Germany - Older General Information: Difference between revisions
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The poorer, Eastern Länder cannot easily afford to support rail services. There have been particularly extensive closures in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (one of the least-populated parts of Germany) and Brandenburg. Sachsen has a stated preference for bus services in rural areas, and lines in this Land are particularly at risk. | The poorer, Eastern Länder cannot easily afford to support rail services. There have been particularly extensive closures in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (one of the least-populated parts of Germany) and Brandenburg. Sachsen has a stated preference for bus services in rural areas, and lines in this Land are particularly at risk. | ||
Pockau-Lenegefeld - Marienberg closed to passengers on 23 July 1998. | |||
==See also== | ==See also== |
Revision as of 10:37, 8 May 2012
Introduction
This document acts as an archive for Recent and Future Changes in the past.
General
Following the unification of Germany in 1990, the two railway systems Deutsche Bundesbahn (DB) and Deutsche Reichsbahn (DR) were amalgamated as a government-owned company, Deutsche Bahn AG (DB) on 1 January 1994.
In order to improve its poor financial position, DB has ceased operating Inter-Regio, semi-fast long distance services, loss-making part of DB Reise and Touristik. They were replaced by Regional Express trains, worked by DB Regio and subsidised by the Länder.
Openings
In the years following reunification, extensive work was undertaken to re-open lines across the former border between East and West Germany, and it is now extremely difficult to see where the border was. Most railways were rebuilt on their previous alignment, although the line from Stapelburg to Vienenburg was new, replacing that to Bad Harzburg. Unification resulted in major changes to the railway system in Berlin, as most lines that were severed by the wall were reinstated. An entirely new north-south main line was opened through the centre of Berlin, approximately on the course of the former Berlin Wall and serving the new Berlin Hbf, on the site of the former Lehrter Bf. Most former DR main lines have been entirely rebuilt and there have been several electrification schemes.
During the 1980s DB started building high speed lines, the first being from Hannover to Würzburg and Mannheim to Stuttgart. The high speed line between Lehrte and Berlin-Spandau was completed in 1998 followed by those from Köln to Frankfurt am Main, including a new station at Frankfurt Flughafen, and between Nürnberg and Ingolstadt.
2007
Bayreuth - Weidenberg on 8 January
(Trier -) Perl [DE] - Apach [FR] (weekend only) on 10 June
Bremen Vegesack - Bremen Farge on 16 December
2006
Kassel trams: Helsa - Hessisch-Lichtenau (on former DB line) on 28 January
Berlin Hauptbahnhof/Lehrter Bahnhof low level together with new 9km north-south tunnel and Nürnberg - Ingolstadt Neubaustrecke on 28 May
Müllheim - Neuenburg [DE] - Mulhouse [FR] (Sunday-only service) on 9 July
Pockau-Lengefeld - Marienberg (Sachs) on 4 September
Traunreut - Hörpolding on 10 December
2005
Chemnitz - Burkhardtsdorf - Thalheim - Aue (following upgrade) on 15 January
Flöha - Olbernhau-Grünthal (after upgrade) on 29 January
Berlin S-Bahn: Lichterfelde - Teltow on 24 February
Neuruppin - Wittstock (Dosse) on 27 February
Dannenberg Ost - Lüchow (weekend trains) on 12 March
Frankenberg - Battenberg (Summer Saturdays) on 30 April
Osnabrück - Dissen-Bad Rothenfelde on 12 June
Heilbronn Pfühlpark - Öhringen (resumption of DB interregional services) on 10 December
Merkstein - Alsdorf-Annapark and Ilmenau - Ilmenau-Bad on 11 December
2004
Wemmetsweiler avoiding curve on 6 February
Berlin-Zoologischer Garten - Charlottenburg (S-Bahn) on 19 April
Kall - Gemünd (- Hellenthal) and Düren - Zülpich - Euskirchen (Summer Sundays only) on 10 May
Köln/Bonn airport loop off Neubaustrecke on 13 June
Grossbothen - Döbeln - Nossen on 22 August
Stolberg Hbf - Aue - Eschweiler West - Eschweiler Talbahnhof/Raiffeisen Platz - Eschweiler-Nothberg - Eschweiler-Weisweiler on 11 September
Schelklingen - Oberheutal - Münsingen - Gomadingen (- Kleinengstingen) on 13 September
Karlsruhe light rail: Heilbronn-Harmonie - Pfühlpark (- Öhringen) on 26 November
Herzogenrath - Merkstein (- Alsdorf), Chemnitz - Niederwiesa - Frankenberg - Hainichen and Immendingen - Hintschingen - Leipferdingen - Zollhaus-Blumberg on 12 December
2003
Bad Schussenried - Bad Schussenried Kloster (summer Sunday trains) on 13 April
Gummersbach - Marienheide on 29 April
Berlin S-Bahn: Schönhauser Allee - Bornholmer Strasse new alignment on 16 June
Flughafen Leipzig-Halle - Gröbers (- Halle Hbf) and Hüfingen - Bräunlingen on 30 June
Seligenstadt (bei Würzburg) - Prosselsheim - Volkach-Astheim tourist railway on 13 September
Bad Wildbad Bf - Bad Wildbad Kurpark on 5 October
Schifferstadt avoiding line (Ludwigshafen - Neustadt) on 19 November
New Egge tunnel (Altenbeken - Kassel), Offenbach Ost - Offenbach-Bieber - Rödermark-Ober Roden/Dietzenbach Bahnhof and Brilon Wald - Korbach Süd on 14-December
2002
Jülich - Linnich on 9 June
Westhafen - Wedding - Gesundbrunnen (completing the Berlin S-Bahn Innenring restoration) and Müncheberg (Mark) - Buckow (Märkische Schweiz) (tourist trains) on 15 June
Leer - Weener DB - Nieuweschans NS on 16 June
Köln - Montabaur - Frankfurt Flughafen Fernbahnhof (high-speed line) on 1 August
Cottbus - Cottbus-Willmersdorf - Peitz Ost (- Guben) on 13 August
The following lines (re)opened on 15 December:
- Altchemnitz - Stollberg: after conversion to electric light rail
- (Gotha -) Crawinkel - Gräfenroda
- (Leipzig Hbf -) Neuwiederitzsch-Leipziger Messe - Flughafen Leipzig-Halle
- Eisfeld - Rauenstein (Thüringen) - Sonneberg (Thüringen) Hbf
- Neumünster - Bad Segeberg
- Pforzheim - Bad Wildbad Bf (- Bad Wildbad Kurpark): after electrification
- Rottenbach - Obstfelderschmiede - Mellenbach-Glasbach - Katzhütte
- Sonneberg (Thür) Hbf - Lauscha - Ernstthal - Neuhaus-am-Rennweg
2001
Dresden Klotzsche - Grenzstraße - Dresden Flughafen (new line) | 24 March |
Nördlingen - Dinkelsbühl (tourist trains; Bayerisches Eisenbahnmuseum) | 7 April |
Monsheim - Marnheim - Langmeil (Pfalz): summer weekend trains | 26 May |
Stolberg Hbf - Stolberg-Altstadt (formerly Stolberg-Hammer) | 9 June |
Berlin: Abzw Eichgestell - Wuhlheide Rbf - Biesdorfer Kreuz | 10 June |
Kassel trams: Kaufungen-Papierfabrik - Helsa (on former DB line) | 10 June |
Ramsen - Eiswoog (Rheinland-Pfalz): summer weekend trains | 10 June |
Neuenmarkt-Wirsberg avoiding curve | 10 June? |
Jülich - Linnich | 10 June? |
Kaisersesch - Daun - Gerolstein: summer weekend trains | 16 June |
Bremerhaven-Speckenbüttel - Bederkesa: summer Sunday tourist trains | 24 June |
Karlsruhe light rail: Heilbronn Hbf - Heilbronn Stadtmitte - Harmonie | 21 July |
Berlin S-Bahn: Gesundbrunnen - Bornholmer Strasse - Pankow | 17 September |
Berlin S-Bahn: Gesundbrunnen - Schönhauser Allee (Innenring) | 17 September |
Stuttgart S-Bahn: Flughafen - Filderstadt | 29 September |
Essen light rail: Altenessen Bf - Gelsenkirchen-Fischerstrasse | 30 September |
Berlin: Biesdorfer Kreuz Nord - Biesdorfer Kreuz Süd | 3 November |
Gronau (Westfalen) DB - Glanerbrug NS - Enschede | 18 November |
2000
The following lines opened on 28 May:
- Dresden: Neucoswig - Radebeul-Naundorf
- Düren - Distelrath: experimental summer Sunday service
- Klingenthal DB - Hranicna CD
- Kremmen - Neuruppin Rheinsberger Tor
- Langenhagen - Hannover Flughafen
- Magdeburg-Sudenburg - Magdeburg-Buckau
- Neuruppin Rheinsberger Tor - Herzberg (Mark)
- Röderau - Zeithain Bogendreieck
- Züssow - Wolgast Hafen - Wolgaster Fähre
Seasonal services between Niebüll DB and Tønder DSB started on 2 July.
Mayen West - Kaisersesch on 6 August 2000
Closures
There were extensive cuts in the passenger network in West Germany during the 1970s and 1980s, mainly involving little-used rural lines. This has largely come to an end and some railways are reopening. The former DDR had a public transport system appropriate for a population where the level of car ownership was very low, and most vehicles were unsuitable for long journeys. As a result traffic has fallen away severely on many local lines, and large numbers have closed. Poor infrastructure has also forced closure, and some train services have been withdrawn at very short notice.
The poorer, Eastern Länder cannot easily afford to support rail services. There have been particularly extensive closures in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (one of the least-populated parts of Germany) and Brandenburg. Sachsen has a stated preference for bus services in rural areas, and lines in this Land are particularly at risk.
Pockau-Lenegefeld - Marienberg closed to passengers on 23 July 1998.