Hanover–Würzburg high-speed railway

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Hanover–Würzburg high-speed railway
Overview
Native name	Schnellfahrstrecke Hannover–Würzburg
Line number	1733
Service
Route number	351
Technical
Line length	327 km (203 mi)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Minimum radius	5,100 m (16,700 ft)
Electrification	15 kV/16.7 Hz AC overhead catenary
Operating speed	280 km/h (170 mph) (maximum)
Maximum incline	1.25%
Route map Legend old line to Göttingen 13.5 Laatzen Ritterkamp crossover 18.1 Gifte crossover 21.0 old Göttingen–Hanover line 25.3 Escherde operations station Lehrte–Nordstemmen line 29.5 Sorsum junction from Hildesheim 29.5 (3,687 m) 34.4 Diekholzen crossover 34.9 (1,157 m) 36.8 (332 m) 37.3 L 485 bridge (135 m) 42.9 Almstedt operations station 45.8 (690 m) 48.3 Netze crossover 48.5 (1,322 m) 54.8 Gehrenrode crossover 56.2 Ohlenrode Viaduct (968 m) 58.0 (1,598 m) 60.0 Mahnmilch Viaduct (200 m) 60.6 (420 m) 61.1 Gande Viaduct (396 m),   Braunschweig–Kreiensen line 62.1 Orxhausen operations station 63.4 (717 m) 64.3 Aue Viaduct (1,056 m)   66.6 (1,729 m) 68.9 Ahlshausen crossover 69.5 (2,994 m) B 3 74.7 Hanoverian Southern Railway from Hanover (flying junction) A 7 Edesheim (Leine) Nord (junction) 77.3 Edesheim (Leine) (junction) Edesheim (Leine) Süd (junction) 78.4 (554 m), Rhume South Harz Railway from Nordhausen Northeim (Han) (High-speed line bypasses Northeim) 81.7 Solling Railway to Ottbergen 82.2 Sudheim crossover B 3 89.2 Nörten-Hardenberg 93.4 (400 m) 95.8 Line from Bodenfelde Göttingen freight yard 99.4 Göttingen B 3 Leine former Garte Valley Railway (narrow gauge) Line to Bebra 101.9 Göttingen Siekweg (junction) Former Dransfeld Ramp to Hann. Münden A 7 105.1 Grundbach Viaduct (450 m) 106.5 Mengershausen crossover 108.4 (1,740 m) 110.7 (673 m) 112.0 Jühnde operations station 112.7 (849 m) 114.4 (5,210 m) 120.0 Lippoldshausen crossover 120.5 Werra Viaduct (415 m), Werra, Hannoversch Münden–Eichenberg line 121.0 Münden Tunnel (10,525 m) 124.2 Kattenbühl crossover 130.0 Lutterberg crossover 131.5 131.8 (1,345 m) 133.2 (250 m), Fulda,  Lower Saxony / Hesse state border 134.2 (1,072 m) Hanoverian Southern Railway from Hannoversch Münden (flying junction) 135.5 Ihringshausen B 7 Vellmar-Niedervellmar Vellmar-Niedervellmar (junction) Line from Warburg 140.4 Kassel Nordwest A (junction) Kassel Rbf (marshalling yard) Nord 141.6 Kassel Nordwest B (junction) Kassel Rbf Line to Kassel Hbf Line to Kassel Unterstadt Line from Kassel Hbf Warburg–Kassel line 144.2 Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe 147.7 Kassel Oberzwehren junction 148.2 Oberzwehren junction structure (1,147 m), A 49 149.7 Keilsberg crossover 150.0 (1,592 m), A 44 Line to Gießen, Line to Bebra 151.7 Fulda Viaduct, Fuldabrück (422 m), Fulda 154.0 Dörnhagen Tunnel (739 m), A 7 155.9 Üst Schwarzenbach 156.2 Schwarzenbach Viaduct (660 m) 157.1 Kehrenberg Tunnel (2,400 m) 159.7 Trockene Mülmisch Viaduct (320 m) 160.5 Körle Ost operations station 161.7 (870 m) 162.8 Erbelberg Tunnel (200 m) 163.1 Breitenbach Viaduct (440 m) 163.6 Hainbuch Tunnel (1,520 m) 165.2 Kaiserau Tunnel (1,861 m) 166.8 Kaiserau crossover 167.1 Kehrenbach Viaduct (306 m) 167.5 Weltkugel Tunnel (1,641 m) 169.2 (812 m) former Cannons Railway, Eschwege–Treysa 170.8 Wildsberg Tunnel (2,708 m) 172.0 Haina-Wildsberg crossover 173.8 (1,450 m), Friedrich-Wilhelms Northern Railway Kassel–Bebra Fulda 175.3 (2,807 m) 178.2 Heidelbach Viaduct (390 m) 179.6 Licherode 180.7 Schalkenberg Tunnel (2,829 m) 183.7 Ersrode crossover 183.7 Hainrode Tunnel (5,370 m) 189.4 Mühlbach crossover 189.8 (1,553 m) 191.6 Schmitteberg Tunnel (321 m) 192.0 Geisbach Viaduct (396 m) 192.4 Erzebach Viaduct(308 m), A 7 192.9 Kalter-Sand Tunnel (1,043 m) 194.0 Eckerterode Viaduct (75 m) 194.3 Schickeberg Tunnel (1,430 m) 196.5 Kirchheim operations station 197.2 Krämerskuppe Tunnel (838 m) 198.2 (721 m) 199.0 Kirchheim Tunnel (3,820 m) 202.1 Hattenbach crossover 202.9 Aula Viaduct (880 m), former , Niederaula – Treysa 203.9 Hattenberg Tunnel (444 m) 204.4 Hattenbach Viaduct (308 m) 204.9 Warteküppel Tunnel (835 m) 206.1 (1,628 m), B 62 Fulda 208.0 Niederaula-Solms Richthof crossover 208.1 (3,510 m) 211.7 Schwarzbach Viaduct (748 m) 212.8 Dornbusch Tunnel (557 m) 214.3 Langenschwarz 215.4 Witzelhöhe Tunnel (796 m) 216.7 (976 m) 218.5 (986 m) 220.2 Ganzberg Tunnel (387 m) 221.9 Michelsrombach crossover 223.7 (7,375 m) 228.1 Dietershan crossover Bebra–Fulda line to Bebra Vogelsberg Railway to Gießen 234.1 Fulda Fulda freight yard 238.4 Fulda-Bronnzell Rhön Railway to Gersfeld Kinzig Valley line to Frankfurt am Main 240.4 Fliede Viaduct (240 m), Fulda Fliede 241.2 (714 m) 242.7 (880 m), Fliede 243.8 (628 m)   Kinzig Valley Railway A 66 (under construction) 245.9 Neuhof-Hartberg crossover 246.5 (773 m) 247.9 (1,287 m) 249.8 Bornhecke Tunnel (773 m) 250.8 Kalbach Viaduct (364 m) 251.3 Landrücken Tunnel (10,779 m) 252.1 Kalbach-Landrücken Nord crossover 258.2 Sinntal-Landrücken Süd crossover Landrücken Tunnel 262.2 Sinn Viaduct, Mottgers (427 m) 262.8 (2,100 m) 266.2 Mottgers Hesse–Bavaria state border 267.4 (704 m) former Sinn Valley Railway 268.1 (2,353 m) Bavaria / Hesse state border Hesse / Bavaria state border 270.6 Roßbacher-Forst Tunnel (255 m) 270.7 Altengronau crossover 271.9 (396 m) 272.3 (822 m) 273.5 Upper Sinn Viaduct (178 m) 274.9 (152 m) Line from Flieden 277.8 Dittenbrunn crossover 281.8 (729 m) 283.9 Rieneck Sinnberg (junction) 285.5 (2,159 m) 289.0 (442 m)   Line to Gemünden Sinn 289.4 (1,140 m) B 26 291.1 (794 m),   Main-Spessart Railway Aschaffenburg–Gemünden Main 291.9 (5,528 m) 293.3 Mühlberg crossover from Nantenbach Curve from Aschaffenburg (grade separated) 302.5 308.0 (400 m) 308.8 (872 m) 309.9 Hohewart crossover 311.8 (1,160 m) 313.3 (1,232 m) 314.7 (2,235 m) 316.3 Espenloh crossover 317.1 (1,869 m) 319.0 Bärntal Viaduct (71 m) 319.1 (1,945 m) 321.0 Margetshöchheim-Neuberg crossover 321.3 (1,280 m), Main Main-Spessart Railway, B 27 322.6 (2,164 m) 324.8 Dürrbach Viaduct (128 m) 325.0 (571 m) 325.6 flying junction (576 m),   Main-Spessart railway, B 27 Main-Spessart railway from Gemünden   (grade separated) 325.6 Main-Spessart railway overpass (576 m) 327.4 Würzburg Hauptbahnhof line to Ansbach, Odenwald Railway to Lauda line to Nuremberg, line to Schweinfurt Source: German railway atlas[1] This diagram: view talk

The Hanover–Würzburg high-speed railway 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 at Würzburg Hauptbahnhof, it is a de facto link between Hanover and Würzburg, with stops at Göttingen, Kassel, and Fulda. Early construction started in 1973, the line opening fully in 1991.

At 327 km (203 mi) in length, it is the longest newly built rail line in Germany, and its construction costs are estimated to be about DM 40 million (€20.45 million) per kilometre.

History[]

Wälsebach Valley Bridge

Bridge near

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 1.25%. 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 Landrücken Tunnel (10,779 m) south of Fulda, the second longest being the Münden Tunnel (10,525 m) south of Hann. Münden. The highest bridge is the Rombach Valley Bridge near Schlitz at 95 metres.

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

On 26 April 2008, trainset 11, travelling as ICE 885, collided with a flock of sheep near Fulda. Both power cars and ten of the 12 non-powered cars derailed. The train came to a stop 1300 meters into the Landrücken Tunnel. 19 of the 130 passengers suffered mostly minor injuries; four of them had to be treated in hospitals.^[2]

Safety[]

Emergency Train in Hildesheim

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 when the line is used for cargo transport. The trains 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 a tunnel from the first (air-tight) car of the train without endangering themselves. The trains are stationed at Hildesheim Hauptbahnhof, Kassel Hauptbahnhof, Fulda and Würzburg Hauptbahnhof. They initially were painted in a bright reddish-orange livery akin to fire engines, but since the late 1990s they have been painted standard DB livery red, apparently to make them less obvious to concerned passengers.

See also[]

• High-speed rail in Germany

References[]

External links[]

• Media related to Hanover–Würzburg high-speed railway at Wikimedia Commons