Hanover–Würzburg high-speed railway

Hanover - Würzburg high-speed rail line
Route number:	351
Line length:	327
Voltage:	15 kV 16.7 Hz AC
Maximum incline:	1.25  %
Minimum radius:	5100 m
Maximum speed:	280 km/h
Legend Line from Hamburg / Heath Railway Line from Minden / Line from Bremen Hanover S-Bahn S 1S 2S 4S 5 0.0 Hanover Hbf Line to Lehrte former line to Hannover Hbf Pferdeturm (sidings) Hannover LokalbfHannover-Altenbeken Railway Hannover Südbf(goods station, 1880~1995) former route to Altenbeken (until 1909) 3.1 Hannover Bismarckstr. 3.6 Hannover Bismarkstr. junction(HSL) Line to Altenbeken S 1S 2S 5 Hanover freight bypass from freight bypass 7.0 Hannover-Wülfel(passenger station until 1977) former Messe station (1953 to 1998) 8.0 Hannover Messe/Laatzen 11.9 Rethen (Leine) 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 Escherberg Tunnel(3,687 m) 34.4 Diekholzen crossover 34.9 Eichenberg Tunnel(1,157 m) 36.8 Eggeberg Tunnel(332 m) 37.3 L 485 bridge(135 m) 42.9 Almstedt operations station 45.8 Kassemühle Viaduct(690 m) 48.3 Netze crossover 48.5 Riesberg Tunnel(1,322 m) 54.8 Gehrenrode crossover 56.2 Ohlenrode Viaduct(968 m) 58.0 Helleberg Tunnel(1,598 m) 60.0 Mahnmilch Viaduct(200 m) 60.6 Wadenberg Tunnel(420 m) 61.1 Gande Viaduct(396 m),   Braunschweig–Kreiensen line 62.1 Orxhausen operations station 63.4 Hopfenberg Tunnel(717 m) 64.3 Aue Viaduct(1,056 m)   Kreiensen–Kalefeld line 66.6 Sohlberg Tunnel(1,729 m) 68.9 Ahlshausen crossover 69.5 Krieberg Tunnel(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 Rhume Bridge (554 m), Rhume South Harz Railway from Nordhausen Northeim (Han)(Keilbahnhof) (High-speed line bypasses Northeim) 81.7 Solling Railway to Ottbergen 82.2 Sudheim crossover B 3 89.2 Nörten-Hardenberg 93.4 Bovender Cover (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 Leinebusch Tunnel (1,740 m) 110.7 Endelskamp Tunnel (673 m) 112.0 Jühnde operations station 112.7 Mackenrodt Tunnel (849 m) 114.4 Rauheberg Tunnel (5,210 m) 120.0 Lippoldshausen crossover 120.5 Werra Viaduct (415 m), Werra, B 80 Hannoversch Münden–Eichenberg line 121.0 Münden Tunnel (10,525 m) 124.2 Kattenbühl crossover 130.0 Lutterberg crossover 131.5 131.8 Mühlenkopf Tunnel (1,345 m) 133.2 Fulda Viaduct, Kragenhof (250 m), Fulda,  Lower Saxony / Hesse state border 134.2 Lohberg Tunnel (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 Line to Hessisch Lichtenau Line to Naumburg 147.7 Kassel Oberzwehren junction 148.2 Oberzwehren junction structure (1,147 m), A 49 149.7 Keilsberg crossover 150.0 Rengershausener Tunnel (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 Mülmisch Viaduct(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 Pfieffe Viaduct (812 m) B 487 former Cannons Railway, Eschwege–Treysa 170.8 Wildsberg Tunnel(2,708 m) 172.0 Haina-Wildsberg crossover 173.8 Fulda Viaduct, Morschen (1,450 m), B 83 Friedrich-Wilhelms Northern Railway Kassel–Bebra Fulda 175.3 Sengeberg Tunnel (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 Mühlbach Tunnel(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 Wälsebach Viaduct(721 m) 199.0 Kirchheim Tunnel(3,820 m) 202.1 Hattenbach crossover 202.9 Aula Viaduct(880 m), B 454 former Knüllwald Railway, Niederaula – Treysa 203.9 Hattenberg Tunnel(444 m) 204.4 Hattenbach Viaduct(308 m) 204.9 Warteküppel Tunnel(835 m) 206.1 Fulda Valley Bridge, Solms (1,628 m), B 62 Breitenbach–Niederaula line Fulda 208.0 Niederaula-Solms Richthof crossover 208.1 Richthof Tunnel(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 Eichberg Tunnel(976 m) 218.5 Rombach Viaduct(986 m) 220.2 Ganzberg Tunnel(387 m) 221.9 Michelsrombach crossover 223.7 Dietershan Tunnel(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 Sulzhof Tunnel (714 m) 242.7 Northern Fliede Viaduct (880 m), B 40 Fliede 243.8 Southern Fliede Viaduct (628 m)   Kinzig Valley Railway A 66 (under construction) 245.9 Neuhof-Hartberg crossover 246.5 Hartberg Tunnel(773 m) 247.9 Kalbach Tunnel(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 Schwarzenfels Tunnel(2,100 m) 266.2 Mottgers Hesse–Bavaria state border 267.4 Sinn Viaduct, Zeitlofs (704 m) former Sinn Valley Railway 268.1 Altengronauer Forst Tunnel (2,353 m) Bavaria / Hesse state border Hesse / Bavaria state border 270.6 Roßbacher-Forst Tunnel(255 m) 270.7 Altengronau crossover 271.9 Dittenbrunn slope viaduct(396 m) 272.3 Dittenbrunn Tunnel(822 m) 273.5 Upper Sinn Viaduct(178 m) 274.9 Middle Sinn Viaduct (152 m) Line from Flieden 277.8 Dittenbrunn crossover Burgsinn 281.8 Burgsinn Tunnel (729 m) 283.9 Burgsinn ops Rieneck Sinnberg(junction) 285.5 Sinnberg Tunnel (2,159 m) 289.0 Sinn Viaduct, Schaippach (442 m)   Line to Gemünden Sinn 289.4 Einmalberg Tunnel(1,140 m) B 26 291.1 Main Viaduct, Gemünden (794 m),   Main-Spessart Railway Aschaffenburg–Gemünden Main 291.9 Mühlberg Tunnel(5,528 m) 293.3 Mühlberg crossover Schönrain Tunnel from Nantenbach Curve from Aschaffenburg   (grade separated) 302.5 Rohrbach operations station 308.0 Hanfgarten Tunnel(400 m) 308.8 Hohe-Wart Tunnel(872 m) 309.9 Hohewart crossover 311.8 Bartelsgraben Viaduct(1,160 m) 313.3 Leinach Viaduct(1,232 m) 314.7 Espenloh Tunnel(2,235 m) 316.3 Espenloh crossover 317.1 Eichelberg Tunnel(1,869 m) 319.0 Bärntal Viaduct(71 m) 319.1 Neuberg Tunnel(1,945 m) 321.0 Margetshöchheim-Neuberg crossover 321.3 Main Viaduct, Veitshöchheim (1,280 m), Main Main-Spessart Railway, B 27 322.6 Roßberg Tunnel(2,164 m) 324.8 Dürrbach Viaduct(128 m) 325.0 Steinberg Tunnel(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

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 several kilometres north of 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 Barnten

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 Mündener 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.

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 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 train without endangering themselves. The trains on (or near) the Hanover-Würzburg line are stationed in Hildesheim Hauptbahnhof, Kassel Hauptbahnhof, Fulda and Würzburg Hauptbahnhof. 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.

See also

• High-speed rail in Germany