Railway line Leipzig – Probstzella

Leipzig-Leutzsch-Probstzella
Route number (DB) :	6383; sä. LLP 6431 (Zeitz Abzw Zn – Zeitz Pbf W 225)
Course book section (DB) :	550 (Leipzig-Gera) 555 (Gera – Saalfeld) 557 (Saalfeld – Hockeroda) 558 (Gera – Weida) 840 (Saalfeld – Probstzella)
Route length:	159.97 km
Gauge :	1435 mm ( standard gauge )
Power system :	Leipzig-Leutzsch-Leipzig-Plagwitz, Saalfeld-Probstzella: 15 kV 16.7 Hz  ~
Top speed:	120 km / h
Train control :	PZB , ZUB262 (only from / to Saalfeld)
Dual track :	Leipzig-Leutzsch-Zeitz Gera Hbf-Gera-Zwötzen Unterwellenborn-Probstzella
Legend from Leipzig Hbf from Leipzig-Wahren 7.385 Leipzig-Leutzsch 106 m to Großkorbetha 8.200 Leipzig Industrial Area West (until 2011) 110 m 10.113 Leipzig- Lindenau 115 m from Leipzig-Connewitz 10.760 Leipzig-Plagwitz 117 m Lindenau Ldst – Leipzig-Plagwitz Industriebf to Leipzig-Miltitzer Allee to Pörsten to Markkleeberg-Gaschwitz 13.750 Leipzig- Großzschocher 122 m 16,368 Leipzig- Knauthain 119 m Realignment in 1978 (because of the Zwenkau opencast mine ) 19.580 Bösdorf (Elster) 120 m 21,041 Knautnaundorf (until 2010) 125 m 21,122 Awanst Bösdorf hard casting works 21.480 Eythra 22,232 21,200 Kilometer jump +1.032 km 24.666 Zwenkau - Großdalzig 126 m 27.671 Awanst Groß Dalzig substation (until 2019) 27.903 Bk Zauschwitz (until 1992 Abzw ) 135 m Connection curve to Abzw Pegau Ost 29,140 EÜ small raft ditch from Neukieritzsch 29.897 Pegau 135 m State border Saxony / Saxony-Anhalt 34.217 Profen 145 m 37.328 Reuden (Kr Zeitz) 154 m 39.512 Bornitz (b Zeitz) (until 2010) 157 m 41.160 from Tröglitz 41.691 Zeitz Abzw Zn (Beginning of route 6431) 41,950 from Weißenfels 42.970 Zeitz Gbf 155 m from Altenburg 44,606 Zeitz Pbf 157 m (End of route 6431) to Camburg Camburg – Zeitz 50.558 Haynsburg 55.022 Weather cap State border Saxony-Anhalt / Thuringia 59.970 Cross place 60.921 Crossing the Elster to Porstendorf 63,000 At Caaschwitz White magpie 66,336 Bad Köstritz 68,477 Gera-Langenberg from Weimar 71.300 Gera-Tinz 72.925 Gera Hbf 195 m 74,538 Gera South 197 m 75.381 Abzw Gera-Debschwitz to Gößnitz and formerly to Weischlitz 76.890 Gera- Zwötzen White magpie 79.020 Wolfsgefärth Bf (since 2016) 79.790 Gera-Röppisch former Wolfsgefärth (until 2000) to Weischlitz (1875-1892, since 2016) 81.000 Wolfsgefärth from Werdau 84,954 Weida after Mehltheuer from Münchenbernsdorf 93.635 Niederpöllnitz 100.470 Triptis according to Marxgrün Orla 104.400 Traun (until 2011) 108.920 Neustadt (Orla) 112.229 Neunhofen Orla Orla Harrasmühlen tunnel (117 m) 117.541 Oppurg to Orlamünde 122.441 Pößneck ob Bf 126.186 Krölpa - Ranis 130.650 Koenitz (door) 134.533 Unterwellenborn of large herring from Arnstadt 140.010 Saalfeld (Saale) 211 m Breternitz Bridge (114 m) 145.814 Breternitz 216 m 149.861 Kaulsdorf (Saale) (formerly Bf) 229 m until 1954 Eichicht 152.072 Hp Abzw Hockeroda (formerly Bf) 258 m to Unterlemnitz 155.762 Unterloquitz 280 m 160.960 Marktgölitz (until 2010) 310 m to Neuhaus am Rennweg ( connecting curve ) from Neuhaus am Rennweg 164.981 Probstzella 365 m 166.666 State border Thuringia / Bavaria to Hochstadt-Marktzeuln

The Leipzig – Probstzella line is a main line in Saxony , Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia , which was originally built and operated in the form of a Prussian state railway and as part of a long-distance connection between Berlin and Munich . It runs from Leipzig through the valley of the White Elster via Zeitz , Gera , Triptis through the Orlasenke and Saalfeld to Probstzella . It has its nominal end point at the Thuringian-Bavarian border near Ludwigsstadt . Since it runs parallel to the Großheringen – Saalfeld railway line , but higher than it, it is also known as the “Upper Railway”.

history

1859–1885, The Beginnings

The railway line considered here consists of several sections with different origins. The second quarter of the line was opened in 1859. At that time, a line was built from Weißenfels (there connection to the Thuringian Railway , built in 1846 ) via Zeitz to Gera. It was the first route to reach Gera, the capital of the Principality of Reuss younger line , which at that time had around 14,000 inhabitants . The northern part between Zeitz and Leipzig was opened to traffic in 1873.

The core sections, the Gera – Eichicht (Gera-Eichicht Bahn) railway, was opened on December 20, 1871, initially as a stock corporation . It was of great importance for the neighboring places. It enabled the textile and leather industries in the Orlasenke, especially in Pößneck , to grow rapidly before the First World War . As a result, Pößneck became the center of the Thuringian textile industry alongside Apolda and Greiz , but the unfavorable topographical location of the railway later limited the growth of the industry. Since no sidings could be built directly into the factories, Pößneck ultimately lagged behind Zeitz or Gera in terms of industrial development. This section was and is also of importance for the Maxhütte (Unterwellenborn) and today's Thuringia steelworks . When the line was built in 1871, it passed through the following states (from Gera): Reuss younger line , Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach , Prussia , Saxe-Meiningen , Prussia, Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt , Saxe-Meiningen. The provisional end point in Eichicht was chosen because the continuation and connection to Bavaria had not yet been clarified. In 1882 it was nationalized and the connection was incorporated into the Prussian state railways. In 1885, with the completion of the connection to the Frankenwaldbahn near Probstzella, the entire route was finally completed. Until the connecting curve between the Halle – Bebra railway and the Großheringen – Saalfeld railway near Großheringen was completed in 1900, it was the most important connection between Prussia and Bavaria alongside the Saxon-Bavarian Railway . Although the 25 km shorter Großheringen – Saalfeld railway developed into the more important north-south connection, it remained a long-distance route from Leipzig in the north to Nuremberg in the south.

1885–1945, boom and expansion

Considerable investments were made in the line around 1900, several stations were expanded (including Crossen (Elster) with platform roof and underpass, Gera Hbf - where the station hall was built in 1911). In 1920 the Prussian State Railroad merged with the Deutsche Reichsbahn , which from then on operated the line. The double-track expansion also took place, as a result of which the entire line was double-tracked before the Second World War . The section between Saalfeld and Probstzella was electrified by 1939 . A few days before the end of the Second World War, the Saalfeld (Saale) train station was badly destroyed. As part of the reparations payments by the Soviet Union, all components for the electrical operation and also the second track of the entire line were dismantled.

1945–1993, time of the Deutsche Reichsbahn

The Reichsbahndirektion Erfurt took over the subsequent section of the Hochstadt-Marktzeuln – Probstzella railway between Probstzella and the zone border on September 1, 1945 from the Reichsbahndirektion Nürnberg . The direction limit was then at kilometer 166.66.

Due to the division of Germany , the section south of Saalfeld lost much of its importance in the following four decades, but several express trains ran here both as alternating trains between the two parts of divided Germany and as transit trains between the western sectors of Berlin and the Federal Republic. Freight traffic was of great importance. The raw lignite obtained from Profen was transported to refining plants in the Leipzig - Zeitz area, which was of great importance in the GDR, as lignite was the most important energy source. Because of the Zwenkau opencast mine , the route at Eythra and Knautnaundorf had to be re-routed in 1978 . The second track was restored between Leipzig Hbf and the Abzw Zangenberg, between Gera Hbf and Gera Süd and between Unterwellenborn and Saalfeld. Until about 1946 there were four tracks between Gera and Gera Süd.

Due to the hierarchical, centralized structure of the GDR, there was a great need for passenger transport between Gera, which was a district town from 1952 , and the capital Berlin . With the introduction of city express transport in 1968 (express trains) and the city ​​express "Elstertal" in 1976, there were two high-quality express connections with dining cars directly to Berlin in the Gera - Leipzig section. On higher-quality trains, the entire route was used for many years by the pair of express trains 402/403 Leipzig – Nuremberg and four pairs of express trains (one run to Sonneberg ). Several (public) trains ran daily between Pößneck / Oppurg and Saalfeld for rush hour traffic to the Maxhütte Unterwellenborn .

Electrification between Leipzig and Gera was planned for commissioning in 1967 from 1956, but the plan was dropped again in 1959.

1993 until today

After the German reunification , the section between Saalfeld and Probstzella was expanded to two tracks again, electrified and upgraded for the use of active tilting technology .

The electrification of Leipzig-Gera-Saalfeld was planned again in 1990, the opening should take place between 1996 and 1999, at the latest after the takeover by Deutsche Bahn AG , this project was no longer pursued. Under the direction of the Deutsche Reichsbahn, the changeover to a regular timetable took place, which significantly improved the train service, even if the express and express trains were no longer available. On the more important main line between Munich / Nuremberg and Leipzig via Jena, the first interregional trains on the territory of the Deutsche Reichsbahn also ran in the section Saalfeld - Probstzella in 1990 , and an intercity line was set up here from 1992 . In the 1990s there was also international traffic to Warsaw and Zagreb at times.

The Gera Hbf train station was extensively rebuilt after 2000 and connected to the Gera tram , and the track systems in Gera were largely renewed. Both in Gera-Süd and Gera-Zwötzen, contemporary links were created between trams and trains. From 2002 to 2007 the Interconnex ran as a private long-distance train between Gera and Leipzig .

In 2010/11 the travel stops in Leipzig-Großzschocher, Reuden (Kr. Zeitz), Bornitz (near Zeitz), Haynsburg and Marktgölitz were closed . The Traun stop was also canceled with the 2011/2012 timetable change. With the acceleration that has taken place, better connections have been created at the nodes and travel times have been shortened. Since then, the number of passengers has increased by 20 percent.

Due to the condition of the Liebschwitzer Viaduct on the Gera Süd – Weischlitz railway line (slow speed at 10 km / h) in need of renovation, the DB examined various options for replacing the viaduct. In 2016, a new branch from the Leipzig – Probstzella line near Wolfsgefärth was finally created, which went into operation on October 24, 2016 as planned after an eight-month construction period. In this context, the Gera-Debschwitz-Gera-Zwötzen section was expanded to double-track again and Gera-Zwötzen was set up as a train station again. It received a second platform, which is designed as a butt track and is to be used for trains from the direction of Gera. The through trains to Zeulenroda, Hof and Saalfeld as well as the trains to Greiz and Weischlitz share the renovated existing platform edge.

Construction work

As part of the realization of the Leipzig City Tunnel , measures to supplement the network were also implemented on this route. The city tunnel was integrated into the existing network, and the conditions for the new network of the Central German S-Bahn were created.

The Leipzig-Leutzsch , Leipzig-Lindenau and Leipzig-Plagwitz stations were rebuilt in a different location on this route between April 2010 and mid-2012 . 20 kilometers of new track with overhead lines, 45 switches and two kilometers of noise protection wall were added and track systems that were no longer needed were removed. Several railway overpasses had to be renewed. Electronic signal boxes (ESTW-A) in Leutzsch (replacement of eight old signal boxes) and Plagwitz (replacement of seven old signal boxes) now control the route sections and are connected to the central ESTW in Leipzig's main train station.

During the reduced train traffic as a result of the closure of the section between Bamberg and Lichtenfels from January 11 to September 4, 2016, the track systems between Saalfeld and Probstzella (40 km) were renewed.

With federal and state funds, modernization including barrier-free expansion of the Profen station is planned over the next few years .

Route description

course

The railway line begins in Leipzig-Leutzsch and leads south from the city, then through the flat Leipzig lowland bay along the Elster through the former central German lignite mining area . In this area it was used to transport the lignite to the surrounding power plants. However, this freight traffic has declined sharply.

Zeitz is reached on the southern edge of the lowland bay. Here the railway meets other lines, some of which have been closed since 1990. The hills on both sides of the White Elster become steeper after Zeitz and at Ahlendorf ( administrative community Heideland-Elstertal-Schkölen ) the state border between Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia is passed. Now the railway line leads in an arc of the Elstertal past the communities of Crossen an der Elster ( Saale-Holzland district ) and the brewery town of Bad Köstritz ( district of Greiz ) to the northern outskirts of Gera . From the Crossen station on the Elster, the branch line ( Crossen – Porstendorf line ) branched off via Eisenberg and Bürgel to Porstendorf (north of Jena ) until 1998 . At Gera-Langenberg , the federal motorway 4 is crossed before the Weimar line comes in from the west .

Panorama at Gera train station

Gera Hauptbahnhof leaves the route in a southerly direction. In the city it leads along the banks of the White Elster and separates from the routes to Gößnitz and Weischlitz before following the valley of the Weida . This is left in the city of the same name in a westerly direction in order to run towards the apex, which is exceeded at Triptis at about 375 meters above sea ​​level . The railway now descends into the Orlasenke and continues in a straight line in a south-westerly direction through the town of Neustadt an der Orla, further past Oppurg, where the Orlabahn branches off towards Pößneck lower station (until 1946 - Orlamünde), then through Pößneck to Saalfeld, where it meets the Großheringen – Saalfeld railway line and the Arnstadt – Saalfeld railway line after a long curve . South of Saalfeld, the route to Eichicht follows the course of the Saale and to Probstzella that of the Loquitz . In Hockeroda , the branch line branches off to Unterlemnitz , before the line on the border with the Free State of Bavaria merges into the Hochstadt-Marktzeuln – Probstzella railway behind the Probstzella station .

Operating points

Leipzig-Leutzsch ⊙

→ Main article : Leipzig-Leutzsch train station

The station on the Leipzig – Grosskorbetha railway line was opened on March 22, 1856 as Bf Barneck . The station had the following names:

• until 1885: Barneck (named after the nearby Barneck manor)
• until 1922: Leutzsch
• since 1922: Leipzig-Leutzsch

The Leipzig – Probstzella line has been branching off at the station since 1873. In 1931 the branch line to Merseburg was opened , which was discontinued in 1998. In 2011 the station was completely rebuilt with the abandonment of the freight transport facilities and the relocation of the platforms to Georg-Schwarz-Straße.

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  former station building (2009)

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  former platforms (2009)

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  Mounting the island the platform with prefabricated, 2010

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  Leipzig-Leutzsch station (2013)

Pegau station

Pegau ⊙

Pegau station was opened on October 20, 1873 with the Leipzig - Zeitz section of the Leipzig – Probstzella line. With the opening of the Neukieritzsch – Pegau line on October 1, 1909, the Pegau station became a transfer station. Since the city of Pegau now had two stations, the station in the west of the city was named Pegau Pr. St. E. , as it was located on the Leipzig – Probstzella line of the Prussian State Railways . The new stopping point in the east of Pegau on the Neukieritzsch – Pegau railway line operated by the Royal Saxon State Railways was named Pegau S. St. E.

The Pegau station had the following names:

• until 1909: Pegau
• until 1911: Pegau Pr. St. E.
• until 1920: Pegau Pr Stb.
• since 1920: Pegau

With the closure of the Neukieritzsch – Pegau railway line on June 1, 1997, the Pegau station lost its importance as a transfer station. Since then it has only been served by trains on the Leipzig – Probstzella line. The station building was destroyed by arson in 2008 and demolished in 2012.

Zeitz station, reception building

Zeitz ⊙

→ Main article : Zeitz train station

The station Zeitz was on 9 February 1859 Zeitz Pbf together with the Weißenfels-Zeitz railway opened. At the same time, the Zeitz – Gera section of the Leipzig – Probstzella line went into operation. With the opening of the northern section of the Leipzig – Probstzella railway line, Zeitz received a railway connection to Leipzig on October 20, 1873. On June 19, 1872 Zeitz received Sächs with the Zeitz station . Star one more station. It was the starting point of the Zeitz – Altenburg railway and was operated by the Royal Saxon State Railways. On May 31, 1913, this station was closed. One day later, on June 1, 1913, the Zeitz Gbf freight station north of the passenger station was opened under Prussian administration. On December 1, 1913, the Tröglitz – Zeitz line was opened as a connecting line for goods traffic in the direction of Altenburg. It was in operation until September 30, 2009. The Zeitz – Camburg railway line, opened in 1897, ended in the separate "Camburg station" until 1914 due to the high utilization of the tracks in Zeitz station. This station, also known as the Thuringian train station, was located next to today's reception building. After its completion in 1912, the old station was demolished. In April 1914, the railway facilities in Zeitz were completely redesigned. A common train station was set up.

Passenger traffic on the railway to Camburg was discontinued in 1999. In 2000 the railway line was shut down. Passenger traffic on the Zeitz – Meuselwitz section of the railway line to Altenburg was discontinued on September 28, 2002; the railway line to Tröglitz has been a siding for the Zeitz chemical and industrial park since December 12, 2012. The listed reception building has belonged to the city of Zeitz since the beginning of January 2016.

Crossing the Elster

On the eastern part of the station area, work began in November 2017 to set up railway wagons for the first railway tunnel training center in Germany for the Thuringian fire brigade and disaster control school. It serves to prepare the fire brigades along the high-speed lines Leipzig / Halle – Erfurt and Erfurt – Ebensfeld . A 300 meter long tunnel element is to be built by 2020.

Gera Süd stop

Gera South ⊙

The station Gera South was on 1 June 1886 as a freight station Gera-doors on the separation of railway routes Leipzig-Probstzella and Gößnitz-Gera opened. On December 1, 1892, the Royal Saxon State Railways opened their own route on the Gera Süd – Weischlitz line on the Gera Süd - Wünschendorf section .

The station in the Pforten district of Gera , which was dedicated to the train station in 1893, had the following names:

• until 1896: Gera – Pforten (the station name was transferred in 1920 to the station on the narrow-gauge Gera-Pforten – Wuitz-Mumsdorf railway that opened in 1901 as "Gera (Reuss) - Meuselwitzer Bahnhof" )
• until 1911: Gera (Reuss) S. St. E.
• until 1920: Gera (Reuss) Sächs Stb
• until 1923: Gera (Reuss) South
• since 1923: Gera Süd

In 1922 the station changed from the Dresden Railway Directorate to the Erfurt Railway Directorate. From 2005 the signal boxes were gradually abandoned and demolished. Today the station only functions as a stopping point. Since 24 October 2016, the trains coming from Weischlitz from Wolfsgefärth on the Leipzig-Probstzella railway to Gera.

Abzw Gera-Debschwitz ⊙

The Gera-Debschwitz junction has existed since the Gera – Eichicht section of the Leipzig – Probstzella railway line opened in 1871. At the junction in what is now the Gera district of Debschwitz , the railway line opened in 1865 to and from Gößnitz to the east separates from Gera Hauptbahnhof in the north from the Leipzig – Probstzella railway line opened in 1871 (section south of Gera) to the south. Between 1892 and 2016 chained behind the Abzw Gera-Debschwitz also the route of Elster Valley Railway from that ran in Geraer urban area parallel to Leipzig-Probstzella railway and in the course of the track rehabilitation now to Wolfsgefärth the route of the railway line to Probstzella with used.

Weida train station

Weida ⊙

The Weida station was put into operation north of the place with the opening of the Gera – Eichicht section (today: Kaulsdorf (Saale)) of the Leipzig – Probstzella line operated by the Prussian State Railway on December 20, 1871 . The Prussian station building was inaugurated in the same year. With the opening of the Werdau – Wünschendorf – Weida section of the Werdau – Mehltheuer railway operated by the Saxon State Railroad on August 29, 1876 , the Weida station also received a Saxon reception building around 1885. In 1905 the station was dedicated to the train station. At that time the station already had several high-rise buildings, such as signal boxes, goods sheds, water tower and a residential building.

The Saxon train station in Weida had the following names:

• until 1911: Weida
• until 1920: Weida Sächs Stb
• until 1922: Weida Ost
• since 1922: Weida

The Saxon part of the station changed in 1922 from the Dresden Railway Directorate to the Erfurt Railway Directorate. While the Saxon station building was demolished in 1981, the same fate met the Prussian station building in 2004. In the course of the modernization, the platforms were provided with modern bus shelters. After the suspension of passenger traffic on the Wünschendorf (Elster) –Weida section on June 2, 1996, trains in the Weida station in the direction of Gera – Leipzig, Saalfeld and Mehltheuer – Hof.

Niederpöllnitz train station

Niederpöllnitz ⊙

Niederpöllnitz station was opened in 1871 together with the Gera – Eichicht section of the Leipzig – Probstzella line. With the construction of the branch line to Münchenbernsdorf , the station was expanded accordingly. Further renovations took place in the 1970s. In 1995 the branch line was shut down.

Probstzella ⊙

→ Main article : Probstzella station

Probstzella station was put into operation on August 8, 1885 with the completion of the Eichicht – Probstzella section of the Leipzig – Probstzella line. On October 1, 1885, with the opening of the Frankenwaldbahn, it continued in the direction of Bamberg via Ludwigsstadt and Kronach . In 1898 the Probstzella station became the starting point for the line to Taubenbach , which was continued in 1913 to Neuhaus am Rennweg and at the same time connected to the line to Sonneberg in Ernstthal am Rennsteig . It had the status of a locomotive depot, from 1923 it owned a depot , which was closed at the end of 1993.

The station, located 1.3 kilometers behind the Bavarian-Thuringian border, served as a border station for domestic German rail traffic until 1990 due to the division of Germany after the Second World War . It remained the last remaining German-German border station before the border control post was demolished at the end of 2008. In 1999, the Probstzella – Ernstthal section on the Rennsteig was discontinued.

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  Probstzella station

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  Probstzella station (1921)

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  Probstzella station, looking north

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  Probstzella station, border control post building (October 2008)

Today's train traffic

In passenger traffic, the regional express line EBx 12 Leipzig – Gera – Saalfeld and the regional train line EB 22 Leipzig – Gera – Saalfeld travel to Saalfeld. The regional trains run every two hours, alternating with the RE, which also runs every two hours. The service between Gera and Weida is supplemented by the EBx / EB 13 line via Zeulenroda to Hof . Until the summer of 2012, mostly class 612 and 642 railcars were used. Since the change of operator in June, only class 650 railcars from the Erfurt Railway have been used. The railcars continue to run every hour, with smaller stops only being served every two hours. With the change of operator, the last direct regional express connections from Gera and Weida via Hof to Regensburg were no longer available . In the summer season until 2011, a pair of trains also ran on Saturdays as a regional express from Leipzig via Gera and Saalfeld to Blankenstein ("Schiefergebirgs-Express") and Katzhütte ("Schwarzatalexpress"). From the timetable change in December 2015, continuous regional express connections from Leipzig to Hof and Blankenstein will be offered again.

The train station in Saalfeld, long-distance traffic stop for IC trains

South of Saalfeld, ICE T (series 411) ran roughly every hour as ICE trains on the line (Hamburg -) Berlin - Leipzig - Nuremberg - Munich with a two-hour stop in Saalfeld until December 2017 . Since the ICE line has been running via Erfurt, a pair of IC trains has been running daily from Leipzig to Karlsruhe with a stop in Saalfeld. In local traffic , regional express trains on the Jena - Saalfeld - Lichtenfels - Bamberg - Nuremberg route run every two hours with the 442 series , alternating with regional trains that also run every two hours, consisting of Talent 2 multiple units on the Saalfeld - Bamberg route . In the Saalfeld - Hockeroda section, regional trains run every two hours from Saalfeld to Blankenstein . Class 650 railcars are always used. Since December 2011, these trains are the only ones that still stop in Hockeroda, while the regional trains to Probstzella pass through here.

The section between Leipzig-Leutzsch and Leipzig-Plagwitz was also served by the S 1 line of the Leipzig S-Bahn until 2011, and from December 15, 2013 by the S1 line of the S-Bahn Central Germany .

Parts of this article seem out of date as of 2013 .
Please help to research and insert the missing information .

Between Engelsdorf , Zeitz and Gera there are freight trains several times a day. Currently, until the Mumsdorf coal-fired power station closes at the end of June 2013, coal pendulums will also travel from Profen to Meuselwitz two to three times a day . These trains were hauled by class 232 and multiple traction by pushing them up until June 2008 ; Class 66 from R4C or Vossloh G 2000 BB are now used. Since the freight railway via the Zeitz freight yard and the Zangenberg junction is no longer in operation, the coal trains have to be led to the passenger station and in some cases further to Haynsburg for the necessary change of direction . Since 2008, a pair of trains has been running from Weida on weekdays from the Czech Republic to the Unterwellenborn steelworks , pulled by the 203 series , the Vossloh G 1700 diesel-hydraulic locomotive or the Siemens ER20 diesel-electric locomotive from the Unterwellenborn EVU Stahlwerk Unterwellenborn. Between Könitz , Unterwellenborn and Saalfeld, goods traffic to operate the steelworks takes place several times a day. The freight traffic south of Saalfeld is determined by through freight trains .

Web links

Commons : Leipzig – Probstzella railway line  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Route, signals and permissible speeds of the route on the OpenRailwayMap
• Data and pictures of the route
• Information and pictures from the renovation of the railway systems in Leipzig at citytunnelleipzig.info
• extensive elaboration on the history of the route (on daslebenist-live.de, accessed on July 15, 2016)
• Tradition in the holdings of the Reichsbahndirektion Halle in the State Archives Saxony-Anhalt, Dessau department

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Route data on Sachsenschiene.de
2. ↑ Route numbers on Ulis railway pages
3. ↑ ^{a b} Werner Drescher: The Saalbahn . Eisenbahn-Kurier-Verlag, Freiburg 2004, ISBN 3-88255-586-6 , p. 23, 48 .
4. ↑ (Leipzig Hbf) - Leipzig-Leutzsch - Probstzella - (Hochstadt-Marktzeuln). In: klauserbeck.de. Retrieved on July 16, 2016 (A photo published there from 2004 shows an information sign in front of the tunnel near Neustadt (Orla), after which the double-track expansion took place in 1913.). 
5. ↑ Ralf Roman Rossberg : Border over German rails 1945–1990 . EK-Verlag, Freiburg im Breisgau 1991, ISBN 3-88255-829-6 , p. 214 .
6. ^ Ulrich Rockelmann, Thomas Naumann: The Frankenwaldbahn. The story of the steep ramp over the Franconian Forest . EK-Verlag, Freiburg im Breisgau 1997, ISBN 3-88255-581-5 , p. 139 .
7. ^ Ingo Sens: History of the energy supply in Mecklenburg and Western Pomerania . Ed .: Hanseatische Energieversorgung AG Rostock. Neuer Hochschulschriftenverlag, Rostock 1997, p. 283 (Quote: "In 1990, 87.8% of the electrical energy generated ... in the GDR ... was generated from lignite.").
8. ↑ ^{a b} Erich Preuss : The City Express of the Deutsche Reichsbahn . Transpress, Stuttgart 2003, ISBN 3-613-71222-9 , pp. 19, 59 .
9. ^ Deutsche Reichsbahn (Ed.): Course book of the DR . 1984, p. Schedule table 530 .
10. ↑ ^{a b} P. Glanert, Th. Scherrans, Th. Borbe, R. Lüderitz: AC train operation in Germany . tape 3 . Oldenbourg Industrieverlag, Munich 2012, ISBN 978-3-8356-3353-7 , p. 30th ff., 225 .
11. ^ Deutsche Reichsbahn (Ed.): Kursbuch . Winter 1990/91, p. Schedule table 566 .
12. ↑ ^{a b} The stations of the Frankenwaldbahn; former train stations. Private homepage for the Lichtenfels – Kronach – Saalfeld railway line, accessed on January 29, 2012 . 
13. ↑ Yvette Meinhardt: Dependent on rail traffic: Has the train gone for Bornitz? In: Mitteldeutsche Zeitung. April 19, 2018, accessed May 4, 2018 . 
14. ↑ DB press release on the occasion of the line closure for the commissioning of the changed infrastructure from October 13, 2016 ( Memento from October 14, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
15. ↑ EBA planning approval decision of January 29, 2016 ( Memento of October 13, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
16. ↑ Important milestone: New interlocking technology in Leipzig-Leutzsch, Leipzig-Plagwitz and Großlehna in operation. Deutsche Bahn AG, December 15, 2011, accessed on January 22, 2012 . 
17. ^ Project complex Leipzig-Leutzsch / Leipzig-Plagwitz. (No longer available online.) Jaeger Group Bernburg, archived from the original on December 15, 2013 . 
18. ↑ Use the VDE 8 blocking pause . In: DB Welt , Southeast regional section . No. 1 , 2016, p. 17 .
19. ↑ Modernization push for small train stations (including list of measures). Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure , June 16, 2016, accessed on June 17, 2016 . 
20. ^ The Pegau train station on www.sachsenschiene.net
21. ↑ ^{a b} Burkhard Thiel: Zeitz train station. Retrieved January 17, 2016 . 
22. ^ Zeitz Sächs. Star on www.sachsenschiene.net
23. ^ The Zeitz freight yard at www.sachsenschiene.net
24. ↑ Views from Zeitz train station. August 6, 2013, accessed January 17, 2016 . 
25. ^ The city of Zeitz buys the train station. Archived from the original on January 19, 2016 ; Retrieved January 19, 2016 . 
26. ↑ Germany's first tunnel training center for firefighters comes to Crossen. In: Ostthüringer Zeitung. November 14, 2017. Retrieved May 16, 2018 . 
27. ^ The Gera Süd train station on www.sachsenschiene.net
28. ↑ Steffi Hammer: www.tagesschau.de/multimedia/audio/audio25382.html “What will happen to the Probstzella border station?”, In: Deutschlandfunk , September 13, 2008. (audio contribution)
29. ↑ Erfurter Bahn will operate the East Thuringian diesel network . Nahverkehrsservicegesellschaft Thüringen mbH. August 30, 2010. Retrieved January 28, 2012.
30. ^ The coal railway ("Kammerforstbahn") Meuselwitz – Haselbach – Regis-Breitingen. In: Lokrundschau 238. June 18, 2008, accessed on September 9, 2012 . 
31. ↑ Heinz-Ulrich Löwe: Coal pendulum from the Profen opencast mine to the Mumsdorf power station. In: Bahnbilder Niederwiesa. Retrieved September 9, 2012 . 
32. ↑ KBS 546 photos. In: Bahnbilder.de. Retrieved September 9, 2012 .