The Neuekrug-Hahausen–Goslar railway is a double-tracked, non-electrified

main line Mainline, ''Main line'', or ''Main Line'' may refer to: Transportation Railway * Main line (railway), the principal artery of a railway system * Main line railway preservation, the practice of operating preserved trains on an operational railw ...

Lower Saxony Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...

in central Germany. The line, which runs along the northern edge of the

Harz mountains The Harz () is a highland area in northern Germany. It has the highest elevations for that region, and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. The name ''Harz'' derives from the Middle High German ...

, begins in

Goslar Goslar (; Eastphalian: ''Goslär'') is a historic town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the administrative centre of the district of Goslar and located on the northwestern slopes of the Harz mountain range. The Old Town of Goslar and the Mines ...

and forms a junction with the

Brunswick–Kreiensen railway The Brunswick Southern Railway (german: Braunschweigische Südbahn) was built by the Duchy of Brunswick State Railway as a link from its Brunswick–Bad Harzburg railway to the Hanoverian Southern Railway. It ran through the northwestern Harz For ...

Seesen Seesen is a town and municipality in the Goslar (district), district of Goslar, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the northwestern edge of the Harz mountain range, approx. west of Goslar. History The Duchy of Saxony, Saxon settlement ...

and

Kreiensen Kreiensen is a village and a former municipality in the district of Northeim, in Lower Saxony, Germany. Since 1 January 2013, it is part of the town Einbeck. Geography Kreiensen is situated on the river Leine, approx. north of Northeim, and s ...

at Neuekrug-

Hahausen Hahausen is a village and a former municipality in the district of Goslar in Lower Saxony, Germany. Since 1 November 2021, it is part of the town Langelsheim, of which it is an ''Ortschaft''.Langelsheim Langelsheim is a town in the district of Goslar in Lower Saxony, Germany. Geography The municipality is situated between the river Innerste and its tributary Grane, on the northern edge of the Harz mountain range and the Harz National Park, loc ...

History

The Vienenburg–Langelsheim railway via Grauhof from the Magdeburg-Halberstadt Railway was opened in 1875 and was extended (as the

Innerste Valley Railway The Innerste is a river in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is a right tributary of the Leine river and in length. Origin of the name The river name is not related to the German word ''innerste'' meaning innermost. ''Innerste'', in earlier times c ...

) to

Lautenthal The formerly free mining town ('' Bergstadt'') of Lautenthal in Germany is a state-recognised, climatic spa with around 1,570 inhabitants and has been part of the borough of Langelsheim since 1972. Geography Lautenthal lies in the Innerst ...

, later via

Clausthal Clausthal-Zellerfeld is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located in the southwestern part of the Harz mountains. Its population is approximately 15,000. The City is the location of the Clausthal University of Technology. The health resort ...

Altenau Altenau () is a town and a former municipality in the district of Goslar, in Lower Saxony, Germany. Since 1 January 2015 it is part of the town Clausthal-Zellerfeld. It is situated in the middle of the Harz mountains, between Clausthal-Zellerf ...

. Here a branch line of the Brunswick Railway Company to Neuekrug-Hahausen was opened on 15 September 1877, which saved east-west goods trains from

Halberstadt Halberstadt ( Eastphalian: ''Halverstidde'') is a town in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, the capital of Harz district. Located north of the Harz mountain range, it is known for its old town center that was greatly destroyed by Allied bombi ...

to Kreiensen having to use the bypass via

Salzgitter-Ringelheim Ringelheim with 1,994 inhabitants is the sixth biggest quarter of Salzgitter in Lower Saxony, Germany, located on the Innerste River at the very far south-western end of the urban area. The Salzgitter-Ringelheim train station is the most important ...

. This railway company also built an extension to Goslar, which was opened on 1 May 1883. After that goods trains ran over the more level line through Grauhof, whilst passenger trains ran via Goslar. In addition local goods trains also served Langelsheim, Herzog-Julius-Hütte and Goslar. The old goods line via Grauhof was a victim of 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 consistin ...

and lost its traffic in 1954. In 1976 the Innerste Valley Railway was also closed; only the more recent railway remains in Langelsheim. Today the railway operates passengers services that run every two hours.

References

Footnotes

Sources

External links

Citizen’s initiative: "Highest Railway for the North Harz"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Neuekrughahausengoslar railway Railway lines in Lower Saxony Transport in the Harz Buildings and structures in Goslar (district) Railway lines opened in 1877 1877 establishments in Germany