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The Eberswalde–Frankfurt (Oder) railway is a single-track line in the districts of
Barnim Barnim () is a district in Brandenburg, Germany. It is bounded by (from the east and clockwise) Poland, the district of Märkisch-Oderland, the city state of Berlin and the districts of Oberhavel and Uckermark. History The name "Barnim" emerg ...
and
Märkisch-Oderland Märkisch-Oderland is a ''Landkreis'' (district) in the eastern part of Brandenburg, Germany. Neighboring this district are (from the north clockwise) the district of Barnim, the country of Poland, the district-free city of Frankfurt (Oder), the d ...
and the town of
Frankfurt (Oder) Frankfurt (Oder), also known as Frankfurt an der Oder (, ; Central Marchian: ''Frankfort an de Oder,'' ) is the fourth-largest city in the German state of Brandenburg after Potsdam, Cottbus and Brandenburg an der Havel. With around 58,000 inh ...
, in the German state of
Brandenburg Brandenburg, officially the State of Brandenburg, is a States of Germany, state in northeastern Germany. Brandenburg borders Poland and the states of Berlin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony. It is the List of Ger ...
. The section from
Eberswalde Eberswalde () is a major town and the administrative seat of the district Barnim in Brandenburg in north-eastern Germany, about northeast of Berlin. Population 42,144 (census in June 2005). The town is often called Waldstadt (forest town), beca ...
to Werbig junction is now a branch line, the adjoining section to the south to Frankfurt (Oder) is classified as a main line. The line is about 86 kilometres long and is served by line RB60 of the
Niederbarnimer Eisenbahn Niederbarnimer Eisenbahn AG (NEB) is a private regional railway company in Berlin and Brandenburg, eastern Germany and as well as bordering areas in Poland. It manages railway infrastructure, and, via its subsidiary NEB Betriebsgesellschaft Gmb ...
(NEB).


Route

The line starts at
Eberswalde Hauptbahnhof Eberswalde Hauptbahnhof is historically the most important and now the only remaining station in the city of Eberswalde in the German state of Brandenburg. It was opened in the summer of 1842 outside the then city limits on the Berlin–Szczecin ...
and separates to it north from the
Berlin–Szczecin railway The Berlin–Szczecin railway, also known in German language, German as the Stettiner Bahn (Stettin Railway) is a mainline railway built by the ''Berlin-Stettin Railway Company'' between the German capital of Berlin and the now Poland, Polish ci ...
and runs to the east. The direct connection from this line towards Szczecin has been dismantled. The line runs parallel with the
Finow Canal The Finow Canal (German ''Finowkanal'') is one of the oldest artificial waterways in Europe. Construction began in 1605. The channel, about long, is in the German state of Brandenburg in the Barnim district. It was built for the first time in ...
at first and then swings to the southeast after Niederfinow station. The line runs parallel to the Alte Oder, the westerly outflow of the
Oderbruch The Oderbruch () is a landscape located at the Oder river in eastern Germany on the Polish border, with a small part also in Poland. It extends from the towns Oderberg and Bad Freienwalde in the north to Lebus in the south, in the county of Märkisc ...
swamp, through
Bad Freienwalde Bad Freienwalde is a spa town in the Märkisch-Oderland district in Brandenburg, in north-eastern Germany. Geography The town is situated on the Alte Oder, an old branch of the Oder River at the northwestern rim of the Oderbruch basin and the st ...
and
Wriezen Wriezen () is a town in the district Märkisch-Oderland, in Brandenburg, in north-eastern Germany, near the border with Poland. It is situated southeast of Bad Freienwalde. Etymology The name is of medieval Slavic Lechitic languages, Lechitic ori ...
, both former railway junctions, to Werbig station, which is built on two-level as an interchange with the
Prussian Eastern Railway The Prussian Eastern Railway () was a railway in the Kingdom of Prussia and later Germany until 1918. Its main route, approximately long, connected the capital, Berlin, with the cities of Danzig (now Gdańsk, Poland) and Königsberg (now Kalini ...
. After Werbig it runs south via
Seelow Seelow () is a German town, seat of the Märkisch-Oderland, a district of Brandenburg. As of 2013 its population was of 5,464. Geography It is situated in the extreme east of Germany, 70 km (40 miles) east of Berlin, 16 km (10 miles) we ...
to the end of the line at
Frankfurt (Oder) station The Frankfurt (Oder) station is the main passenger station in Frankfurt (Oder). It is one of the most important railway stations in the German state of Brandenburg. It is served by regional and long-distance services and since 1945 it has been a ...
. In Booßen there used to be a junction with the line to Küstrin-Kietz, which was dismantled after World War II.


History

The line was built in 1865/66 as a single-track line by the Berlin-Stettin Railway Company () and opened between Eberswalde and Wriezen on 15 December 1866 as a branch line. The main purpose of the railway was to promote the development of the Oderbruch. The continuation of the line to Frankfurt, however, was soon required. The implementation of this project was, however, to take another ten years and construction only started as a result of the construction of the parallel Wroclaw–Szczecin railway of the Breslau-Schweidnitz-Freiburg Railway Company (''Breslau-Schweidnitz-Freiburger Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft''). The latter planned to build its line as a direct link between the
Upper Silesia Upper Silesia ( ; ; ; ; Silesian German: ; ) is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia, located today mostly in Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic. The area is predominantly known for its heav ...
n coal basin and the
Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...
. Since the BStE expected this would lead to a loss of revenue, it decided to build a largely parallel line west of the
Oder The Oder ( ; Czech and ) is a river in Central Europe. It is Poland's second-longest river and third-longest within its borders after the Vistula and its largest tributary the Warta. The Oder rises in the Czech Republic and flows through wes ...
using existing sections of the
Lower Silesian-Märkisch Railway Lower may refer to: * ''Lower'' (album), 2025 album by Benjamin Booker *Lower (surname) *Lower Township, New Jersey *Lower Receiver (firearms) *Lower Wick Lower Wick is a small hamlet located in the county of Gloucestershire, England. It is sit ...
and the Berlin-Stettin main line. The extension to Frankfurt (Oder) was opened in three sections: *1 July 1876: Wriezen– Letschin *1 January 1877: Letschin–Seelow *15 May 1877: Seelow–Frankfurt (Oder). Together with the 30 kilometre long Angermünde–Freienwalde line, which was opened on 1 January 1877, this created a second direct railway between Breslau (
Wrocław Wrocław is a city in southwestern Poland, and the capital of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. It is the largest city and historical capital of the region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the Oder River in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Eu ...
) and Stettin (
Szczecin Szczecin ( , , ; ; ; or ) is the capital city, capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the Poland-Germany border, German border, it is a major port, seaport, the la ...
). Although the line linked to existing junctions such as Frankfurt (Oder), it gained importance as an alternative to the line on the east side of the Oder and especially for the carriage of local traffic. Stations were construction between Bad Freienwalde and Frankfurt on the line in Wriezen, Letschin, Neutrebbin, Letschin, Seelow and Schönfließ. In July 1880, a two-level interchange station was opened at Werbig at the intersection with the Eastern Railway to Berlin and a station was opened in Alt-Ranft. In May 1881, stations were opened in Booßen and Dolgelin and, in 1882, a connecting curve to the Eastern Railway was opened in Werbig for freight. A station was also built in Sietzing in this period. Carzig station was established later and Libbenichen station was built in the 1930s. After the nationalisation of the BStE in 1879, the entire line was transferred to the
Prussian state railways The term Prussian state railways (German: ''Preußische Staatseisenbahnen'') encompasses those railway organisations that were owned or managed by the state of Prussia. The words "state railways" are not capitalized because Prussia did not have a ...
as part of the Royal Division of the Berlin-Stettin Railway (''Königlichen Direktion der Berlin-Stettiner Eisenbahn'', called ''Königliche Eisenbahndirektion Stettin'' from 1905). This led to the duplication of the line between Eberswalde and Freienwalde in 1905. At the beginning of the 20th century, plans were developed to establish a separate marshalling yard because of limited space in Frankfurt station. After much discussion about the location of the new yard, it was eventually decided to build it on the Eberswalde line between Frankfurt and Booßen. The line in this section had to be moved to the east and Booßen station was also moved. Work began on 1 April 1910 and work on the infrastructure was largely completed at the beginning of the First World War. Because many tracks were occupied by the military during the war, its commissioning was delayed to 1917. Connecting lines were built from Rosengarten on the line to Berlin and from Booßen to Wüste Kunersdorf junction near Lebus on the line to Küstrin. The line between Frankfurt and Booßen was duplicated. After 1920, the line and the railway division of Stettin were absorbed into the railway division (''Reichsbahndirektion'') of Stettin of
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 Weimar Republic, German national Rail transport, railway system created after th ...
. In 1926, a
railcar A railcar (not to be confused with the generic term railroad car or railway car) is a self-propelled railway vehicle designed to transport passengers. The term "railcar" is usually used in reference to a train consisting of a single coa ...
shuttle service was established between Frankfurt and Booßen, serving in particular the extensive facilities of the marshalling yard. For the service, popularly called the ''Pendel'' (pendulum), a separate platform was created in Frankfurt station; it was about the length of a modern tram stop. Table 123d of the 1944/45 timetable included around nine pairs of trains running daily between Berlin, Eberswalde and Wriezen and four pairs of trains running between Wriezen and Frankfurt (Oder). Between the Frankfurt suburb Booßen and Frankfurt (Oder), there were additional suburban trains, which were shown in table 123e as operating almost hourly. The services running to and from Eberswalde did not stop at the three intermediate stations of Paulinenhof, Simonsmühle and Gronenfelde, which were served by the shuttle trains. During the fighting around Berlin at the end of the Second World War in 1945 the line was in the main combat zone, notably of the
Battle of the Seelow Heights The Battle of the Seelow Heights () was part of the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation (16 April – 2 May 1945). A pitched battle, it was one of the last assaults on large entrenched defensive positions of the Second World War. It was fough ...
. The
Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...
operated a special
armoured train An armoured train (Commonwealth English) or armored train (American English) is a railway train protected with heavy metal plating and which often includes railway wagons armed with artillery, machine guns, and autocannons. Some have also h ...
from Schönfließ. As a result of hostilities, the track was badly damaged and many bridges were destroyed.


Developments after 1945

After the Second World War, the second track between Eberswalde and Bad Freienwalde was removed for
reparations Reparation(s) may refer to: Christianity * Reparation (theology), the theological concept of corrective response to God and the associated prayers for repairing the damages of sin * Restitution (theology), the Christian doctrine calling for re ...
. After severe war damage the track had to be rebuilt, as more than half of the bridges were destroyed on many sections. In March 1947, a severe flood caused new damage. The shuttle train between Frankfurt and Booßen as well as the intermediate stations in Simonsmühle and Paulinenhof were abandoned in 1945 as well as the direct operation of passenger trains between Bad Freienwalde and Berlin via Eberswalde. The declaration of the
Oder–Neisse line The Oder–Neisse line (, ) is an unofficial term for the Germany–Poland border, modern border between Germany and Poland. The line generally follows the Oder and Lusatian Neisse rivers, meeting the Baltic Sea in the north. A small portion ...
as the border with Poland, however, meant that the line gained in importance, as it was near the border and was used as a strategic railway. It was also of interest as a possible bypass for the Berlin node. In 1952,
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 Weimar Republic, German national Rail transport, railway system created after th ...
built a direct connecting curve of the track to the north in Eberswalde, so as to relieve congestion in Eberswalde station. It was particularly important for freight. from the 1960s, the line was used by direct express trains from
Angermünde Angermünde () is a town in the district of Uckermark in the state of Brandenburg, in north-eastern Germany. It is about northeast of Berlin, the capital of Germany. The population is about 14,000, but has been declining since its traditional i ...
via Bad Freienwalde to Frankfurt (Oder), sometimes running further south. Summer holiday trains from
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 ...
to the Baltic Sea coast also ran on the line. For example, in 1983, the line was served by an express train between Angermünde and
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 ...
, an express train between Angermünde and Frankfurt (with through coaches from
Schwedt Schwedt (or Schwedt/Oder; ) is a town in Brandenburg, in northeastern Germany. With the official status of a ''Große Kreisstadt, Große kreisangehörige Stadt'' (major district town), it is the largest town of the Uckermark (district), Uckermark ...
) and a summer semi-fast train between Stralsund and
Zittau Zittau (; ; ; ; ; Lusatian dialects, Upper Lusatian dialect: ''Sitte''; ) is the southeasternmost city in the Germany, German state of Saxony, and belongs to the Görlitz (district), district of Görlitz, Germany's easternmost Districts of Germ ...
. In addition there six pairs of stopping trains ran over the whole line, with some additional services between Eberswalde and Bad Freienwalde or Wriezen and trains ran between Kietz (now
Küstrin-Kietz Küstrin-Kietz is a small village located in the German state of Brandenburg, at the Oder river and the border with Poland. Since 1998 it has been part of the Küstriner Vorland municipality. History Before the implementation of the Oder-Ne ...
) and Frankfurt, which following the dismantling of the direct route in 1945 took the Eberswalde line to Booßen. Since the early 1960s, the line from Eberswalde to the Werbig connecting curve has been classified as only a branch line. The southern part of the route has continued to be classified as a main line and was upgraded to a speed of 100 km/h. At the end of the 1980s, the electrification of the line was considered. The political change in
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 ...
(
Die Wende The Peaceful Revolution () – also, in German called ' (, "the turning point") – was one of the peaceful revolutions of 1989 at the peak of the collapse of the Eastern Bloc in the late 1980s. A process of sociopolitical change that led to, am ...
) and the resulting economic changes ended these considerations. In passenger transport, the two express services were initially retained. In the 1993/1994 timetable, services increased to three express trains from Eberswalde to Frankfurt, stopping at Bad Freienwalde, Wriezen, Werbig and Seelow, with two of them continuing to Dresden. Intermediate stations on the middle part of the line were each served by six pairs of passenger trains. On the outer sections services were denser. In 1994, the service was changed fundamentally. The stops in Sietzing, Dolgelin, Libbenichen, Carzig and Schönfließ Dorf were closed and trains ran over the whole route stopping at the remaining stations every two hours. The trains to Kustrin stopped in Booßen and Frankfurt-Klingethal until 1996. After 2000, the services to Eberswalde continued to Berlin. The trains ran every hour to Wriezen and every two hours continued to Frankfurt. On the one hand, the former operator,
Deutsche Bahn (, ; abbreviated as DB or DB AG ) is the national railway company of Germany, and a state-owned enterprise under the control of the German government. Headquartered in the Bahntower in Berlin, it is a joint-stock company ( AG). DB was fou ...
, hoped this would increase passenger numbers, and on the other, this measure was necessary because the direct connection with Berlin via Wriezen on the
Wriezen Railway The Wriezen Railway is a line in the northeast of the German states of Berlin and Brandenburg. It runs from Berlin to Werneuchen and formerly extended via Wriezen to Jädickendorf (now Godków-Osiedle, Godków in Poland). Its terminus in Berlin f ...
had been closed in 1998. The
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 ...
service RB 60 was extended to
Berlin-Lichtenberg Lichtenberg () is a quarter (''Ortsteil'') of Berlin in the homonymous borough (''Bezirk'') of Lichtenberg. Until 2001 it was an autonomous district with the localities of Fennpfuhl, Rummelsburg, Friedrichsfelde and Karlshorst. History The ...
in the meantime as
Regional-Express In Germany, Luxembourg and Austria, the Regional-Express (; RE, or in Austria: REX) is a type of regional train. It is similar to a semi-fast train, with a top speed of and an average speed of about as it calls at fewer stations than ''R ...
service RE 7, but this was abandoned after a year. At the timetable change on 12 December 2004,
Ostdeutsche Eisenbahn GmbH (''ODEG''; literally 'East German Railway') is a joint venture, founded in June 2002, of the (part of the Netinera Group) and BeNEX, with each company owning 50% of the joint venture. It operates passenger services on eleven railway line ...
took over the operation of passenger services on the line. For marketing reasons, the service was known as OE 60. Since the timetable change on 9 December 2012, the line has been operated as ''RB60''. At the timetable change on 14 December 2014 the
Niederbarnimer Eisenbahn Niederbarnimer Eisenbahn AG (NEB) is a private regional railway company in Berlin and Brandenburg, eastern Germany and as well as bordering areas in Poland. It manages railway infrastructure, and, via its subsidiary NEB Betriebsgesellschaft Gmb ...
took over the operation of passengers services on the route, using
Stadler Regio-Shuttle RS1 The Stadler Regio-Shuttle RS1 is the first widely used, new-generation, diesel railcar in Germany and Czech Republic for local railway services. Its most characteristic feature is the trapezium-shaped window frames. The Regio-Shuttle is classified ...
DMUs. Trains run, every hour on weekdays and every two hours on weekends between Eberswalde and Wriezen.


Notes


References

* *


External links

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Eberswalde-Frankfurt (Oder) railway Railway lines in Brandenburg Railway lines opened in 1866 1866 establishments in Prussia Buildings and structures in Barnim Buildings and structures in Märkisch-Oderland Buildings and structures in Frankfurt (Oder)