Wittenberge – Strasburg railway line

Wittenberge – Buschhof – Strasburg (Uckerm)
Exit at Perleberg train station
Route number (DB) :	6941 (Wittenberge – Buschhof) 6942 (Buschhof – Thurow)
Course book section (DB) :	206 (Wittenberge – Wittstock) 173 (Mirow – Neustrelitz)
Route length:	155.7 km
Gauge :	1435 mm ( standard gauge )
Route class :	D4 (Operational Sections)
Maximum slope :	5.0  ‰
Minimum radius :	200 m
Top speed:	120 km / h
Legend from Berlin , from Stendal 0.0 Wittenberg 22 m to Dömitz to Ludwigslust 3.8 Wise men (previously Bf) 9.1 Perleberg West (formerly Perleberg Schützenhaus) to Karstädt / Berge 10.5 Pearl Mountain 30 m 15.5 Rosenhagen 37 m 20.1 Rohlsdorf - Gottschow 25.7 Great Pankow 59 m from Putlitz from Neustadt (Dosse) 35.4 Pritzwalk 71 m to Meyenburg 38.0 Beveringen 70 m 43.1 Alt Krüssow 94 m 45.9 Heiligengrabe (previously Bf) 81 m Instead of Kronotex wood processing 49.6 Liebenthal (Prign) Bf part from Wittstock 85 m from Meyenburg 55.5 Wittstock (Dosse) 65 m to Neuruppin 57.9 Wittstock (Dosse) heating plant 61.4 Gross Haßlow (previously Bf) 65.8 On it 70.7 Kuhlmühle (previously Bf) 73.2 State border Brandenburg / Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania 73.7 0.0 Change of mileage 0.2 Buschhof (b Neustrelitz) 7.2 Abzw Starsow von Rechlin 8.9 Mirow (previously Bf) 13.5 Zirtow - Leussow (until 2013 Zirtow) (previously Bf) 13.9 Tank farm ( Awanst ) 17.5 White lake 18.8 Wesenberg 23.0 Groß Quassow (previously Bf) 26.8 Sports camp Neustrelitz Neustrelitz harbor 3.9 Castle garden 1.9 Useriner Chaussee 0.7 Bürgersee 27.5 Bürgerhorst 28.1 Abzw Bürgerhorst to Berlin Berlin Northern Railway from Berlin 30.7 Neustrelitz Süd (until 2003 Personenbf) Neustrelitz Hbf to Rostock to Neubrandenburg 38.4 Thurow (Meckl) (previously Bf) to Feldberg 41.7 Rödlin 44.7 Blankensee (Meckl) East 48.1 Advertiser 51.3 Quadenschönfeld 56.2 Bredenfelde 62.6 Hinrichshagen 67.8 Woldegk Woldegker Kleinbahn (start of the three- rail track ) 71.6 Mildenitz from Neubrandenburg 74.6 Groß Daberkow connection to the MPSB MPSB / Woldegker Kleinbahn (end of three-rail track) Lauenhagen 81.8 Strasburg (Uckerm) 64 m to Prenzlau , to Pasewalk

The Wittenberge – Strasburg (Uckermark) railway is an approximately 156-kilometer, single-track, non-electrified and partially disused railway line in the states of Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania . Cross-border traffic was discontinued in 2000. Today only two sections of the route are operated. While the Brandenburg section between Wittenberge and Wittstock (Dosse) was expanded into a main line for the “ Prignitz Express ” project by 2008 , the Mecklenburg section between Mirow and Neustrelitz is still a branch line .

The disused section from Wittstock to Mirow has priority B on the list of routes worth reactivating from the Association of German Transport Companies .

Route description

Wittenberge train station is one of the two endpoints of the route

The Wittenberge – Strasburg line begins at Wittenberge station on the Berlin – Hamburg main line and heads northeast from there. After about ten kilometers, the route reaches the town of Perleberg , which is a former junction of the Prignitzer Kreiskleinbahnen . After Perleberg, the route turns east and leads via Pritzwalk with a connection to the Neustadt – Meyenburg railway to Wittstock an der Dosse . Passenger traffic swings to the Wittstock – Neuruppin railway line , the entire connection is now operated as the “ Prignitz Express ”.

The railway then continues on the northern edge of the Prignitz over the state border to the disused Buschhof border station . From there it goes along the southern foothills of the Mecklenburg Lake District to Mirow , where passenger traffic begins again, and on to Neustrelitz . This is where the Berlin – Neustrelitz – Stralsund and Neustrelitz – Rostock lines meet. Behind Neustrelitz, the line from Thurow has been closed and dismantled. It ran here south of the Neustrelitz – Stralsund route, which it touched near Blankensee . After Blankensee, the route continued along the Mecklenburg southern border to Strasburg . The city used to be on the Prussian-Brandenburg side, but has been part of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania since 1990. The Blankensee – Strasburg section is now a cycle path.

history

Private railway time until 1941

Station sign in Perleberg

The history of the route started out from two cities, Neustrelitz in the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and Perleberg in the Prussian province of Brandenburg .

From the 1880s onwards, numerous small towns in the vicinity of the major main railways began to push branch lines in order to get a connection to the railway network. Perleberg, as the district town of the Westprignitz district , also tried to establish a connecting railway to the Wittenberge junction . The Wittenberge-Perleberger Eisenbahn (WPE) was founded as the operating company and was owned by the district town. After the concession to build the railway was granted on June 17, 1881, the ten-kilometer-long, single-track branch line was opened on October 15, 1881, after less than four months of construction.

Three years later, the WPE made attempts to extend its route in the direction of Pritzwalk and Wittstock. As the city owned it did not have the necessary capital, the Prignitzer Eisenbahngesellschaft (PEG) was founded on June 5, 1884 . In addition to the city of Perleberg, the Prussian state, the province of Brandenburg, the districts of West and East Prignitz and the cities of Pritzwalk, Wittstock and Wittenberge also participated in the company, which was founded as a stock corporation. Since the operation was to take place jointly from the outset, Perleberg was also determined as the company headquarters. After the concession to build the Perleberg – Pritzwalk – Wittstock line was granted on July 23, 1884, construction work began on the almost 40-kilometer-long line on September 15 of the same year. After a construction period of about half a year, freight traffic began on March 10, and passenger traffic on May 31, 1885. The joint operation of the two companies ended six years later.

Efforts from Neustrelitz began in 1873 to build a line in the direction of Wittenberge, but concrete measures to implement it were not implemented until around 15 years later. In the meantime, the Grand Duchy, which had a station in Neubrandenburg on the Bützow – Strasburg line of the Mecklenburg Friedrich-Franz Railway from 1864, was connected to the Berlin Northern Railway Berlin –Neustrelitz– Stralsund operated by the Prussian State Railways . However, it did not yet have its own railway.

The Neustrelitz-Wesenberg-Mirower railway company, founded in 1887 and headquartered in Wesenberg , received the concession on January 17, 1888 to build a line from Mirow to Neustrelitz with a connection to the Berlin Northern Railway. Operations on the approximately 22-kilometer connection began on July 15, 1890.

In the same year the Blankensee-Woldegk-Strasburger Railway Company was founded in Woldegk , with the aim of building a railway from Blankensee , which was also on the Berlin Northern Railway, via Woldegk to the Prussian border station in Strasburg . The company was granted the concession to build the 37-kilometer connection on April 12, 1892; the opening took place around a year and a half later on October 8, 1893. In Blankensee, the company built its own train station east of the existing state train station, and the two systems were connected to one another via operating tracks.

Buschhof station was the transition between the MFWE and the Prignitzer railway company.

On April 1, 1894, the two companies merged to form the Mecklenburgische Friedrich-Wilhelm-Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft (MFWE). The aim was to establish a connection to the province of Brandenburg in the west. Negotiations were held with the Prignitzer Eisenbahn for the connection to Brandenburg, as they were supposed to operate the Brandenburg section. Buschhof was chosen as the transition point . Operations began on both sections simultaneously on May 21, 1895.

The Wittenberge – Neustrelitz line was operated continuously, although three railway companies were responsible. In 1905 three pairs of trains ran on the entire route, supplemented by individual trains between the end points and Wittstock or Mirow. A total of nine pairs of trains drove between Wittenberge and Perleberg a day. Two pairs of trains from Blankensee ran to Strasburg, another to Woldegk.

Since the connection to Brandenburg was an obvious economic success for the cities along the railway, the MFWE decided on December 17, 1906 to connect its two sections so as not to have to use the almost 15-kilometer section of the Prussian state railway line. The bypass route ran about one to two kilometers south of the state railway line and offered transfer options to it in Neustrelitz and Blankensee. The 14-kilometer section was opened on February 28, 1909. Compared to the previous sections, the work dragged on a little longer, as extensive work had to be done in the Neustrelitz area in order to run the railway completely independently of the Prussian State Railways. The MFWE left the previously used systems in the station area to the Prussian State Railways, whose Neustrelitz railway mastery they continued to use.

In 1910 and 1922, the line was extended by two connecting railways to Feldberg and Ellerholz , respectively . The latter was created at the instigation of the military, as there was an air force test site in Rechlin , north of Ellerholz , and a connection to the railroad was required.

In 1932, joint operations between the WPE and the PEG together with the Prignitzer Kreiskleinbahnen were resumed on the Brandenburg side .

Reparation payments and Reichsbahn time

On January 1, 1941, the three operators Wittenberge-Perleberger Eisenbahn, Prignitzer Eisenbahn and Mecklenburgische Friedrich-Wilhelm-Eisenbahn and their lines were nationalized under the umbrella of the Deutsche Reichsbahn . The nationalization was more for military than economic reasons, as the routes formed a strategically important line Wittenberge – Neustrelitz – Strasburg (–Stettin). Passenger traffic was now operated continuously under the course book number 120, which included the entire length of the railway between Wittenberge and Strasburg.

Former reception building in Quadenschönfeld in the dismantled section

At the end of the Second World War , traffic came to a standstill. The SMAD , which ruled after the end of the war , ordered the dismantling of several lines for reparation purposes , including the 40-kilometer Thurow – Strasburg section. The project was probably implemented in 1947, so that there was sparse traffic in the two years before. The Neustrelitz Süd – Thurow section remained in operation for the trains to Feldberg, which were now tied through to Neustrelitz.

In the GDR the importance of the route for freight traffic increased to relieve the main lines and for military reasons. A new connecting curve was built south of Neustrelitz so that the local train station no longer had to be approached for journeys in the direction of Berlin. Various stations were expanded so that long freight trains could cross.

In terms of passenger traffic, the Wittenberge – Pritzwalk and Pritzwalk – Neustrelitz sections developed separately. Most trains from Wittenberge ended in Pritzwalk or continued in the direction of Güstrow, while amplifier trains ran between Wittenberge and Perleberg. Conversely, trains usually shuttled between Pritzwalk and Neustrelitz. In the last few years under Reichsbahn control there was temporarily only one single continuous train from Neustrelitz to Wittenberge, which ran for no less than 2 hours and 43 minutes. In the 1960s and 1970s, the Wittenberge – Pritzwalk section was sometimes used in summer by an express train to Rostock.

Expansion and decline after the fall of the Wall

The “ Prignitz Express ” between Liebenthal and Wittstock

Disused section near Mirow with a dismantled branch to Rechlin

As on many routes in eastern Germany, traffic flows developed significantly differently after 1990. In response, there were some attempts to make the route more attractive. In 1993, two trains on the remaining route were converted into express trains with correspondingly fewer stops. In 1995 the Rosenhagen , Rohlsdorf-Gottschow, Beveringen, Groß Haßlow and Kuhlmühle stations were permanently closed. The Brandenburg state government included the Wittenberge – Wittstock section in the Prignitz Express project and plans to expand it by 2001.

The Wittstock – Mirow section crossing the state border played no role in these considerations. Traffic there was canceled in May 1998 after continuous use of the route had already been unattractive in previous years due to poor connections in Wittstock. In 2000 the section was closed. There was a brief reactivation for freight traffic again in 2003, before the connection for the Prignitz Express was cut when the switches in Wittstock (Dosse) station were upgraded . Since December 21, 2007, the former Mirow station has been an operational stop . The subsequent 1.7 kilometer long section to Starsow is considered to be a part of a possible route variant of a planned federal road bypass and was taken over by the Röbel-Müritz office in 2008 . At the end of 2010, the Mirow – Wittstock section was sold to RegioInfra GmbH . It is planned to build a cycle path there. However, the track dismantling that began in April 2011 was stopped by the Ostprignitz-Ruppin district.

Since the cessation of passenger traffic between Neustrelitz and Feldberg on May 27, 2000, the Neustrelitz Süd – Thurow section was initially idle until it was put back into operation in the summer of 2007 for sporadic special trips. ELS Eisenbahn Logistik und Service GmbH has owned this section and the connecting Thurow – Feldberg line since 2005 .

From 2006 to 2008, the Wittenberge – Wittstock section was gradually expanded into a main line with a maximum speed of 120 km / h. After completion of the work on February 27, 2008, which represented the third construction phase of the Prignitz Express, the travel time could be reduced from 65 to 52 minutes. Today the regional express line RE6 (Prignitz-Express) runs there every hour between Wittenberge, Wittstock, Neuruppin, Hennigsdorf and Berlin-Spandau. Between Mirow and Neustrelitz, line R6 of the East German Railway commuted every two hours until December 8, 2012 , and sometimes every hour in summer.

Regular freight traffic still exists today on the Pritzwalk – Liebenthal sections, occasionally further to Wittstock and between Zirtow and Neustrelitz. In Liebenthal, a large wood processing company is served by the Potsdam railway company and DB Cargo Deutschland , and a tank farm in Zirtow is supplied by DB Cargo Deutschland. Goods are also transshipped at Neustrelitz Süd station, where building materials are primarily stored.

As part of an expansion program for small train stations, the Groß Pankow station was made barrier-free with federal and state funds for 740,000 euros . In August 2017, the two 76 centimeter high outer platforms were completed. The previous intermediate platform and the local signal box have since been out of service.

Continued operation as a model project

EGP / HANS railcar at the Groß Quassow stop

As part of major savings measures in local rail passenger transport, the R6 line (Mirow – Neustrelitz ) was also canceled by the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania when the timetable changed in December 2012. As a result, DB Netz AG Regional Area East put this section of the route out to tender in May 2012 for the purpose of surrendering the railway infrastructure. The remaining income from the delivery of the tank farm in Zirtow would no longer cover the operating and renovation costs of the route. In September 2012, the route was taken over by the RegioInfra Nordost (RIN).

The continued operation of the route was implemented as part of a model project planned by the state to network buses, rails and flexible forms of operation in rural areas. The district of Mecklenburg Lake District took on the order for local rail passenger transport on the Neustrelitz – Mirow line. In addition, the company receives an annual operating subsidy of EUR 300,000, funds from the state for actual bus replacement services . At the beginning only seasonal traffic for vacationers was envisaged, but it was then operated all year round. The Hanseatic Railway (HANS) operates the route from Mirow to Neustrelitz every two hours .

A series 772 rail bus was initially used as the vehicle . Since June 2013, due to the higher number of passengers in the summer season, an NE 81 multiple unit has been in service.

In addition to its own tariff, the Mecklenburg Lake District community tariff is also recognized. So that passengers between Neustrelitz and Mirow can flexibly both the trains as the continued parallel buses, which guests of MVVG use.

In order to attract more passengers, the state subsidized the construction of contemporary platforms on the Weißen See in Wesenberg and in Zirtow (new name Zirtow-Leussow ), which were added to the timetable in summer 2013. In Zirtow-Leussow, the station was also converted into an unmanned stop, and the local level crossing and the superstructure of the main track were renovated. In this way, a speed limit could be eliminated. In December 2014, new lighting was also put into operation at the White Lake. A planned reconnection of the Neustrelitz Süd station, which is currently not used for tourist traffic, to the line to Mirow has not yet been implemented.

The local initiative ProSchiene Mecklenburgische Seenplatte supports , among other things, the further maintenance and expansion of the route, a better connection with the bus without parallel traffic, an additional early connection for commuters and a better visibility of the train stations in the towns and organizes special trips to cultural events.

In June 2017, the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania promised that the company would continue to receive financial support to the present extent in the next few years. The cities of Mirow, Wesenberg and Neustrelitz had previously signaled that they would invest in the respective station surroundings if they continued to exist.

The continued operation of the Kleinseenbahn costs 300,000 euros per year, which corresponds to less than a quarter of the operating costs (1.2 million euros) in the previous regular service. In addition, the number of passengers rose by 40 percent by 2017.

See also

• List of cycle paths on disused railway lines

literature

• Erich Preuß: Archive of German Small Railways and Private Railways - Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania . Motorbuch, 1994, ISBN 3-344-70906-2 .
• Lothar Schultz: Railways in Mecklenburg . transpress, Berlin 1986 (3rd edition 1992), ISBN 3-344-70732-9 .

Web links

Commons : Wittenberge – Strasburg railway line  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Railways in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Brandenburg - Wittenberge – Neustrelitz – Strasburg (Uckermark)
• Railways in the Berlin area - Wittenberge-Perleberger Eisenbahn
• Railways in the Berlin area - Prignitzer Eisenbahn
• Railroad cycling - Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Railway Atlas Germany . 9th edition. Schweers + Wall, Aachen 2014, ISBN 978-3-89494-145-1 .
2. ↑ Björn Wagener: A little closer to revival . maz-online.de, May 25, 2019, accessed on November 17, 2019
3. ^ Fiegenbaum, W., Klee, W., Farewell to the Rails - Disused Railroad Lines in Germany's Passenger Traffic 1998–1999, Stuttgart 2000, p. 27
4. ↑ ibid., P. 29
5. ↑ Erich Preuss: Prignitz Express . In: Pro Bahn Zeitung . No. 85 , January 2001, ISSN  0941-3227 , p. 42–44 ( online ( memento of December 11, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) [PDF; 243 kB ; accessed on July 27, 2020]).
6. ^ Bahn-Report , Edition 2/08, p. 46
7. ↑ TRAIN: Railway demolition to ensure - owner has suspected back illegal demolition. (No longer available online.) Märkische Allgemeine, April 16, 2011, archived from the original on February 11, 2013 ; accessed on March 23, 2016 .  
8. ↑ European Private Railways '07 . DVV Media Group, Hamburg 2007, ISBN 978-3-7771-0365-5 , p.  124 .
9. ↑ Travel time savings through faster trains from February 28th . ( Memento from March 16, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Conversation with Renardo Kropp, Head of Service Planning at DB Regio on February 14, 2008
10. ↑ 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 .  
11. ^ Andreas König: Large station at the new station. Märkische Allgemeine, August 23, 2017, accessed on November 1, 2017 .  
12. ↑ Delivery of railway infrastructure, route: Mirow (incl.) - Neustrelitz Hbf (excl.). (PDF; 52 kB) (No longer available online.) DB Netz AG Regional Area East, 23 March 2016, formerly in the original ; accessed on March 23, 2016 .  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  
13. ↑ Bahn-Report , 6/2012, pp. 33 and 82
14. ↑ Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: EGP takes over rail traffic to Mirow , eurailpress.de, December 7, 2012
15. ↑ EGP: Timetable with tariff information ( Memento from September 25, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
16. ↑ Press release EGP: New timetable and stops for the R6, eg-potsdam.de, June 12, 2013 ( Memento of November 29, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
17. ↑ PM - White Lake. Retrieved January 31, 2017 .  
18. ↑ ^{a b} Citizens' initiative calls for adequate funding for the small lake railway. In: Strelitzius Blog. March 25, 2017. Retrieved October 26, 2017 . 
19. ↑ “Pro Schiene” shows non-residents the way to the Kleinseenbahn. In: Strelitzius Blog. July 4, 2017. Retrieved October 26, 2017 . 
20. ↑ Kleinseenbahn brings the audience to the dance company's home game. In: Strelitzius Blog. July 17, 2016. Retrieved October 26, 2017 . 
21. ↑ Money from the country: Kleinseenbahn is allowed to continue. In: Nordkurier.de. June 12, 2017. Retrieved June 30, 2017 .  
22. ↑ Municipalities ready for investment: Cities continue to fight for small lakes. In: Nordkurier.de. February 16, 2017. Retrieved June 30, 2017 .  
23. ↑ The Kleinseenbahn - a lifeline for the Mecklenburgische Kleinseenplatte region. (PDF) In: Strelitzius Blog. BI ProSchiene Mecklenburgische Seenplatte, accessed on October 26, 2017 . 
24. ↑ Citizens sound the alarm: District ignores Kleinseenbahn when planning traffic. In: Strelitzius Blog. July 18, 2016, accessed October 26, 2017 . 
25. ↑ Kleinseenbahn: Now the appraiser has the floor. In: Strelitzius Blog. June 23, 2015. Retrieved October 26, 2017 .