Berlin-Blankenheim railway

Last updated
Berlin–Blankenheim or Wetzlar Railway
Elbebrucke-Barby-2012b.jpg
Overview
Native nameWetzlarer Bahn
Line number
  • 6118
  • 6024 (S-Bahn)
Locale Berlin, Brandenburg and Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
Service
Route number200.7, 207, ex258, 335
Technical
Line length188.1 km (116.9 mi)
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge
Electrification
Route map

Contents

BSicon STR.svg
BSicon STR.svg
BSicon SBHF.svg
BSicon BHF.svg
11.2 00.0
Berlin-Charlottenburg
BSicon ABZglxr.svg
BSicon KRZo.svg
BSicon STR+r.svg
to Westend (to 1944), to Halensee
BSicon TSBHFu.svg
BSicon KRZo.svg
BSicon ABZql.svg
12.6 00.0
Berlin Westkreuz
BSicon KRZu.svg
BSicon KRZo.svg
BSicon ABZq+lr.svg
Ringbahn freight tracks
BSicon SBRUCKE.svg
BSicon hSTRae.svg
BSicon hSTRae.svg
BSicon ABZgr.svg
BSicon ABZgr.svg
BSicon STR.svg
BSicon SBHF.svg
BSicon STR.svg
BSicon STR.svg
14.6 00.0
Berlin-Grunewald
BSicon BS2l.svg
BSicon BS2lc.svg
BSicon BS2r.svg
4.0
Berlin-Grunewald Gds junction
BSicon SBHF.svg
BSicon STR.svg
22.5 00.0
Nikolassee
BSicon ABZg+l.svg
BSicon KRZo.svg
BSicon STR.svg
BSicon ABZg+l.svg
Wannseebahn freight tracks
BSicon hSTRae.svg
BSicon hSTRae.svg
BSicon SBHF.svg
BSicon BHF.svg
24.1 12.7
Berlin-Wannsee
BSicon STRo.svg
BSicon STRo.svg
B 1
BSicon eABZgl.svg
BSicon eKRZu.svg
to Stahnsdorf (until 1961)
BSicon eBHF.svg
BSicon eBHF.svg
Berlin-Kohlhasenbrück
(1945 only)
BSicon WBRUCKE1.svg
BSicon WBRUCKE1.svg
BSicon eBHF.svg
BSicon eBHF.svg
Berlin-Kohlhasenbrück
(1945 only)
BSicon STR+GRZq.svg
BSicon STR+GRZq.svg
BerlinBrandenburg state border
BSicon STRr.svg
BSicon ABZgr.svg
16.5
Griebnitzsee Ost
to Potsdam Berlin transit icons - S1.svg Berlin transit icons - S7.svg
BSicon eKRZu.svg
BSicon GRZq.svg
BSicon BS2+l.svg
BSicon BS2c4.svg
crosses border twice
BSicon BHF.svg
18.7
Potsdam Medienstadt Babelsberg
BSicon WBRUCKE1.svg
BSicon BHF.svg
21.7
Rehbrücke
BSicon eTHSTo.svg
24.3
Bergholz
(until 1998) outer ring
BSicon ABZg+r.svg
25.1
Wilhelmshorst junction
from Potsdam
BSicon HST.svg
25.5
Wilhelmshorst
BSicon SBRUCKE.svg
B 2
BSicon ABZg+l.svg
BSicon BHF.svg
28.5
Michendorf
BSicon hSTRae.svg
BSicon ABZgl.svg
to Jüterbog and Seddin freight yard
BSicon BHF.svg
32.6
Seddin
BSicon ABZg+l.svg
from Seddin freight yard
BSicon ABZgr.svg
34.7
BSicon eKRZu.svg
freight bypass (until 1998)
BSicon ABZg+r.svg
BSicon BHF.svg
37.9
Beelitz-Heilstätten
BSicon SBRUCKE.svg
A 9
BSicon BHF.svg
43.9
Borkheide
BSicon BHF.svg
52.1
Brück
BSicon BUE.svg
BSicon HST.svg
57.9
Baitz
BSicon SBRUCKE.svg
BSicon eKRZo.svg
BSicon exSTR+r.svg
BSicon ABZg+l.svg
BSicon eABZqlr.svg
BSicon BHF.svg
65.2
Bad Belzig (Belzig until 2011)
BSicon eHST.svg
72.7
Borne (Mark)
(until 1991)
BSicon BHF.svg
77.8
Wiesenburg
BSicon xABZgl.svg
BSicon exBST.svg
Reetz (Bk)
BSicon exSTR+GRZq.svg
BrandenburgSaxony-Anhalt state border\
BSicon exBUE.svg
B 246
BSicon exBHF.svg
92.9
Nedlitz
(until 2003)
BSicon exHST.svg
97.6
Deetz
(until 2003)
BSicon exBHF.svg
102.0
Lindau (Anhalt)
(until 2003)
BSicon exBUE.svg
BSicon exABZgr.svg
110.2
to Biederitz
BSicon exTBHFo.svg
111.5
Güterglück
(until 2003) Biederitz–Dessau
BSicon exABZg+l.svg
112.6
from Dessau
BSicon exhKRZWae.svg
BSicon xABZg+r.svg
Animal feed plant siding
BSicon DST.svg
120.2
Barby
(passenger trains until 2004)
BSicon ABZgr.svg
124.4
Werkleitz junction
to Magdeburg
BSicon KRZo.svg
BSicon ABZg+l.svg
126.8
Tornitz junction
BSicon HST.svg
Calbe (Saale) Stadt
(since 2014)
BSicon BHF.svg
130.7
Calbe West
BSicon xABZgl.svg
BSicon exSBRUCKE.svg
BSicon exSTRo.svg
BSicon exWBRUCKE1.svg
BSicon exBHF.svg
137.6
Neugattersleben
(until 1994)
BSicon exHST.svg
143.9
Rathmannsdorf
(until 1998)
BSicon exSBRUCKE.svg
BSicon ABZ+lr.svg
BSicon xKRZo.svg
BSicon STRl.svg
BSicon xABZg+r.svg
BSicon BHF.svg
147.3
Güsten
BSicon STR+l.svg
BSicon xABZgr.svg
BSicon WBRUCKE1.svg
BSicon exWBRUCKE1.svg
BSicon ABZlr.svg
BSicon xABZg+r.svg
150.6
Giersleben junction
BSicon BUE.svg
B 6
BSicon ABZg+r.svg
BSicon BHF.svg
163.4
Sandersleben
BSicon ABZgl.svg
BSicon BHF.svg
169.8
Hettstedt
BSicon eDST.svg
Hettstedt copper and brass works
BSicon eABZgl.svg
BSicon KRZu.svg
BSicon eHST.svg
173.2
Siersleben
(until 1993)
BSicon STRo.svg
BSicon ABZg+l.svg
Klostermansfeld substation siding
BSicon ABZg+r.svg
BSicon KRZu.svg
BSicon BHF.svg
179.0
Klostermansfeld
(formerly Mansfeld)
BSicon emKRZ.svg
BSicon BHF.svg
181.3
Helbra
BSicon eHST.svg
184.8
Hergisdorf
BSicon ABZg+l.svg
BSicon DST.svg
188.1
Blankenheim junction station
BSicon STR.svg
Source: German railway atlas [1]

The Berlin-Blankenheim railway or Wetzlarer Bahn ("Wetzlar Railway") is a railway line in the German states of Berlin, Brandenburg and Saxony-Anhalt. It is a section of the Kanonenbahn (Cannons Railway) between Berlin and Metz, built between 1877 and 1882. Wetzlar used to be an important rail junction on the Kanonenbahn. The Berlin-Blankenheim line originally ran from Berlin, via Bad Belzig, Güsten, Sandersleben to Blankenheim, where a remnant of it still joins the Halle–Kassel line. The WiesenburgGüsten section has carried no traffic since 2004 and is now closed. Only the Berlin–Wiesenburg section is electrified. The Sandersleben–Blankenheim section has only a single track, while the remainder of the still-operating parts of the line is duplicated.

History

The track was built at the instigation of the Prussian government between 1877 and 1882 as a direct militarily strategic railway, bypassing urban areas, connecting to Alsace-Lorraine, which had been acquired from France as a result of the War of 1870-71. The Berlin–Blankenheim section was the longest section of the Kanonenbahn that did not use existing lines. The building of the line away from urban areas was a disadvantage from the outset as there was little regular traffic on the line, except on a few of its sections. For long-distance traffic between Berlin and western and south-western Germany, other routes via Magdeburg, and Halle or Leipzig were more important.

In 1923, a connection was opened from Wiesenburg to Roßlau near Dessau. The section from Berlin to Wiesenburg was upgraded, but the Wiesenburg-Güsten section lost importance, since in addition to routes via Magdeburg, routes via Dessau were now available.

In 1961, the section from Drewitz (now Potsdam Medienstadt Babelsberg) to Berlin–Wannsee was closed to passenger traffic, as a result of the building of the Berlin Wall. Interzonal trains between Berlin and West Germany were rerouted via Potsdam. For freight transport this section was of great importance especially due to the Seddin freight depot.

In the 1980s it was planned to upgrade the line as an alternative to the congested BitterfeldNaumburg line for freight. Catenary stanchions for electrification were established in the Güterglück and Blankenheim areas, but no further work was carried out. Instead, the Güterglück–Berlin section was duplicated and electrified up to 1993. It was used by Intercity-Express and Intercity trains during construction work on the Berlin-Potsdam-Magdeburg line completed on 14 December 1995. For this purpose, some sections had been upgraded for a top speed of 160 km/h.

The Wiesenburg–Güsten section then experienced a gradual decline. In 1998, Regionalbahn trains stopped running between Barby and Güsten and instead ran between Güsten and Magdeburg. There still remained an InterRegio train from Berlin via Wernigerode to Aachen and a Berlin–Wernigerode weekend escape train. In 1999, these trains were canceled or diverted, leaving the Barby–Güsten section without traffic. The diversion of regional trains to Magdeburg was not successful and by 2002 only two pairs of trains on weekends were still operating; on 13 December 2003 all services were discontinued. At the same time was freight operations between Wiesenburg and Güterglück were moved to the Brandenburg–Magdeburg line. On 11 December 2004, the line was closed.

Developments in recent years

The Berlin–Bad Belzig–Wiesenburg section has been served for several years by Regional-Express services (currently line RE 7) running hourly to Dessau via Bad Belzig (only every two hours from Bad Belzig to Dessau at weekends, however). Long-distance trains were gradually reduced. With the opening of the line under the Berlin Tiergarten and the commencement of Intercity trains via Wittenberg, the last two inter-city trains via Dessau were terminated in December 2007. Since then only a few night trains run via Dessau. In contrast, traffic is dense in the Berlin area. Regional services RB 22 and MR 33 (operated by Märkische Regiobahn) run between Wannsee and Michendorf or Michendorf and Seddin. In the Berlin suburbs, all S-Bahn, regional and mainline services to Potsdam run on the Berlin-Blankenheim line.

The section from Wiesenburg to Güsten is now closed. Only two short sections at Barby and Calbe are still served by regional or freight traffic. Güsten station and its former depot has been scaled back considerably. Between Güsten and Sangerhausen Regional–Express services run every two hours on the Magdeburg–Erfurt route.

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References

Footnotes

  1. Eisenbahnatlas Deutschland (German railway atlas). Schweers + Wall. 2009. pp. 35–6, 44–7, 57, 126, 128. ISBN   978-3-89494-139-0.

Sources