Magdeburg-Leipzig railway

Magdeburg–Halle (Saale)–Leipzig
Route number:340
Line number:6403
Line length:119.2
Track gauge:1435
Voltage:15 kV 16.7 Hz AC
Maximum speed:160
Legend
 from Berlin
from and to Wittenberge and Haldensleben
Magdeburg–Neustadt
0.00 Magdeburg Hbf
to Braunschweig
1.04 Magdeburg Hasselbachplatz
from Braunschweig
from Biederitz
2.48 Magdeburg-Buckau
to Halberstadt
Schönebeck–Glindenberg railway
Magdeburg SKET Industriepark
Magdeburg–Thale railway
6.23 Magdeburg-Salbke
7.56 Magdeburg Südost
Schönebeck-Frohse
from Blumenberg
15.04 Schönebeck (Elbe)
to Staßfurt
17.63 Schönebeck-Felgeleben
20.51 Gnadau
24.40 Seehof junctionto Belzig
Berlin–Blankenheim
from Bernburg
27.48 Calbe (Saale) Ost
Saale
34.42 Sachsendorf (near Calbe)
41.43 Wulfen (Anhalt)
from Aken and Dessau
49.80 Köthen
to Güsten
55.21 Arensdorf (near Köthen)
58.86 Weißandt-Gölzau
66,37 Stumsdorf
to Bitterfeld
74.13 Niemberg
81.08 Zöberitz
from Berlin and Delitzsch
from Halberstadt
86.03 Halle (Saale) Hbf
to Kassel and Erfurt
Halle Messe
91.69 Dieskau
to Leipzig (via Leipzig/Halle Airport)
Erfurt–Leipzig/Halle high-speed railway (under construction)
96.78 Gröbers
to Erfurt
100.40 Großkugel
Saxony-Anhalt–Saxony border
Schkeuditz West
105.08 Schkeuditz
to DHL Hub Leipzig
109.81
0.02
Leipzig-Lützschena
1.55 Leipzig-Wahren
to Leipzig-Leutzsch
to Engelsdorf
Leipzig freight ring
4.5 Leipzig Slevogstraße
5.4 Leipzig Olbrichtstraße
Leipzig–Gera–Saalfeld
6.8 Leipzig-Gohlis
from Gera
from Berlin
from Dresden
9.20 Leipzig Hbf

The Magdeburg–Leipzig Railway is a double-track, electrified railway in the German states of Saxony-Anhalt and Saxony, connecting Magdeburg via Köthen, Halle and Unna to Leipzig.

History

The line was built by the Magdeburg-Leipzig Railway Company (German: Magdeburg-Leipziger Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft), with construction starting on 24 January 1838. It was the first German railway that passed through several countries, in addition to the kingdoms of Prussia (Magdeburg, Halle) and Saxony (Leipzig), it also crossed the Duchy of Anhalt-Köthen. Opening dates:

Finally on 18 August 1840 the whole line from Magdeburg to Leipzig was opened. As the Magdeburg station in Leipzig was adjacent to the Dresden station, passengers between Magdeburg and Dresden (the Leipzig–Dresden railway opened in 1837) changed trains here. Later a short connecting line was built for the transfer of coaches. Between Halle and Leipzig the line passed from Prussia to Saxony. The section of the line in Saxony was operated under contract by the Leipzig–Dresden Railway Company. On 29 April 1874, the Magdeburg–Leipzig Railway Company purchased the Saxon section of the line with effect from 1 January 1875. Duplication of the line from Magdeburg Leipzig, which had started in 1842, was completed on 15 January 1843. On 1 November 1843 regular freight services commenced.

In 1873 a line opened to connect Magdeburg’s two stations. Magdeburg’s walls prevented a joint station being built. There was a station for trains to Wittenberge and Hamburg with the Leipziger station serving trains on the Magdeburg-Leipzig line and trains to Berlin, Braunschweig and Halberstadt.[1]

On 1 June 1876 the Magdeburg-Leipzig Railway Company was taken over by the Magdeburg–Halberstadt Railway Company, which was nationalized by Prussia under an act of 20 December 1879. The Magdeburg–Leipzig line came under the management of the Königliche preußischen Eisenbahndirektion Magdeburg (Royal Prussian railway directorate of Magdeburg). From 1 April 1895 it came under the management of the new railway directorate of Halle-Leipzig.

On 1 May 1912 the Prussian part of the Leipzig Hauptbahnhof was opened, leading to the closure of the Magdeburger station. On 1 April 1920, the Magdeburg-Leipzig line went along with the other German state railways was merged into Deutsche Reichseisenbahnen (German Railways), which on 30 August 1924 became Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft (German Railway Company).

E 44 046 at Leipzig Hbf, one of the electric locomotives introduced in the 1950s

In 1920 electrification of the section between Halle and Leipzig began, with the first electric locomotive operating on it on 19 December 1922. Electrification from Magdeburg to Leipzig was completed on 7 October 1934. In 1946, the electrical installations were dismantled as reparations. On 1 September 1955, electric trains started running again between Halle and Köthen, after the Soviet Union returned some electric locomotives. Electrification was restored between Köthen and Schönebeck on 29 December 1955, between Schönebeck and Magdeburg on 12 January 1957, and the final section between Leipzig and Halle on 20 December 1958.

Operations

Currently, the section between Magdeburg and Halle is served by Regionalbahn trains. S-Bahn trains operate between Magdeburg and Schönebeck. Between Halle and Leipzig, part of the line is served by Regional-Express trains, and the whole line is served by S-Bahn trains of line S10. In addition InterCity trains on IC lines 56 and 55 operate together providing an hourly service, stopping only in Magdeburg Hbf, Köthen, Halle Hbf, Leipzig/Halle Airport and Leipzig Hbf. Between Halle and Leipzig, these trains run on the only completed section of the Erfurt–Leipzig/Halle high-speed line. The line also carried significant freight traffic.

Notes

  1. ↑ Berger, Manfred (1980). Historische Bahnhofsbauten (Historic railway structures) I, 3 (in German). Berlin: unveränderte Auflage. p. 145. ISBN 3-344-70701-9.

References