Germany - Older General Information
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.
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.
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 | There is no likelihood of a regular service being reinstated |
(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 (bei Dresden) avoiding curve | 4 October |
Stuttgart S-Bahn: Plochingen - Kirchheim (Teck) | 13 December |
Eschwege West - Eschwege Niederhone new station - Eschwege | 13 December |
2008
(Schorndorf -) Rudersberg Nord - Rudersberg-Oberndorf | 16 June |
Ahlbeck Grenze - Swinoujscie (Dworzec Centrum) [PL]: (Usedomer Bäderbahn) | 21 September |
Ohlsdorf - Hamburg Airport | 12 December |
Pöppendorf - Travemünde Skandinavienkai new alignment | 14 December |
2007
Bayreuth - Weidenberg on 8 January
(Trier -) Perl [DE] - Apach [FR] (weekend only) on 10 June
Bremen Vegesack - Bremen Farge on 16 December
2006
Kassel trams: Helsa - Hessisch-Lichtenau (on former DB line) on 28 January
Berlin Hauptbahnhof/Lehrter Bahnhof low level together with new 9km north-south tunnel and Nürnberg - Ingolstadt Neubaustrecke on 28 May
Müllheim - Neuenburg [DE] - Mulhouse [FR] (Sunday-only service) on 9 July
Pockau-Lengefeld - Marienberg (Sachs) on 4 September
Traunreut - Hörpolding on 10 December
2005
Chemnitz - Burkhardtsdorf - Thalheim - Aue (following upgrade) on 15 January
Flöha - Olbernhau-Grünthal (after upgrade) on 29 January
Berlin S-Bahn: Lichterfelde - Teltow on 24 February
Neuruppin - Wittstock (Dosse) on 27 February
Dannenberg Ost - Lüchow (weekend trains) on 12 March
Frankenberg - Battenberg (Summer Saturdays) on 30 April
Osnabrück - Dissen-Bad Rothenfelde on 12 June
Heilbronn Pfühlpark - Öhringen (resumption of DB interregional services) on 10 December
Merkstein - Alsdorf-Annapark and Ilmenau - Ilmenau-Bad on 11 December
2004
Wemmetsweiler avoiding curve | 6 February |
Berlin-Zoologischer Garten - Charlottenburg (S-Bahn) | 19 April |
Kall - Gemünd (- Hellenthal) | 10 May |
Düren - Zülpich - Euskirchen (Summer Sundays only) | 10 May |
Köln/Bonn airport loop off Neubaustrecke | 13 June |
Grossbothen - Döbeln - Nossen | 22 August |
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 |
Gummersbach - Marienheide | 29 April |
Berlin S-Bahn: Schönhauser Allee - Bornholmer Strasse new alignment | 16 June |
Flughafen Leipzig-Halle - Gröbers (- Halle Hbf) | 30 June |
Hüfingen - Bräunlingen | 30 June |
Seligenstadt (bei Würzburg) - Prosselsheim - Volkach-Astheim tourist railway | 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 on 9 June
Westhafen - Wedding - Gesundbrunnen (completing the Berlin S-Bahn Innenring restoration) and Müncheberg (Mark) - Buckow (Märkische Schweiz) (tourist trains) on 15 June
Leer - Weener DB - Nieuweschans NS on 16 June
Köln - Montabaur - Frankfurt Flughafen Fernbahnhof (high-speed line) on 1 August
Cottbus - Cottbus-Willmersdorf - Peitz Ost (- Guben) on 13 August
The following lines (re)opened on 15 December:
- Altchemnitz - Stollberg: after conversion to electric light rail
- (Gotha -) Crawinkel - Gräfenroda
- (Leipzig Hbf -) Neuwiederitzsch-Leipziger Messe - Flughafen Leipzig-Halle
- Eisfeld - Rauenstein (Thüringen) - Sonneberg (Thüringen) Hbf
- Neumünster - Bad Segeberg
- Pforzheim - Bad Wildbad Bf (- Bad Wildbad Kurpark): after electrification
- Rottenbach - Obstfelderschmiede - Mellenbach-Glasbach - Katzhütte
- Sonneberg (Thür) Hbf - Lauscha - Ernstthal - Neuhaus-am-Rennweg
2001
Dresden Klotzsche - Grenzstraße - Dresden Flughafen (new line) | 24 March |
Nördlingen - Dinkelsbühl (tourist trains; Bayerisches Eisenbahnmuseum) | 7 April |
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? |
Jülich - Linnich | 10 June? |
Kaisersesch - Daun - Gerolstein: summer weekend trains | 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 | 18 November |
2000
The following lines opened on 28 May:
- Dresden: Neucoswig - Radebeul-Naundorf
- Düren - Distelrath: experimental summer Sunday service
- Klingenthal DB - Hranicna CD
- Kremmen - Neuruppin Rheinsberger Tor
- Langenhagen - Hannover Flughafen
- Magdeburg-Sudenburg - Magdeburg-Buckau
- Neuruppin Rheinsberger Tor - Herzberg (Mark)
- Röderau - Zeithain Bogendreieck
- Züssow - Wolgast Hafen - Wolgaster Fähre
Seasonal services between Niebüll DB and Tønder DSB started on 2 July.
Mayen West - Kaisersesch on 6 August 2000
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. Sachsen has a stated preference for bus services in rural areas, and lines in this Land are particularly at risk.
2014
218 | Pratau – Bad Schmiedeberg Kurzentrum (A summer weekend service continues to operate) | 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 |
The following lines closed on 9 December 2012:
183 | Rostock Hbf – Rostock Seehafen Nord | |
539 | Adorf (Vogtl.) – Zwotental |
Pockau-Lenegefeld - Marienberg closed to passengers on 23 July 1998.