Hanover-Würzburg high-speed rail line

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Hanover — Würzburg rail line

Legend 0.0 Hannover Hbf 8.0 Hannover Messe/Laatzen 13.5 Üst Laatzen Ritterkamp 18.1 Üst Giften North-South line Hannover–Kreiensen 25.3 Betriebsbahnhof Escherde Nordstemmen–Hildesheim line 29.5 Abzw. Sorsum from Hildesheim 29.5 Escherbergtunnel (3,687 m) 34.4 Üst Diekholzen 34.9 Eichenbergtunnel (1,157 m) 36.8 Eggebergtunnel (332 m) Strecke Elze–Bodenburg (Nds. Almetalbahn) 37.3 L 485 bridge (135 m) 42.9 Betriebsbahnhof Almstedt 45.8 Kassemühle-Talbrücke (690 m) Bodenburg–Bad Gandersheim line 48.3 Üst Netze 48.5 Riesbergtunnel (1,322 m) Bodenburg–Bad Gandersheim line 54.8 Üst Gehrenrode 56.2 Ohlenrode-Talbrücke (968 m) 58.0 Hellebergtunnel (1,598 m) 60.0 Mahnmilch-Talbrücke (200 m) 60.6 Wadenbergtunnel (420 m) 61.1 Gande-Talbrücke (396 m), Kreiensen–Goslar 62.1 Betriebsbahnhof Orxhausen 63.4 Hopfenbergtunnel (717 m) 64.3 Aue-Talbrücke (1,056 m), Kreiensen–Kalefeld line 66.6 Sohlbergtunnel (1,729 m) 68.9 Üst Ahlshausen 69.5 Kriebergtunnel (2,994 m) North-South line Hannover–Göttingen A 7 77.3 Üst Edesheim (Leine) to North-South line 77.3 Üst Edesheim (Leine) from North-South line 78.4 Rhume-Brücke (554 m) Northeim–Ottbergen line (Sollingbahn) 82.2 Üst Sudheim 89.2 Üst Nörten-Hardenberg Göttingen–Bodenfelde line (Oberweserbahn) 99.4 Göttingen Former Dransfelder Rampe to Hann. Münden A 7 105.1 Grundbach-Talbrücke (450 m) 106.5 Üst Mengershausen 108.4 Leinebuschtunnel (1,740 m) 110.7 Endelskamptunnel (673 m) 112.0 Betriebsbahnhof Jühnde 112.7 Mackenrodttunnel (816 m) 114.4 Rauhebergtunnel (5,210 m) 120.5 Werratalbrücke (415 m) 121.0 Mündener Tunnel (10,525 m) 124.2 Üst Hann. Münden Kattenbühl 130.0 Üst Lutterberg 121.0 131.8 Mühlenkopftunnel (1,345 m) 133.2 Fuldatalbrücke Kragenhof (250 m) 134.2 Lohbergtunnel (1,072 m) 144.2 Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe 148.2 Kreuzungsbauwerk Oberzwehren (1,147 m) A 49 149.7 Üst Kassel-Keilsberg 150.0 Rengershausener Tunnel (1,592 m), also overpass for … … A 44, Main-Weser-Bahn and … … Friedrich-Wilhelms-Nordbahn 151.7 Fuldatalbrücke Fuldabrück (422 m) 154.0 Dörnhagentunnel (739 m), also overpass for A 7 155.9 Üst Dörnhagen-Schwarzenbach 156.2 Schwarzenbach-Talbrücke (660 m) 157.1 Kehrenbergtunnel (2,400 m) 159.7 Trockene Mülmisch-Talbrücke (320 m) 160.5 Betriebsbahnhof Körle Ost 161.7 Mülmischtalbrücke (870 m) 162.8 Erbelbergtunnel (200 m) 163.1 Breitenbach-Talbrücke (440 m) 163.6 Hainbuchtunnel (1,520 m) 166.8 Üst Spangenberg-Kaiserau 165.2 Kaiserautunnel (1,861 m) 167.1 Kehrenbach-Talbrücke (306 m) 167.5 Weltkugeltunnel (1,641 m) 169.2 Pfieffetalbrücke (812 m), Kanonenbahn … … Eschwege–Malsfeld 170.8 Wildsbergtunnel (2,708 m) 172.0 Üst Haina-Wildsberg 173.8 Fuldatalbrücke Morschen (1,450 m), … … Friedrich-Wilhelms-Nordbahn 175.3 Sengebergtunnel (2,807 m) 178.2 Heidelbach-Talbrücke (390 m) 179.6 Betriebsbahnhof Licherode 180.7 Schalkenbergtunnel (2,829 m) 183.7 Üst Ersrode 183.7 Hainrodetunnel (5,370 m) 189.4 Üst Mühlbach 189.8 Mühlbachtunnel (1,553 m) 191.6 Schmittebergtunnel (321 m) 192.0 Geisbach-Talbrücke (396 m) 192.4 Erzebach-Talbrücke (308 m), A 7 192.9 Kalter-Sand-Tunnel (1,043 m) 194.0 Eckerteroder-Talbrücke (75 m) 194.3 Schickebergtunnel (1,430 m) 196.5 Betriebsbahnhof Kirchheim 197.2 Krämerskuppetunnel (838 m) 198.2 Wälsebachtalbrücke (721 m) 199.0 Kirchheimtunnel (3,820 m) 202.1 Üst Hattenbach 202.9 Aula-Talbrücke (880 m) Knüllwaldbahn, Niederaula – Treysa 203.9 Hattenbergtunnel (444 m) 204.4 Hattenbach-Talbrücke (308 m) 204.9 Warteküppeltunnel (835 m) 206.1 Fuldatalbrücke Solms (1,628 m), Bad Hersfeld … …–Breitenbach (–Alsfeld) 208.0 Üst Niederaula-Solms Richthof 208.1 Richthoftunnel (3,510 m) 211.7 Schwarzbach-Talbrücke (748 m) 212.8 Dornbuschtunnel (557 m) 214.3 Betriebsbahnhof Langenschwarz 215.4 Witzelhöhetunnel (796 m) 216.7 Eichbergtunnel (976 m) 218.5 Rombachtalbrücke (986 m) 220.2 Ganzbergtunnel (387 m) 221.9 Üst Michelsrombach 223.7 Dietershantunnel (7,375 m) 228.1 Üst Dietershan Dietershantunnel) 232.8 Betriebsbahnhof Fulda SFS Nord 234.1 Fulda Overpass Fulda-Bronzell–Fulda Gbf 240.4 Fliede-Talbrücke (240 m) 241.2 Sulzhoftunnel (714 m) 242.7 northern Fliedetalbrücke (880 m), Kinzigtalbahn 243,8 southern Fliedetalbrücke (628 m) 245.9 Üst Neuhof-Hartberg 246.5 Hartbergtunnel (773 m) 247.9 Kalbachtunnel (1,287 m) 249.8 Bornhecketunnel (773 m) 250.8 Kalbach-Talbrücke (364 m) 251.3 Landrückentunnel (10,779 m) 252.1 Üst Kalbach-Landrücken Nord 258.2 Üst Sinntal-Landrücken Süd Landrückentunnel 262.2 Sinntalbrücke Mottgers (427 m) 262.8 Schwarzenfelstunnel (2,100 m) 266.2 Betriebsbahnhof Mottgers 267.4 Sinntalbrücke Zeitlofs (704 m), Sinntalbahn, … … Jossa–Wildflecken 268.1 Altengronautunnel (2,353 m) 270.6 Roßbacher-Forst-Tunnel (255 m) 270.7 Üst Altengronau 271.9 Hangbrücke Dittenbrunn (396 m) 272.3 Dittenbrunntunnel (822 m) 273.5 Obersinn-Talbrücke (178 m) 274.9 Mittelsinn-Talbrücke (152 m) 277.8 Üst Dittenbrunn 281.8 Burgsinntunnel (729 m) from Fulda-Main-Bahn 283.9 Burgsinn Betriebsbahnhof, … … Üst to Fulda-Main-Bahn 285.5 Sinnbergtunnel (2,159 m) 289.0 Sinntalbrücke Schaippach (442 m), Fulda-Main-Bahn 289.4 Einmalbergtunnel (1,140 m) 291.1 Maintalbrücke Gemünden (794 m), Main, … … Main-Spessart-Bahn 291.9 Mühlbergtunnel (5,528 m) 293.3 Üst Mühlberg Nantenbacher Kurve from Nantenbacher Kurve to Nantenbacher Kurve 302.5 Betriebsbahnhof Rohrbach 308.0 Hanfgartentunnel (400 m) 308.8 Hohe-Wart-Tunnel (872 m) 309.9 Üst Hohewart 311.8 Bartelsgrabentalbrücke (1,160 m) 313.3 Leinachtalbrücke (1,232 m) 314.7 Espenlohtunnel (2,235 m) 316.3 Üst Espenloh 317.1 Eichelbergtunnel (1,869 m) 319.0 Bärntal-Talbrücke (71 m) 319.1 Neubergtunnel (1,945 m) 321.0 Üst Margetshöchheim-Neuberg 321.3 Maintalbrücke Veitshöchheim (1,280 m), Main, … … Main-Spessart-Bahn 322.6 Roßbergtunnel (2,164 m) 324.8 Dürrbachtal-Talbrücke (128 m) 325.0 Steinbergtunnel (571 m) 325.6 Main-Spessart-Bahn overpass (576 m) 327.4 Würzburg Hbf

The Hanover - Würzburg high-speed rail line was the first of several high-speed railway lines for InterCityExpress traffic that were built in Germany. While technically starting in the village of Rethen and ending several kilometres north of Würzburg Hauptbahnhof, it is a de facto link between Hanover and Würzburg, with stops at Göttingen, Kassel and Fulda. Construction started as early as 1973, the line opening fully in 1991. At 327 km (or 203 miles) length, it still is the longest newly built rail line in Germany, and its costs are estimated at around DM 40 million (€ 20.45 million) per kilometre.

[edit] History

The Deutsche Bundesbahn began construction of the line in 1973. Since it was designed for fast passenger trains as well as for express freight trains, its maximum incline is a mere 12.5 ‰. Combined with the hilly terrain, this made the construction of 61 tunnels and 10 large bridges necessary. Of the 327 km of total length, 120 km are in tunnels, the two longest being the Landrückentunnel (10,779 m) south of Fulda, the second longest being the Mündener Tunnel (10,525 m) south of Hann. Münden. The highest bridge is the Rombachtalbrücke near Schlitz at 95 metres.

Withstanding 10,700 complaints and 360 lawsuits, the line was opened fully in 1991, though the Würzburg-Fulda part was used by InterCity trains as early as 1988. The standard speed on the line is 250 km/h (155 mph); 280 km/h may be reached by trains running late.

On May 1, 1988 the InterCityExperimental set a new land speed record for railed vehicles at 406.9 km/h (252.8 mph) between Fulda and Würzburg.

[edit] Safety

Deutsche Bahn AG keeps special trains for accident assistance ready, when passenger trains are on the line; from midnight to early morning these trains are out of service and the line is used for cargo transport. These are hauled by two specially rebuilt Class 714 locomotives and are designed to get firefighters and rescue workers to accident scenes in tunnels and on difficult to access sections of track. Both engines are equipped with infrared cameras and remote controls, so that the driver can steer the train into the tunnel from the first (air-tight) car of the consist without endangering themselves. The trains on (or near) the Hanover-Würzburg line are stationed in Hildesheim Hbf, Kassel Hbf, Fulda and Würzburg Hbf. At first the trains were painted in a bright reddish-orange livery akin to fire engines, but since the late 1990s they are painted in the standard red of all DB liveries, apparently to make them less obvious to the concerned passenger.

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