Germany - Older General Information

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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.

In the early 2000s DB was re-organised on a divisional basis, as a prelude to privatisation, but plans to float parts of DB, particularly the long-distance business, were shelved after the worldwide financial crisis of 2007. DB has acquired many interests abroad (for example, in UK alone: DB Cargo, Chiltern Railways and Arriva).

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.

2019

The following lines opened on 15 December 2019

- Flensburg Weiche Süd - Flensburg Friedensweg Diversion of Hamburg - København services away from Puttgarden - Rødby
209.24 Berlin Bornholmer Straße - Schönhauser Allee Diversion of RB24 until 9 July 2021
209.24 Berlin Frankfurter Allee - Ostkreuz (oben) Initially by diverted RB24 but now used permanently by FEX airport trains
645.8/9 Frankfurt (Main) Stadion - Gateway Gardens - Frankfurt (Main) Flughafen Regionalbahnhof Brand new eastern exit line from the airport replacing existing line
former 12474 Düren - Euskirchen Regular service instead of weekend-only service

The following line opened on 7 July 2019

376 Bad Bentheim – Neuenhaus A free preview service ran on 6 July
2018
209.63 Templin Stadt - Joachimsthal (experimental service) 9 December (ceased December 2022)
227 Hoyerswerda – Horka (Abzw. Muckenhain) [- Görlitz] (after long-term closure for rebuilding) 9 December
351 Einbeck Salzderhelden – Einbeck Mitte 9 December
471 Mainz Hbf (Abzw Kaiserbrücke Ost) - Hochheim (Main) (Abzw Kostheim) (used by new service RE4 between Frankfurt and Mainz) 9 December
930 Neufahrn avoiding curve 9 December
2017
513 Dippoldiswalde – Kurort Kipsdorf (reopening after 2002 flood damage) 19 June
133 [Kiel Hbf -] Kiel Schulen am Langsee - Kiel-Oppendorf 4 September
200.9 Treptower Park - Warschauer Straße (S-Bahn Berlin) 10 December
459 Meinerzhagen - Brügge (Westf) 10 December
580 Erfurt - Ebensfeld, including connections to and from Coburg (Schnellfahrstrecke) 10 December
2016
225 Brieske – Hosena temporarily owing to closure of Ruhland - Hosena for engineering work 30 January (ended 24 September 2016)
482 [Alsdorf Poststrasse -] Eschweiler-St.Jöris - Stolberg (Rheinl.) Hbf 12 June
908 Gotteszell - Viechtach (originally trial service; now permanent) 12 September
541 Wünschendorf Nord - Gera-Zwötzen (0.5 km connection to allow closure of line via Gera-Liebschwitz) 25 October
2015
680 Heimbach (Nahe) – Baumholder 23 February (deferred from 14 December 2014 by lack of crew)
622 Frankenberg (Eder) - Korbach 14 September
209.23 Ferch-Lienewitz – Beelitz-Heilstätten (temporary diversion of Michendorf service) 13 December (ended 10 December 2016)
209.24 Berlin Grünau – Berlin-Schöneweide – Berlin Ostkreuz – Berlin Lichtenberg 13 December
230.5 Görlitz – Zgorzelec (Poland) 13 December
580 Erfurt-Linderbach – Gröbers [- Leipzig] / Halle-Ammendorf 13 December
720 Konstanz – Kreuzlingen Hafen (Switzerland) 13 December
858 Selb-Plößberg – Aš (Czech Republic) 13 December
2014
247 Dolni Poustevna ČD - Sebnitz 5 July
305 Uelzen W750 - Uelzen W23 (Veerßer Kurve) 15 April (regular service ceased March 2020)
482 Alsdorf Poststraße - Eschweiler-St.Jöris 15 June
2013
133 Kiel Hbf - Kiel Schulen am Langsee (one morning school train only) 30 August
459 Marienheide – Meinerzhagen 15 December
485 Lindern – Heinsberg (Rheinl.) 15 December
501 Leipzig Nord/Leipzig-Gohlis – Leipzig Hbf (tief) – Leipzig-Stötteritz/Leipzig-Connewitz 15 December
501.1 Leipzig Stötteritz – Leipzig Engelsdorf 15 December
710.41 Heilbronn Harmonie - Neckarsulm (tram-train) 15 December
976 [Ulm -] Senden - Weißenhorn 15 December
2012
703 [Müllheim(Baden) -] Neuenburg(Baden) - Mulhouse (France) (full service in lieu of the former seasonal service) 9 December
703 Bad Bellingen - Efringen-Kirchen via new Katzenberg tunnel 9 December
790.6 Maichingen - Renningen 9 December
2011
751 Laupheim West south curve 12 June
209.35 Bad Saarow - Bad Saarow Klinikum 24 October
482 [Herzogenrath -] Alsdorf-Annapark - Alsdorf-Mariadorf - Alsdorf-Poststraße 11 December
650.1 Darmstadt-Eberstadt - Pfungstadt 11 December
439 Brilon Wald - Brilon Stadt 11 December

2010

Sindelfingen - Maichingen 14 June
Burg (Fehmarn) station and the associated north and south curves 31 July
Gemünd - Schleiden - Hellenthal (tourist trains) 1 August
Olbernhau-Grünthal - Neuhausen now available for special trains. 13 November (Line closed to all traffic in December 2023)
(Leipzig -) Weißig [Abzw. Leckwitz] - Böhla [Abzw. Kottewitz] (- Dresden) connection 12 December

2009

(Stolberg Hbf -) Eschweiler-Weisweiler - Langerwehe 14 June
Ueckermünde - Ueckermünde Stadthafen 15 August
Arnsdorf (Dresden) avoiding curve 4 October
S-Bahn Stuttgart Plochingen - Kirchheim (Teck) 13 December
Eschwege West - Eschwege Niederhone new station - Eschwege 13 December

2008

(Schorndorf -) Rudersberg Nord - Rudersberg-Oberndorf 16 June
Usedomer Bäderbahn Ahlbeck Grenze - Świnoujście Centrum (Poland)
Ohlsdorf - Hamburg Airport 12 December
Pöppendorf - Travemünde Skandinavienkai (new alignment) 14 December

2007

Bayreuth - Weidenberg 8 January
(Trier -) Perl [DE] - Apach [FR] (weekend only) 10 June
Bremen Vegesack - Bremen Farge 16 December

2006

Kassel tram-trains Helsa - Hessisch-Lichtenau (on former DB line) 28 January
Berlin Hauptbahnhof/Lehrter Bahnhof tief/low level together with new 9 km north-south tunnel 28 May
Nürnberg - Ingolstadt Neubaustrecke 28 May
Müllheim - Neuenburg - Mulhouse (France) (Sunday-only service) 9 July (daily since Dec 2012)
Pockau-Lengefeld - Marienberg (Sachs) 4 September (closed Dec 2013)
Traunreut - Hörpolding 10 December

2005

Chemnitz Hbf - Burkhardtsdorf - Thalheim - Aue (following upgrade) 15 January (connection from Chemnitz Hbf replaced by tram-train connection from Chemnitz Technopark in Jan 2022)
Flöha - Olbernhau-Grünthal (after upgrade) 29 January
Berlin S-Bahn: Lichterfelde - Teltow 24 February
Neuruppin - Wittstock (Dosse) 27 February
Dannenberg Ost - Lüchow (weekend trains) 12 March (ceased 2014)
Frankenberg - Battenberg (Summer Saturdays) 30 April (ceased 2007)
Osnabrück - Dissen-Bad Rothenfelde 12 June
Heilbronn Pfühlpark - Öhringen (resumption of DB interregional services) 10 December
Merkstein - Alsdorf-Annapark 11 December
Ilmenau - Ilmenau-Bad 11 December

2004

Wemmetsweiler avoiding curve 6 February
S-Bahn Berlin Berlin-Zoologischer Garten - Charlottenburg 19 April
Kall - Gemünd (- Hellenthal) (museum trains) 10 May
Düren - Zülpich - Euskirchen (Summer Sundays only) 10 May
Köln/Bonn airport loop off Neubaustrecke 13 June
Großbothen - Döbeln - Nossen 22 August (Döbeln - Nossen closed Dec 2015)
Stolberg Hbf - Eschweiler-Weisweiler 11 September
Schelklingen - Oberheutal - Münsingen - Gomadingen (- Kleinengstingen) 13 September
Karlsruhe light rail Heilbronn-Harmonie - Pfühlpark (- Öhringen) 26 November
Herzogenrath - Merkstein (- Alsdorf) 12 December
Chemnitz - Niederwiesa - Frankenberg - Hainichen 12 December
Immendingen - Hintschingen - Leipferdingen - Zollhaus-Blumberg 12 December

2003

Bad Schussenried - Bad Schussenried Kloster (summer Sunday trains) 13 April (service ceased 6 October 2003)
Gummersbach - Marienheide 29 April
S-Bahn Berlin Schönhauser Allee - Bornholmer Straße (new alignment) 16 June
Flughafen Leipzig-Halle - Gröbers (- Halle (Saale) Hbf) 30 June
Hüfingen - Bräunlingen 30 June
Seligenstadt (bei Würzburg) - Prosselsheim - Volkach-Astheim (museum trains) 13 September
Bad Wildbad Bf - Bad Wildbad Kurpark 5 October
Schifferstadt avoiding line (Ludwigshafen - Neustadt) 19 November
New Egge tunnel (Altenbeken - Kassel) 14 December
Offenbach Ost - Offenbach-Bieber - Rödermark-Ober Roden/Dietzenbach Bahnhof 14 December
Brilon Wald - Korbach Süd 14 December

2002

Jülich - Linnich 9 June
S-Bahn Berlin Westhafen - Wedding - Gesundbrunnen (completing the Innenring restoration) 15 June
Müncheberg (Mark) - Buckow (Märkische Schweiz) (museum trains) 15 June
Leer - Weener - Nieuweschans (Netherlands) 16 June
Köln - Montabaur - Frankfurt Flughafen Fernbahnhof Neubaustrecke (high-speed line) 1 August
Cottbus - Cottbus-Willmersdorf - Peitz Ost (- Guben) 13 August
City-Bahn Chemnitz Altchemnitz - Stollberg (after conversion to electric light rail) 13 December
(Gotha -) Crawinkel - Gräfenroda 13 December (closed 11 December 2011)
(Leipzig Hbf -) Neuwiederitzsch-Leipziger Messe - Flughafen Leipzig-Halle 13 December
Eisfeld - Rauenstein (Thür) - Sonneberg (Thür) Hbf 13 December
Neumünster - Bad Segeberg 13 December
Pforzheim - Bad Wildbad Bf (- Bad Wildbad Kurpark) (after electrification) 13 December
Rottenbach - Obstfelderschmiede - Katzhütte 13 December
Sonneberg (Thür) Hbf - Lauscha - Ernstthal - Neuhaus am Rennweg 13 December

2001

Dresden Klotzsche - Grenzstraße - Dresden Flughafen (new line) 24 March
Bayerisches Eisenbahnmuseum Nördlingen - Dinkelsbühl (museum trains) 7 April (services since ceased)
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?
Kaisersesch - Daun - Gerolstein: summer weekend trains (ceased 2014) 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 NS) 18 November

2000

Dresden: Neucoswig - Radebeul-Naundorf 28 May
Düren - Distelrath (experimental summer Sunday service) 28 May (daily permanent service since Dec 2019)
Klingenthal - Hranicna (Czech Rep) 28 May
Kremmen - Neuruppin Rheinsberger Tor 28 May
Langenhagen - Hannover Flughafen 28 May
Magdeburg-Sudenburg - Magdeburg-Buckau 28 May (no longer with regular service)
Neuruppin Rheinsberger Tor - Herzberg (Mark) 28 May (closed 2007)
Röderau - Zeithain Bogendreieck 28 May (entire line from Falkenberg (Elster) closed to local services in 2004 but still used for diversions)
Züssow - Wolgast Hafen - Wolgaster Fähre 28 May
Niebüll DB - Tønder DSB 2 July (summer service; daily since 2003)
Mayen West - Kaisersesch 6 August

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.

2019

The following line closed on 14 December 2019

140 Fehmarn-Burg avoiding line Hamburg - København IC services ceased running via Puttgarden - Rødby; the remaining RB services to Puttgarden all reverse at Fehmarn-Burg.

The following line closed in September 2019

190 Sassnitz-Mukran Abzw Borchtitz - Sassnitz-Mukran Fährhafen Berlin - Malmö overnight services ceased to operate via the Sassnitz - Trelleborg train ferry after the end of the 2019 season. Note that a limited summer daytime service over this route commenced in 2021.

The following line closed on 18 March 2019

447 Duisburg Hbf - Duisburg Entenfang The final day of service was 30 November 2019, when three farewell round trips operated. The service otherwise was by replacement bus from 18 March until 14 December 2019, the official closure date.

In the "tourist/museum line" sector:

In July 2019 the Ruhrtalbahn announced an end to their operations on the Hagen - Hattingen route as a result of severe mechanical problems with their Schienenbus. Operations resumed in 2021 under the auspices of the Eisenbahnmuseum Bochum, but only as far as Wengern-Ost, leaving the section between there and Hagen-Vorhalle without regular services.

The Niederlausitzer Museumseisenbahn closed their line from Finsterwalde to Crinitz after a final day of service on 30th December 2018. This is because there was substantial work required on the line, which the society were not in a position to fund. The society announced its dissolution in 2021 so services will definitely not resume and it was reported in 2022 that the line may be converted into a cycle path.

2018

The following line closed on 15 September 2018:

524 [Chemnitz Hbf –] Chemnitz Süd – Chemnitz-Reichenhain (Abzw Chemnitz Süd Strab) Line closed for conversion to tram-train route but this connection closed to passengers completely.
2017

The following line closed on 10 December 2017:

594 (part) Buttstädt - Großheringen
2016

The following line closed on 24 October 2016:

541 Gera Süd (Abzw. Gera Debschwitz) - Wünschendorf Nord 4.7 km section of route replaced by a short link to the Gera - Saalfeld line near Wolfsgefärth, owing to the poor condition of a viaduct at Liebschwitz.

The following line closed on 25 September 2016:

225 Brieske - Hosena Closed after temporary diversion of Ruhland - Hosena services for engineering work ended. A summer weekend service from Dresden via Kamenz still runs via this line.

The following line closed on 31 July 2016:

209.70 Pritzwalk West - Putlitz

In the "tourist/museum line" sector:

The Wachtl-Bahn 900 mm gauge line from Kiefersfelden to Wachtl ceased operations at the end of the 2016 season as it did not pass an official inspection in 2017. There does not appear to be any sign of a resumption of service.

The Teckelfahrten service from Hagen to Ennepetal ceased operation at the end of the 2016 season.

2015

The following lines closed on 13 December 2015:

209.23 (part) Ferch-Lienewitz – Seddin Trains temporarily diverted to Beelitz-Heilstätten until December 2016
506 (part) Döbeln Hbf – Roßwein – Nossen – Meißen Triebischtal

The following line closed on 26 September 2015:

R61 [WEG] Hemmingen – Heimerdingen – Weissach Hemmingen – Heimerdingen reopened on 12 September 2018 after track renewals.

The following line closed to regular services on 12 April 2015:

337 Klostermansfeld - Wippra A summer weekend service continues to operate

The following line closed on 1 May 2015:

172 (part) Mecklenburgische Südbahn: Parchim - Inselstadt Malchow A summer weekend service resumed in 2020

The following line closed on 13 March 2015:

236 (part) Varnsdorf Pivovar Kocour (CZ) - Seifhennersdorf A rail replacement bus operates and is shown in the timetable. Reopened 11 June 2023

The following line closed on 1 March 2015:

230 Görlitz - Zgorzelec (Poland) The Dresden - Wrocław service was withdrawn owing to a reduction in funding for Przewozy Regionalne. Services were reintroduced from 13 December 2015.
2014
218 Pratau – Bad Schmiedeberg Kurzentrum (A summer weekend service operated until 2019) 31 December
517 Cranzahl – Vejprty (Czech Republic) (A summer weekend service continues to operate) 14 December
588 Merseburg – Schafstädt 14 December

The København - Basel/Amsterdam/Praha overnight service was withdrawn on 1 November 2014

2013
519 Pockau-Lengefeld – Marienberg (Sachs.) 15 December
2012
183 Rostock Hbf – Rostock Seehafen Nord 9 December
539 Adorf (Vogtl.) – Zwotental 9 December

See also