Niederelbebahn

Hamburg-Harburg-Cuxhaven
Route number (DB) :	1720
Course book section (DB) :	101.3 (S3), 121
Gauge :	1435 mm ( standard gauge )
Power system :	to Stade: 15 kV 16.7 Hz  ~
Top speed:	140/120 km / h
Dual track :	Hamburg-Harburg-Himmelpforten, Hechthausen-Cuxhaven
Legend Line from Hanover Line from Bremen 169.376 Hamburg-Harburg Harburger S-Bahn 169.400 Route to the main station Seevekanal and Göhlbach 170.782 Hamburg-Lower Elbe 170.800 to the Harburg ports 172.700 S-Bahn from Hamburg-Harburg 174, ??? Hamburg Tempo Factory (until 1984) A 7 Port railway of Hamburg Hohe Schaar 175.020 Hamburg-Hausbruch ( Abzw , formerly Bf) Port railway to Hamburg-Waltershof 176.570 Hamburg-Hausbruch (until 1984) Hamburg-Neuwiedenthal 179.331 Hamburg-Neugraben System changeover point direct current / alternating current 180.545 End of Harburg S-Bahn 181.452 181.445 Extra length 7 m 181.487 Hamburg-Fischbek Röttiger barracks ( Anst ) 182.768 State border Hamburg / Lower Saxony 182.904 Boskoopstieg 183,522 Neu Wulmstorf formerly Daerstorf 184.086 Liliencronstrasse 184.703 B 3n 184.770 Ketzendorf gravel pit ( Anst ) 185.590 Ovelgönner Heuweg 189.830 Estonian 190.248 Buxtehude 190.468 Line to Bremerhaven ( EVB ) 193,807 Neukloster (Kr.Stade) 198.272 Aue 198.961 Horneburg 203.285 Dollern 206.056 Agathenburg 208.608 A 26 210.256 Line from Bremervörde 210.292 Freight route to Stadersand formerly Kehdinger Kreisbahn of Itzwörden 211.174 Stade (end of S-Bahn / electrification) 212.017 Swing arm 218.679 Hammah 222.629 Himmelpforten (Hp Üst) 226.127 B 73 226.270 Oste 228,403 Hechthausen (Hp Üst) 234.967 Hemmoor (until 1992: Basbeck-Osten) 235.291 B 495 235.723 B 73 238.180 Warstade-Hemmoor (until 1991) 243.176 Wingst (formerly Höftgrube) 246,362 B 73 247,050 Cadenberg 247.749 Neuhaus-Bülkauer Canal 250.900 Neuhaus (Oste) (until 1991) 251.145 Aue 254,594 Hadelner Canal 256.975 Bypass Otterndorf B 73 258.613 Medem 258.887 Otterndorf 259,420 Cuxhavener Landstrasse 267.080 Altenbruch (until 1991) 267.510 Altenbruch Canal 270.555 from / to Cuxhaven America train station 271.700 Cuxhaven CF ( Bft ) 271,801 Line from Bremerhaven 273.009 Cuxhaven Swell:

The Nieder- or Unterelbebahn connects Hamburg-Harburg with Cuxhaven . The 103.6 kilometer long railway line runs in a north-westerly direction parallel to the Lower Elbe in Hamburg and Lower Saxony .

From Harburg to Stade , the Unterelbebahn is electrified by overhead lines ( traction current 15  kV / 16.7  Hz ) and is served by the S 3 line of the Hamburg S-Bahn . For railcars of up Neugraben moving Harburg train the supply takes place DC (1200 V) from an attached next to the track busbar . The Stade – Cuxhaven section still requires diesel traction.

route

Route near Kehdingbruch

Route near Altenbruch

classification

The Niederelbebahn has been classified as a main line since 1964 and is officially part of the Lehrte – Cuxhaven railway ( DB route number  1720, see Lehrte – Hamburg-Harburg railway ); the route kilometrage therefore begins in the Lehrte train station near Hanover . The course book route  121 runs over the Niederelbebahn .

Route

The route follows from Hamburg to Cadenberge the transition of the Lower Saxony Geest to the Elbmarschen from Cadenberge to Cuxhaven by the Hadelner march. It runs largely through level, but often boggy, terrain, but also intersects the Geest near Stade and Hemmoor. Important cities in this area are Buxtehude , Stade and Otterndorf . The federal highway 73 also follows the same route as the railway line .

Waters crossed

The Niederelbebahn crosses all left-hand tributaries on the lower reaches of the Elbe :

• the Seevekanal (inlet from the Seeve ) directly behind the Hamburg-Harburg train station
• the Göhlbach , which then flows into a harbor basin together with the Seevekanal
• the Estonians in Buxtehude
• the floodplain (Lühe) in Horneburg
• the swing in Stade
• the Oste between Himmelpforten and Hechthausen
• the Neuhaus-Bülkauer Canal near Cadenberge
• the floodplain between Kehdingbruch and Neuhaus (Oste)
• the Hadelner Canal between Kehdingbruch , Osterbruch and Otterndorf
• the Medem in Otterndorf
• the Altenbruch Canal in Cuxhaven - Altenbruch

Route expansion

With the exception of the section between the train stations in Himmelpforten and Hechthausen , the line has been expanded to consist of at least two tracks. The short single-track section is double-tracked, but the temporary bridge over the Oste (built in 1945 by English pioneers) is only single-track, as is the south-east bridge over federal highway 73 .

There are only three railway stations between Stade and Cuxhaven (Himmelpforten, Hechthausen and Cadenberge); remote-controlled block signals are located in Otterndorf and Hemmoor . As a result, there must be timetable changes and train cancellations during construction work; operations on the single-track section from Himmelpforten to Hechthausen will be completely stopped. Freight trains are then diverted via Bremerhaven – Cuxhaven . The new ESTW R interlocking Hechthausen has been in operation since November 24, 2014, it controls the area from Stade to Cadenberge (each exclusively). It is designed to take over the Cadenberge – Cuxhaven area in the future.

The Unterelbebahn between Hamburg-Harburg and Stade has been electrified with overhead lines since 1968 . The route allows the S-Bahn to run every 20 minutes in addition to the Regional Express , to Buxtehude every 10 minutes.

Between Heimfeld and Neugraben, the Harburg S-Bahn, which is supplied with direct current from a side conductor rail , runs for a few kilometers parallel to the Unterelbebahn.

From March 1902 to May 1971, the Lower Elbe Railway in the area of ​​Schloßmühlendamm / Harburger Schloßstraße was crossed by the Hamburg tram at the same level on its way from downtown Hamburg to Harburg. The situation became technically demanding when the Lower Elbe Railway was operated electrically from 1968: An overhead line crossing had to be installed, which took into account the special feature that the Hamburg tram was operated with roller pantographs .

A further expansion is planned in the Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan 2030 in the "potential need". The line is to be expanded to two tracks between Hechthausen and Himmelpforten and electrified between Stade and Cuxhaven with the Cuxhaven – Bremerhaven and Stade – Bremervörde railway lines. In addition, all platforms are to be increased to 76 cm and the two-system vehicles that will operate in the future are to be guided over the Harburg S-Bahn. This not only relieves the Hamburg-Harburg junction by eliminating the need to change direction and train crossings, but also the Hamburg main station. Instead of leading into the station on the congested long-distance railway tracks, the trains then reach the main station via the S-Bahn tracks, which still have capacity. This expansion was specified in the BVWP as number 2-047-V01 and included in the priority needs. The same applies to the Harburg connecting curve as part of the Hamburg node.

Equipment for freight transport

North-west of the former Hamburg Lower Elbe train station, the facilities of the Hamburg Lower Elbe Seaport district freight station are located on a branch line with sidings to the Harburg seaports and the refineries there .

At the level of the former Hamburg- Hausbruch station, lines of the Hamburg port railway branch off to the Altenwerder (CTA) and Hamburg-Waltershof container terminals as well as over the Kattwyk Bridge to the eastern free port area.

In Stade, the large industrial area in Bützfleth with the aluminum and chemical industry and the former nuclear power plant is accessed via a branch line . At present (2015) the carriages are at a locomotive of the series 295 of DB Cargo transferred to and from Bützfleth.

In front of the end point in Cuxhaven, there are extensive, largely abandoned tracks of the port and the fishing industry. The main point of use of the track system in 2015 is the BLG car terminal. The main customers are ARS Altmann and BLG themselves.

History and operation

Lower Elbe Railway

As Unterelbe track the route from 1880 to 1881 in the former was province of Hannover from the Unterelbe'schen railway company built. The first section from Harburg to Stade was opened to traffic on April 1, 1881. In the second half of 1881 operations beyond Stade could be started. From 1882 onwards trains ran from the " Venloer Bahnhof " in Hamburg to Cuxhaven. Dollern train station was added in 1920. The Harburg-Wilhelmsburg UE [Unter Elbe] station was renamed Hamburg-Lower Elbe on April 1, 1938 as a result of the Greater Hamburg Act . The stops at Hausbruch (1984) and Altenbruch, Neuhaus (Oste) and Warstade-Hemmoor (1991) were abandoned.

Suburban traffic and S-Bahn

The DB Regional Express - here between Belum and Kehdingbruch (Deichschlippe) - ...

... was replaced by the metronom in December 2007 - here next to the "Dicke Berta" lighthouse in Cuxhaven- Altenbruch - ...

... which in turn was replaced in 2018 by DB's own Start Unterelbe - here in Cuxhaven station.

In the 1930s, the Harburg – Neugraben section was included in the Hamburg S-Bahn tariff. After the Hamburg Transport Association (HVV) was founded in 1965, this line was known as the "S 3", on which locomotive-hauled trains continued to run. While the population in the Hamburg districts of Hausbruch and Neugraben-Fischbek grew rapidly in the 1960s and 70s due to the construction of new large housing estates, the connection to Hamburg city center remained poor: in order to reach Hamburg Central Station , the trains in Harburg had to change direction, there was also no regular timetable .

It was not until 1984 that the DC-powered S-Bahn (lines "S 3" and "S 31") was extended from downtown Harburg to Neugraben. Its route runs from Hamburg-Heimfeld for approximately seven kilometers south parallel to the Niederelbebahn.

A new S-Bahn stop was built near the Neuwiedenthal housing estate . The Neugraben train station was expanded to five tracks along with a parking facility and the Wilhelminian-style reception building was replaced by a transfer system in the "modern concrete style" of the 1980s. An extension of the S-Bahn to the also densely populated Fischbek was waived in order not to diminish the importance of the newly created (shopping) center in Neugraben.

With the opening of this new S-Bahn line, the Lower Elbe , Tempo-Werk and Hausbruch stations on the old northern route were given up. In local traffic to Buxtehude and Stade, the Deutsche Bundesbahn started using trains with modernized n-cars with class 141 electric locomotives under the product name City-Bahn (CB) . The 143 series was in use in 2006/07 . Most of the train journeys from there ended in the city center in Neugraben , but some were used at the HVV tariff to Harburg and with a change of direction to Hamburg Hauptbahnhof .

In the fast train service to and from Cuxhaven drove up to the 1980s diesel locomotives of the 220 series with n-Wagen , subsequently, until December 8, 2007 locomotives of class 218 with modernized n-cars.

With the expansion of the transport network area within the Hamburg metropolitan region to Lower Saxony in December 2004, the stations between Neu Wulmstorf ( Harburg district ) and Himmelpforten ( Stade district ) - and thus most of the Lower Elbe Railway - were included in the HVV tariff as R 50 . Since the timetable change in December 2014, the line has been called RE 5 .

Hamburg-Harburg train station

Arrival of a metronom in Cuxhaven

From December 2007 the metronom railway company operated the traffic to Cuxhaven. Modern double-decker cars and the 246 series (TRAXX P160 DE), a diesel variant of the Bombardier TRAXX family, were used as a locomotive from the fleet of the Lower Saxony regional transport company (LNVG) . These trains usually ran every hour to Hamburg Hauptbahnhof.

With the timetable change in December 2007, the Hamburg S-Bahn line was extended from Neugraben via Buxtehude to Stade. In this newly rebuilt or are dual-system S-Bahn rail cars of series 474.3 used. These use the overhead line and run alternately in mixed operation with the freight trains and the regional trains of the metronom .

The expansion of the line essentially consisted of the establishment of two level extensions and a system change point at the Neugraben parking facility, as well as increasing the platforms to 76 cm - where freight trains also operate - and 96 cm in Buxtehude and Stade. In addition, the block sections on the route were shortened to allow a closer train sequence. An additional stop at Fischbek was also set up. Within ten years, the number of passengers between Hamburg and Stade grew by 65 percent.

Since the opening of the S-Bahn service to Stade, the EVB multiple units on the Bremerhaven – Buxtehude railway line no longer run to Neugraben . At times, individual night-time transfers by metronome trains to and from the depot in Bremervörde were released for passengers, making a direct connection between Hamburg and Bremervörde possible. The transfer trips Stade – Bremervörde and back via the EVB route , however, are not approved for passengers.

A car starting in Cadenberge

Since the timetable change in December 2018, DB Regio, which emerged as the winner after a Europe-wide tender, has been operating passenger transport on the route, using the same vehicle material as metronome. The operation is carried out by the subsidiary Verkehrsgesellschaft Start Unterelbe .

Accidents

On April 24, 1973, a serious railway accident occurred shortly behind the Horneburg train station in the direction of Hamburg. At 2:49 p.m. the express train coming from Stade drove over the level crossing on Issendorfer Strasse. Due to the gatekeeper's inattention, the barriers were not closed in time. A delivery van was hit by the train. The first wagons of the train, pushed by a diesel locomotive, jumped off the rails. After about 100 m, the first car caught a catenary mast in a slight left curve and fell down the embankment. The following cars wedged themselves in the rubble. The arriving rescue teams from the fire brigade and other aid organizations had to use cutting torches and crowbars to free the passengers, some of whom were trapped. Four people died in the accident and several were seriously injured. The rescue work, during which a Bundeswehr rescue tank was used, lasted into the night.

By far the most serious accident on the Niederelbebahn occurred on July 22, 1975. In the railway accident at Hamburg-Hausbruch , 11 people died after a local train from Hamburg Hbf to Buxtehude collided with a freight train crossing from the Waltershofer Hafenbahn during the evening rush hour. The cause of the accident was a mistake by the passenger train driver. Although the main signal in front of him showed "Halt", he had accelerated his train at the former Tempo-Werk station. When he realized his mistake, the distance was no longer sufficient to bring the train to a stop before the collision.

On September 16, 2015 there was a collision between a regional train of the Metronom Railway Company and an articulated bus of the type Mercedes-Benz Citaro at the level crossing Mühlenkampstraße, Hedendorf bei Buxtehude (intersection of the diversion route to federal highway 73 via Mühlenkampstraße - Am Mühlenbach with the Niederelbebahn) . When passing the level crossing, the joint lock of the bus was activated and the bus could no longer leave the level crossing. The bus with about 60 students was evacuated in time, one person on the train was slightly injured in the train-bus collision. Due to the accident and criticism from parents and the police, the diversion route is no longer used by articulated buses. Instead, several small buses from KVG Stade are used on line 2103. Whether the joint protection is primarily the cause of the accident should be clarified later. The police do not see any wrongdoing by the bus driver. In June 2016, the Buxtehude District Court sentenced the bus driver to a fine of 1,200 euros. The judge responsible saw it as proven that the driver was guilty of "dangerous interference with rail traffic" and "negligent bodily harm" because a rail passenger was slightly injured in the collision. Although her defense lawyer did not consider the road used for articulated buses to be suitable, the judge was certain that the route was "difficult but feasible", especially since 20 other articulated buses had already crossed the level crossing without any problems before the accident. The driver did not take the curve correctly - and she apparently did not know how to deactivate the activated articulation and buckling lock of the bus.

On February 20, 2018, a car transport train coming from Bremerhaven collided with a freight train to Maschen in the Cuxhaven train station. The Eurorunner locomotive collided with a Voith Gravita type double traction . Both train drivers suffered a shock and bruises. Both were able to leave the hospital on the same evening. Several car transport vehicles collapsed in the impact and were destroyed along with 20 new vehicles and the track superstructure.

literature

• Hans-Otto Schlichtmann: The Lower Elbe Railway Harburg – Stade – Cuxhaven . Ed .: Kreissparkasse Stade. Stade 2007.
• Peter Bussler: The Unterelbesche Railway Harburg – Stade – Cuxhaven. Ceremonial opening of the Cuxhaven railway connection in 1881 . In: Men from Morgenstern , Heimatbund an Elbe and Weser estuary e. V. (Ed.): Niederdeutsches Heimatblatt . No. 840 . Nordsee-Zeitung GmbH, Bremerhaven December 2019, p. 1–2 ( digitized version [PDF; 4.0 MB ; accessed on January 7, 2020]).

Web links

Commons : Niederelbebahn  - Collection of Images

• www.niederelbe-s-bahn.de
• Information on the advertisement (PDF; 47 kB)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ DB Netze - Infrastructure Register
2. ↑ Railway Atlas Germany . 9th edition. Schweers + Wall, Aachen 2014, ISBN 978-3-89494-145-1 .
3. ↑ Federal Railways Expansion Act. December 23, 2016, accessed January 7, 2020 .  
4. ↑ Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan - Project 2-047-V01. In: bvwp-projekte.de. Retrieved January 7, 2020 .  
5. ↑ Assessment of the railway expansion project of the potential demand. (PDF; 32.2 MB) In: Website Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure . November 5, 2018, archived from the original on March 1, 2019 ; accessed on January 7, 2020 .  
6. ↑ Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft (ed.): Official Gazette of the Reichsbahndirektion Mainz of April 14, 1938, No. 19. Announcement No. 262, p. 110.
7. ↑ Hamburg S-Bahn: 65 million passengers between Neugraben and Stade. In: Deutsche Bahn website . December 11, 2017, archived from the original on February 27, 2018 ; accessed on January 7, 2020 .  
8. ↑ Press release from Landesnahverkehrsgesellschaft Niedersachsen mbH: DB Regio prevails against metronom. (PDF; 177 kB) In: lnvg.de. October 4, 2016, archived from the original on October 7, 2018 ; accessed on January 7, 2020 .  
9. ^ DB Regio: Verkehrsgesellschaft Start Unterelbe is responsible for the Lower Elbe route . In: DVV Media Group GmbH (Ed.): Eurailpress . Hamburg March 7, 2018 ( digitized version [accessed March 27, 2018]).
10. ^ Report of the Horneburg fire department from April 25, 1973.
11. ↑ Thomas Knoop: Driver (23) saves 60 children's lives. Train rushes into school bus. In: Website image . September 16, 2015, accessed January 7, 2020 .  
12. ↑ Bus on the track: parents raise allegations. In: Website Norddeutscher Rundfunk . September 9, 2015, archived from the original on August 29, 2016 ; accessed on January 7, 2020 .  
13. ↑ Björn Vasel: Metronome raced in the school bus. Buxtehude: bus driver sentenced to a fine. In: Website Weser Kurier . June 10, 2016, accessed January 7, 2020 .  
14. ^ Train accident - freight trains collide in Cuxhaven. In: volksstimme.de. February 21, 2018, accessed January 7, 2020 .