The Brunswick–Magdeburg railway is an
German main line railway. It is with the
Berlin–Lehrte railway and the
Hanover–Berlin high-speed line one of the most important east-west lines between
Hanover
Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...
and
Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
. Important intermediate stations are
Königslutter,
Helmstedt and
Eilsleben.
It is now used mainly for east-west freight traffic, as well as
Intercity
InterCity (commonly abbreviated ''IC'' on timetables and tickets) is the train categories in Europe, classification applied to certain long-distance passenger train services in Europe. Such trains (in contrast to InterRegio, regional train, r ...
and
Regionalbahn
The ''Regionalbahn'' (; lit. Regional train; abbreviated ''RB'') is a train categories in Europe, type of Regional rail, local passenger train (stopping train) in Germany. It is similar to the Regionalzug (R) and Regio (Swiss railway train), R ...
trains.
History
Brunswick (
German: ''Braunschweig'') and
Magdeburg
Magdeburg (; ) is the Capital city, capital of the Germany, German States of Germany, state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is on the Elbe river.
Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archbishopric of Mag ...
had already been connected with a railway line via
Wolfenbüttel
Wolfenbüttel (; ) is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, the administrative capital of Wolfenbüttel District
Wolfenbüttel (; ) is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, the administrative capital of Wolfenbüttel (district), Wolfenbüttel Distri ...
,
Jerxheim and
Oschersleben
Oschersleben () is a town in the Börde district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. The population in 1905 was 13,271, in 2020 about 19,000.
History
On November 23, 994 Oschersleben was first mentioned in a document by the Emperor Otto III. In 1235 ...
in 1843. This line took a southerly route, taking advantage of easy terrain. In Wolfenbüttel it connected with the
Brunswick–Bad Harzburg line and in Oschersleben it connected with the
Magdeburg–Halberstadt line. This connected the lines of the
Duchy of Brunswick State Railway and
Magdeburg-Halberstädt Railway Company (German: ''Magdeburg-Halberstädter Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft'', MHE).
This was followed in 1844 by the
Hanover–Brunswick railway and in 1846 by the
Magdeburg–Potsdam line. In 1845 the
Old Brunswick station was opened as a terminus.
As traffic increased, the MHE sought from the early 1860s to build a direct Berlin-Hanover line. This was initially rejected by the governments of the
Kingdom of Hanover
The Kingdom of Hanover () was established in October 1814 by the Congress of Vienna, with the restoration of George III to his Hanoverian territories after the Napoleonic Wars, Napoleonic era. It succeeded the former Electorate of Hanover, and j ...
and
Duchy of Brunswick
The Duchy of Brunswick () was a historical German state that ceased to exist in 1918. Its capital city, capital was the city of Braunschweig, Brunswick (). It was established as the successor state of the Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel ...
. After Hanover lost the
war of 1866, and were annexed by
Prussia
Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...
, the MHE set about building its Berlin-
Lehrte
Lehrte () is a town in the district of Hanover, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approximately 17 km east of Hanover. In the 19th century Lehrte was the most important railway junction in the former Kingdom of Hanover. As of the 2 ...
line via
Stendal. This route bypassed the cities of Magdeburg and Brunswick and threatened the importance of the line of the
Berlin-Potsdam-Magdeburg Railway Company (German: ''Berlin-Potsdam-Magdeburger Eisenbahngesellschaft'', BPME), especially since it connected in the west only to the network of its rival, the MHE.
Construction and opening
The BPME considered several options for a dedicated connection between its main line and the former ''Duchy of Brunswick State Railway'' network, which had been privatised and was now the ''Brunswick Railway Company'' (''Braunschweigische Eisenbahngesellschaft''). While it was clear that its eastern end would be in Magdeburg, in the west several variants were discussed. Brunswick was an important destination and connected well to the west, but had an unfavourable terminal station. It was decided to build a line from Magdeburg to
Eilsleben, where it would branch to
Helmstedt and
Schöningen. From Helmstedt the ''Brunswick Railway Company'' would continue the line to Brunswick, while in Schöningen there had been since 1868 a
connection to Jerxheim, which had
a link to
Börßum and the
Brunswick Southern Railway to
Kreiensen. It there connected with
Göttingen
Göttingen (, ; ; ) is a college town, university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the Capital (political), capital of Göttingen (district), the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. According to the 2022 German census, t ...
and
Kassel
Kassel (; in Germany, spelled Cassel until 1926) is a city on the Fulda River in North Hesse, northern Hesse, in Central Germany (geography), central Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Kassel (region), Kassel and the d ...
via the
Hanoverian Southern Railway and via
Altenbeken to the
Ruhr
The Ruhr ( ; , also ''Ruhrpott'' ), also referred to as the Ruhr Area, sometimes Ruhr District, Ruhr Region, or Ruhr Valley, is a polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population density of 1,160/km2 and a populati ...
district via the
Altenbeken–Kreiensen railway. This gave the new line the same connections to the west as the MHE’s main line.
Between Eilsleben and Brunswick the line crosses the
Lappwald ridge and the
Elm hills. The line is winding and passes over embankments and through cuttings. The line was opened on 15 September 1872.
Development up to World War II
While the Berlin–Lehrte line, opened a year earlier, remained the fastest line for passenger between Hanover and Berlin, the line via Helmstedt also carried passenger traffic between the two cities and traffic from Hanover to
Halle and
Leipzig
Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...
. In addition, substantial freight traffic was carried on both branches. In 1937 five express trains ran each day each way on the line.
Transit route
Since the line passed through relatively undemanding terrain and has no large structures, it was only impassable for a few days during and after
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. The allies decided to use this line exclusively for the military transport of the Western powers in Berlin. The Berlin–Lehrte line remained usable, but was used less.
In 1960, the current
Brunswick Hauptbahnhof opened, which removed the need for trains between Magdeburg and Hanover to reverse.
Rail transport between Helmstedt and Eilsleben was reopened under the
Transit Agreement of 1972. In the 1980s, there were negotiations between
West Germany
West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...
and
East Germany
East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...
over an expansion of the transit routes. East Germany preferred the Lehrte line, to keep transit traffic out of Potsdam and Magdeburg. In the West, however, there were discussions of improved connections with Brunswick.
German Unity Transport Project
After the fall of
the wall it was quickly decided to build a high-speed line between Hanover and Berlin. However, it was also clear that the construction would take several years. The initial experience with speed lines also showed that a separation of freight and high speed passenger traffic made sense. Under the
German Unity Transport Projects, it was decided to restore as quickly as possible the existing routes and to electrify lines that were intended primarily for freight later. The core of this plan was the Helmstedt–Magdeburg line. In 1993 it was upgraded for operations at 160 km/h and electrified. In the east it connected with the
Biederitz–Dessau line, which in turn connected at
Güterglück with a now closed section of the former
Canon railway, leading to Berlin. The
direct line to Berlin via Brandenburg (Havel) and Potsdam was electrified in 1995.
In 1991 the first diesel-powered
Intercity
InterCity (commonly abbreviated ''IC'' on timetables and tickets) is the train categories in Europe, classification applied to certain long-distance passenger train services in Europe. Such trains (in contrast to InterRegio, regional train, r ...
train ran from Hanover via Brunswick and Magdeburg to Berlin. Two years later the first
Intercity-Express
Intercity Express (commonly known as ICE () and running under this Train categories in Europe, category) is a high-speed rail in Germany, high-speed rail system in Germany. It also serves destinations in Austria, France, Belgium, Switzerland an ...
(ICE) ran on the line. The major change came in 1998 when the
Hanover–Berlin high-speed line opened. Since then, the hourly ICE trains between Frankfurt and Berlin run on the line only on the 5 km section between Brunswick and the junction with the
Weddel loop.
Operations in 2017
Intercity passenger trains on the line Leipzig-Magdeburg-Hanover-Cologne/
Oldenburg serve the line approximately hourly, provided by the IC 55
Dresden
Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...
–
Leipzig
Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...
–
Magdeburg
Magdeburg (; ) is the Capital city, capital of the Germany, German States of Germany, state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is on the Elbe river.
Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archbishopric of Mag ...
–
Hannover
Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...
–
Dortmund
Dortmund (; ; ) is the third-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, after Cologne and Düsseldorf, and the List of cities in Germany by population, ninth-largest city in Germany. With a population of 614,495 inhabitants, it is the largest city ...
–
Cologne
Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...
and the IC 56 Leipzig – Magdeburg – Hannover –
Bremen
Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (, ), is the capital of the States of Germany, German state of the Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (), a two-city-state consisting of the c ...
–
Oldenburg, each running every two hours. In addition, there is a
Regionalbahn
The ''Regionalbahn'' (; lit. Regional train; abbreviated ''RB'') is a train categories in Europe, type of Regional rail, local passenger train (stopping train) in Germany. It is similar to the Regionalzug (R) and Regio (Swiss railway train), R ...
services (the RB 40) that runs every hour on weekdays between Helmstedt and Magdeburg.
The line is heavily used for freight. It is part of an electrified corridor connecting the
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
and the industrial regions of
Saxony
Saxony, officially the Free State of Saxony, is a landlocked state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Bavaria, as well as the countries of Poland and the Czech Republic. Its capital is Dresden, and ...
and
Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt ( ; ) is a States of Germany, state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. It covers an area of
and has a population of 2.17 million inhabitants, making it the List of German states ...
with the German and
Dutch seaports on the
North Sea
The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...
.
Notes
References
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*
*
External links
*
Across an Imagined Border (on the "Main Line of the Cold War")Riding with the engineer (engine driver) on a Magdeburg - Hannover run in 2002.
Scheduling the complex "Main Line of the Cold War" A letter from Dr. Wolfgang Bauer of the Deutsche Bundesbahn.
Cold War incident in Magdeburg Hauptbahnhof.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brunswick-Magdeburg railway
Braunschweig-Magdeburg
Braunschweig-Magdeburg
Railway lines in Magdeburg
Transport in Braunschweig
Buildings and structures in Magdeburg
Buildings and structures in Helmstedt (district)
Buildings and structures in Wolfenbüttel (district)
Railway lines opened in 1872
1872 establishments in Germany