel were completed by 2012. The completion of earthworks between Erfurt and Gröbers was celebrated in early December 2012. In this section 5.5 million cubic metres of earth and building materials were moved and 35 bridges were built. After just over a year of construction in November 2013, the rails were largely in place and 3000 catenary masts had been installed. The new railway power line could be put into operation. Subsequently, the catenary system was installed and became live on 25 August 2014. The development of control and safety technology with electronic interlocking technology and the installation of radio equipment proceeded in parallel. The major project was originally controlled by the ''Planungsgesellschaft Bahnbau Deutsche Einheit'' ("Planning Corporation for German Unity Rail Construction"). From 2000, DB Projekt Verkehrsbau was entrusted with this task and since 2003m its successor,

DB ProjektBau DB ProjektBau GmbH was a German company that carried out and supported large-scale railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which ...

, has been responsible.

Commissioning

Gröbers–Leipzig-Mockau section

The section between Leipzig/Halle Airport station and Leipzig-Mockau was provisionally put into operation at the timetable change on 15 December 2002. The Leipzig/Halle Airport station was only partly finished. The trains ran hourly with class 642 diesel railcars. Previously, the main tracks in Leipzig Messe station were reconfigured so that the Magdeburg–Leipzig railway and the

Trebnitz–Leipzig railway The Trebnitz–Leipzig railway is a double track electrified main line in the German states of Saxony-Anhalt and Saxony built and originally operated by the Berlin-Anhalt Railway Company. It formally starts at Trebnitz on the former border between ...

, which previously had separate tracks between Leipzig Hauptbahnhof and Leipzig Messe now share the left-hand pair of tracks and the new, right-hand pair of tracks were connected to the new line towards the airport. The infrastructure track numbers in this section were changed. Work on Gröbers junction was still under way in early 2003. The line was connected to Gröbers junction on 16 April 2003 and the overhead wires on the whole section became live on 24 April 2003. Operations commenced on the section between Gröbers and Leipzig/Halle Airport station on 30 June 2003. From this time, all long-distance trains between Leipzig and Halle ran over the newly built section and Regional-Express services on route RE 5 ran hourly. The introduction of additional services between Leipzig Hauptbahnhof and the airport was repeatedly deferred to cut costs. A total of more than 70 long-distance and regional trains ran daily on the line in 2003. On 13 October 2003, trial runs of

ICE S ICE S is Deutsche Bahn's train for high-speed tests. The letter "S" abbreviates the German expression ''Schnellfahrt'', which translates into ''high speed run''. The train replaced the InterCityExperimental (ICE V). History The train was ori ...

sets began with speeds of up to . These runs were operated on behalf of the manufacturer to gain approval for the train sets to run under the overhead line at high speeds. With the opening of the

City Tunnel City Tunnell may refer to: * City Tunnel (Malmö), a railway tunnel in Sweden * Cross City Tunnel, a road tunnel in Sydney, Australia * Frankfurt City Tunnel, a railway tunnel in Germany * Offenbach City Tunnel, a railway tunnel in Germany * Leipzi ...

, trains which previously ran as RE 5, were now rebranded as lines S5 and S5X of the Mitteldeutschland S-Bahn bound for

Zwickau Zwickau (; is, with around 87,500 inhabitants (2020), the fourth-largest city of Saxony after Leipzig, Dresden and Chemnitz and it is the seat of the Zwickau District. The West Saxon city is situated in the valley of the Zwickau Mulde (German: ...

Erfurt – Gröbers und Planena – Halle-Ammendorf section

On 25 August 2014, the overhead contact line on the remaining new line was permanently energised. From 1 to 19 September 2014, high-sped trials were carried out with ICE S sets. As part of these runs, a train reached a speed of on the section from Erfurt to Gröbers for the first time on 5 September 2014. Testing and acceptance of ETCS began in late 2014, which was followed to test runs in early 2015. From May to October 2015, the three-tier safety regime of the ETCS systems was tested. Between March and October 2015, this was followed by around 900 test runs to measure the track geometry to check the overhead contact wire system with the later trains running on the route using ETCS technology. A trial was operated between Erfurt, Leipzig and Halle (Saale) on 4 September 2015. As part of the opening ceremony on 9 December 2015, two special trains ran on the line with guests of honour—among others, Chancellor

Angela Merkel Angela Dorothea Merkel (; ; born 17 July 1954) is a German former politician and scientist who served as Chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021. A member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), she previously served as Leader of the Opp ...

and DB chief

Rüdiger Grube Rüdiger Grube (born 2 August 1951) is a German engineer who served as the chairman of the board of Deutsche Bahn from 2009 until 2017 and as the chairman of EADS from 2007 until 2009. Early life Grube was born in Hamburg in 1951. He grew up on ...

—part of this involved running the two trains side by side in same direction. Initially the trains were formed of specially converted ICE T set 1129 (named "Leipzig") and set 1173 (named "Halle (Saale)") from Halle to Erfurt. This was followed by a run to Leipzig, during which ICE set 1504 ("Erfurt") ran partly in parallel. The line was put into operation for public passenger and freight transport at the timetable change on 13 December 2015. The first scheduled train was ICE set 1654 running from Leipzig to Wiesbaden. The introduction of the new ICE line 15, the rerouting of ICE line 28 and a number of timetable adjustments between Halle, Berlin and Hamburg were necessary.

Certification problems

A new form of slab track, which can be used on long bridges, has been installed on the line. According to DB information, it is the only such system on the market. The

Federal Railway Authority The German Federal Railway Authority (german: Eisenbahn-Bundesamt, ) has been the independent federal authority for the regulation of the railways in Germany since 1 January 1994. It is under the supervision and direction of the Federal Minist ...

(''Eisenbahn-Bundesamt'', EBA) declined an application for the approval of the use of the slab track in May 2015. The construction was considered weak because of a compensating layer of unreinforced concrete, although this was an accepted engineering technique and was imported from building regulations. The reinforcement was mandatory in the view of the EBA for handling stresses. Evidence needed to be provided that dynamic loads did not create excessive tensile forces on the blinding concrete. The Authority was concerned that the concrete would thus show no cracks when rehabilitation was needed. Six bridges along the entire line are affected by this problem. On 25 June 2015, the EBA and DB agreed on a package of measures at a meeting at the Federal Ministry of Transport. An examination would be carried out under Common Safety Methods (CSM) to determine whether a side concrete layer on both sides of the structure would create additional lateral strength by the end of July 2015. Thus, the lateral resistance would be increased. On bridges, with a length of over ten metres, 1500 one metre-long plates were attached. In combination with supplementary load tests, an ongoing special monitoring of proof of equivalent safety should be conducted as the basis for project-specific approval. The relevant opinion was given on 31 August 2015 with positive results. Now bimonthly test runs are carried out to check the track situation, the related tolerances are lower than on other routes. The ad hoc structural additions were completed in early November 2015. The Federal Railway Authority finally granted the operating license for the route on 8 December 2015. Further problems occurred with the approval of the ETCS system. So in the course of test and acceptance runs, software errors and the need to adjust the track configuration data have been observed. After the elimination of the errors, authorisation to use the ETCS system could be given on 10 September 2015.

Operations

After 100 days of operation, Deutsche Bahn pointed to positive results. The number of passengers has increased by 35 percent in the first two months of operation, with a total of 750,000 of passengers counted on the new line. According to surveys, many commuters had switched from private transport to rail. 5380 scheduled operations ran under ETCS up to 17 March 2016. 95 percent of these ran without problems with ETCS. ETCS disturbances had occurred, among other things due to the incorrect actions of employees, problems with the digital train radio, problems with rolling stock and a systemic failure of the ETCS infrastructure. The software bug in the ETCS was resolved by a software update in May 2016.

Costs and funding

The estimated cost of the route was estimated in mid-2014 as €2.967 billion. At the end of 2013, €2.412 billion had been spent. €555 million was outstanding. In 1993, estimated costs was given as DM 4.4 billion. At that time, construction was planned to begin in 1994 and was to be completed in 2000. In 2003, the cost of the route was specified as €2.31 billion, in 2007 as €2.666 billion By 2013, this amount had changed only slightly to €2.74 billion, The cost was specified as €2.967 billion in mid-2014. 2010 was the year with the highest expenses for the construction of the track, €403 million (see next chart). As part of an application for EU funding, the project was rated as having a cost-benefit ratio of 2.2. As part of the

Trans-European Networks The Trans-European Networks (TEN) were created by the European Union by Articles 154–156 of the Treaty of Rome (1957), with the stated goals of the creation of an internal market and the reinforcement of economic and social cohesion. To various ...

, part of the project has been cofinanced from the

(ERDF). Thus €57 million of ERDF assistance was provided during the 2000–2006 period for the construction of southern link to Halle. In the period 2007–2013, a further €49.8 million was approved for the project. As part of the stimulus package, it was also provided with €78 million of federal funding for the new line from 2009. (list with status of 29 July 2009)

Operational concept

The new line can be operated with all freight and passenger trains in mixed traffic. As the line is signalled exclusively with ETCS Level 2 without signals, it can only be used by vehicles equipped with ETCS.

Original plans

According to planning in January 1993, ICE services in 2005 would consist of two and a half trains per hour and direction. This provided for three ICE lines (Frankfurt–Leipzig–Dresden, Munich–Leipzig–Berlin and Frankfurt–Halle–Berlin). Interchange between these lines would thus be possible in Erfurt Hauptbahnhof. Moreover, there would be

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 ...

and InterRegio trains on the line. Between Frankfurt and Dresden, a journey time of three and a half hours would be possible in 1995. In early 1993, it was expected that about 150 passenger and about 100 freight trains would run each day. The traffic forecast for Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan 1992 foresaw that there would be 56 distance passenger and 95 freight trains per day in each direction on the new line in 2010. In mid-1994, Deutsche Bahn expected that 48 long-distance passenger and 60 freight trains would use the line per day. The separation of fast and slow traffic (under a program called Netz 21) had not yet been adopted. In the mid-1990s, 24 IC/ICE trains per day were expected to use the new line in each direction between Berlin, Leipzig and Erfurt in 2000 (16 of which continuing from/to Nuremberg) and 16 IC/ICE trains per day and direction on the Frankfurt–Erfurt–Leipzig–Dresden route. On the existing route, three InterRegio lines would be offered with a total of 21 trains per day in each direction. Traffic forecasts made in 1994, for 2000, projected 40 or 43 freight trains from the Leipzig/Halle direction. Other traffic forecasts from around 1995, expected 289 trains per day between Erfurt and Planena junction (the sum of passenger and freight trains in both directions). Of these 141 would run to and from Halle and 148 would run to and from Leipzig. Traffic on the existing network would remain about the same.

Commissioning of 2016 timetable

The line was taken into commercial operation at the timetable change on 13 December 2015. Scheduled operation initially used

sets, with a top speed of 230 km/h. These trains were equipped with ETCS for this purpose, with the modification of more ICE classes to follow.

ICE 1 The ICE 1 is the first batch-produced German high-speed train and one of six in the Intercity Express family. Revenue service at speeds up to started in 1991. It was raised to in May 1995 and temporary reduced to again, as a result of ...

sets, which will operate on the Ebensfeld–Erfurt–Leipzig/Halle high-speed line would also receive ECTS. Since the commissioning of the line,

Weimar Weimar is a city in the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is located in Central Germany between Erfurt in the west and Jena in the east, approximately southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together with the neighbouri ...

and

are no longer served by ICE services in east–west traffic.

Travel times

After commissioning, the travel times for the now 121 kilometres between Erfurt and Leipzig was reduced from around 70 to 43 minutes ICE services and between Erfurt and Halle (now 92 kilometres) from around 75 to 34 minutes. The scheduled travel times of 39 minutes (Erfurt–Leipzig) or 31 minutes (Erfurt–Halle) could not be achieved due to extensive construction work in the nodes of Leipzig and Halle. Since the opening, the travel time between Erfurt and Berlin has been about an hour and 45 minutes, about 45 minutes less than in 2013. Between Erfurt and Dresden, the journey time is about one hour and 50 minutes, 40 minutes faster than in 2013 or about 15 minutes faster than in 2000 after the introduction of the ICE T. (The ICE T could run faster than conventional trains using tilting over a number of existing sections of line until 2008. This has not been possible since 2008, due to, technical problems). In the interim (before the opening of the

Nuremberg–Erfurt high-speed railway The Nuremberg–Erfurt high-speed railway is a German high-speed railway, between Nuremberg and Erfurt. The line is listed in Germany's federal transport plan as '' Verkehrsprojekt Deutsche Einheit Nr.'' ("German Unity transport project no") ''8 ...

), Berlin-Munich services will not use the line, because although the Arnstadt-Saalfeld line allows a connection from Erfurt, it is not electrified. ¹ = Superscript number refers to the corresponding timetable year
² = Only individual services
³ = Trains to and from

Frankfurt South station Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its ...

ICE services

The following lines use the new line under the 2016 timetable:

Upgrade under VDE 8.1 for the 2018 timetable

The integration of the new line into Leipzig Hauptbahnhof, where the busy lines over a length of around 3 km can currently be operated at only with 40 km/h, is due to be completed by the end of 2017 and speeds will then be raised to 160 km/h. In addition, an electronic interlocking in Leipzig-Mockau would also open in 2017. With the start of the Nuremberg-Erfurt high-speed railway in December 2017, the following services are expected to run on the new line: (presentation) ^''1'' = ''Hour 1 and 2 means that in hour 1, line 11 continues via Berlin to Hamburg and line 28.1 stops in Berlin. In the other hour, line 28.2 continues beyond Berlin and line 50 runs from Leipzig towards Dresden.'' With the commissioning of the new line (including the route to Ebenfeld), the long-distance route between Berlin and Munich via Halle will be around 32 km shorter and 20 minutes faster than via Leipzig. On the other hand, according to Deutsche Bahn, the route via Leipzig has a much larger potential passenger traffic market than Halle. ICE line 15 will be partly operated with ICE 3 trains from the end of 2017 and thus produce a further reduction of travelling time of approximately ten minutes. Deutsche Bahn expected in early 2016 that the first special trains would run in the same year. The total start-up VDE 8 is expected in December 2017.

Notes

Sources

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Erfurt-Leipzig Halle high-speed railway Railway lines in Saxony Railway lines in Saxony-Anhalt Railway lines in Thuringia High-speed railway lines in Germany Railway lines opened in 2015 2015 establishments in Germany