History of the Hamburger Hochbahn
The history of the Hamburger Hochbahn begins at the end of the 19th century with the idea of such a means of transport. After weighing all the alternatives, the official groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the elevated railway ring and its branches was celebrated in 1906 . However, various preparatory work was carried out as early as 1900, parallel to the reorganization of the Hamburg railway system. The alternative proposals also included a suspension railway (suspension railway). Ten years after the commissioning of the Berlin elevated and underground railway and two years after the opening of the paved railway in the then independent city of Schöneberg , the Barmbek - Rathausmarkt line opened in Hamburg on February 15, 1912, the third underground railway in the German Empire . Further line openings followed step by step until the planned basic network with the Ringbahn and its branch lines to Hellkamp ( Eimsbüttel ), Ohlsdorf and Rothenburgsort were completed in 1915 . From 1918 the branch lines were extended several times before the Kell-Jung line ( Kell inghusenstraße - Jung fernstieg ) opened in 1931 as the last network extension before the Second World War, as a fast connection to the city center.
From 1943 the operation of the underground had to be temporarily suspended because large parts of the network had been destroyed by the heavy air raids on Hamburg . By the summer of 1950, with the exception of the route to Rothenburgsort, the entire network was put back into operation. It was not until 1960 that the first network expansion could be celebrated after almost 30 years with the extension of the Kell-Jung line in the city center. In the following years, also in connection with the ongoing closure of the tram network , further sections of the route were opened at short intervals between 1958 and 1973. After the completion of the Wandsbeker line in 1963, it was possible to divide the operation of the underground network into three lines . As part of the Hamburger Verkehrsverbund (HVV), the Hamburger Hochbahn (HHA) first introduced line numbers for its subway in 1966.
From 1973, despite numerous plans, the expansion of the underground network stagnated due to the economic recession. It was not until 1985 that the network was expanded again with the northern extension of the U2 to Niendorf Markt . The completion of the following network additions was formed in 1996 with the expansion of the southern section of the Alsternordbahn between Garstedt and Norderstedt Mitte to an underground railway. From 2006 a line was created between Jungfernstieg and the newly created HafenCity to the Elbe bridges (line U4).
The history of the Hamburg elevated and underground railway can be divided into several stages or phases:
- from 1890 planning and construction of the first routes
- From 1923 a rapid transit system grew together
- from 1955 replacement of the tram by bus and subway
- from 1975 additions and completions of the route network
Planning and construction of the first routes
Various suggestions and plans
As in many major European cities, Hamburg's population rose sharply towards the end of the 19th century. In the 30 years from the founding of the empire in 1871 to the turn of the century, the number of residents tripled from 240,000 to over 725,000 in 1901. Districts located further out, such as Harvestehude , Eimsbüttel and Winterhude, grew at an above-average rate. The connection of Hamburg to the German Empire , the free port with the Speicherstadt built in 1888 and the increasing number of shipyards in Hamburg created numerous jobs, so that the number of commuters in the direction of the city center and the port rose sharply.
The area around the Ohlsdorf Central Cemetery also developed strongly after the Hamburg citizenship decided to make it the most important burial place. Especially on weekends, numerous mourners and other visitors flocked to the local cemetery.
The Hamburg horse-drawn tram , which was introduced in 1866, could hardly cope with the growing stream of passengers. It was also far too expensive for most of them and also very slow. So the idea was born to solve these problems with an electric high-speed train . A trip on a train of this kind should not only be affordable and fast for everyone, it should also open up large areas of Hamburg's districts.
One of the first proposals submitted in 1883 was that of the chief engineer of the Hamburg building deputation, Franz Andreas Meyer . It included the construction of a steam-powered railway, which was to lead on a half-ring starting at the Sternschanze via Eppendorf , Barmbek and Hasselbrook , with the stone gate intended as the end point. The starting point and the end point of this half-ring should be linked to the Hamburg-Altona connecting railway so that a transition would be possible there. The consistently double-track line was intended to be used almost exclusively for passenger traffic, freight traffic was not planned at all or only to a limited extent. Twelve train stations were included in the plan, including Steintor , Berliner Tor , Wandsbeker Chaussee , Barmbeck , Oderfelderstrasse , Schlump and Sternschanze . At the same time, Ohlsdorf was to be developed with two branches .
The proposal met with relatively little approval in Hamburg's city administration because the city center was not adequately connected. Another point of criticism related to the unprofitable operation by the Royal Prussian State Railway Administration , so that the demand was made not to build according to the full railway principle and to move towards an electric small railway system.
Just one year after Meyer's plans for the main line, Eugen Langen presented a proposal for the overhead or railroad system he had invented and patented. Langen also thought of a circular railway that would go around the Alster and include several additional branches to Hammerbrook, Ohlsdorf and Eimsbüttel. However, as in the capital of Berlin , Langen met with rejection with his idea. The point of criticism was in particular the lack of experience with the system of a single-track railroad.
Now the Hamburg Senate has also actively dealt with the question. Franz Andreas Meyer reacted to the criticism expressed and added a southern route to the mainline proposal, which, starting at Schlump, was to lead through a tunnel to the landing bridges , then via a planned Deichtor stop to Amsinckstraße. From there there were the planning variants of a "large ring" and a "small ring" according to Winterhude. However, this proposal was not followed up. Other companies also submitted plans for a Hamburg rapid transit system, including Schuckert & Co. in 1899 and the Continentale Gesellschaft für electrical companies .
A consortium made up of Siemens & Halske and AEG also applied with the proposal to build an electric elevated railway , and from December 1901 the citizens considered the proposal. It differed only slightly from the later realized form. The planned elevated railway ring was supposed to have a smaller number of stops, and only one branch line to Ohlsdorf was planned. In 1904 the citizens rejected the model favored by the Hamburg Senate, which wanted to transfer the construction costs entirely to private companies. The citizenry demanded a construction at state expense and the leasing of the operation to private companies, so that the people's representatives would have a certain influence on the elevated railway. Another demand included the construction of two branch lines to Eimsbüttel and Rothenburgsort. The final decision to implement it was made on August 19, 1905 after long negotiations and discussions.
Construction begins
The building contract from the Hamburg Senate now included the following key data:
- Construction of an electric elevated and underground railway with a length of 27.85 kilometers
- Fixed construction costs of 41.5 million (gold) marks
The 27.85-kilometer route comprised the following sections:
- Ringbahn (17.48 kilometers)
- Branch line to Rothenburgsort (3.23 kilometers)
- Branch line to Ohlsdorf (5.38 kilometers)
- Branch line to Eimsbüttel (1.76 kilometers)
The construction costs did not yet include the expenses for the purchase of the land, as the Hamburg State provided building land as far as possible. The first groundbreaking for the construction of the Hamburg electric elevated and underground railway was made on June 1, 1906 near the Uhlenhorster Kuhmühlenteich . The Kuhmühlenteich, which has a water connection to the Outer Alster through the Mundsburg Canal , served as a relocation site for the new conveyor line, which reached as far as the Große Allee, today's Adenauerallee. On this small train, the construction companies carrying out the work carried the amounts of earth produced during the tunnel excavation between Berliner Tor and Besenbinderhof to the water, in order to supply the ring construction sites in Barmbeck and Winterhude with Alster barges, since the earth could be used there for embankments.
In the city center, where the subway was taken literally, the construction work was very difficult to carry out. Similar to the Berlin subway , the already closed old town meant that complex house supports were necessary. For this purpose, either the elevated railway company acquired the building in question or was granted a separate, so-called underground right of way . This was followed by the construction of the cellar wall with the construction of the tunnel. However, as far as possible, free spaces were left between the two structures so that direct sound transmission and thus immense noise pollution could be avoided.
After the construction of the tunnels, the individual elevated railway systems were set up, which would later become a kind of trademark of the Hamburg elevated and underground railway. About a third of the built route runs on bridges and viaducts, all of which are made of steel. Particularly noteworthy is the longest Hamburg viaduct route between Landungsbrücken station and the tunnel exit behind Rathaus station - 38 supporting arches carry the elevated railway line along the banks of the Elbe. But the steel bridge over the Uhlenhorster Kuhmühlenteich with a span of 55 meters was one of the special landmarks of the Hamburger Hochbahn. Structurally, one of the most difficult parts of the route was the section between the Rödingsmarkt underground station and the town hall, where the elevated railway goes up and down on a ramp with a gradient of 1: 20.7.
Originally, all platforms were to be equipped for four-car trains with a length of 60 meters. But optimistic planning provided for an expansion of the traffic so that in future five-car trains (70 meters) could stop at the stations. In contrast to Berlin, where almost all of the side platforms were built, Siemens & Halske and AEG, as clients, had mostly central platforms built, at least there should not be frequent changes between central and side platforms. All stations between Millerntor (today St. Pauli) and Flurstraße (today Saarlandstraße) received central platforms, and side platforms were built between Dehnhaide and Landungsbrücken . Only the main train station , Kellinghusenstrasse and Barmbeck were given directional platforms in order to simplify the connection of lines and changes of transfer. All stations, with the exception of the main train station, received only one entrance and exit.
Architecturally, the architects Ludwig Raabe and Otto Wöhlecke particularly shaped the ring route. Its architectural style, which is also called Hamburg reform architecture , is characterized by a particularly clear architecture, with a particularly noticeable departure from historicism and art nouveau . One example of this is the Mundsburg train station, located in the Uhlenhorst district. The red brick building was given a central exit, the building is provided with numerous sandstone reliefs. Another example of the architecture of the Altona office Raabe & Wöhlecke is also the Kellinghusenstrasse train station, which, thanks to its design, was adapted to the villa district of the time. Here, too, stone figures adorn the shell limestone portal structure, the figures created by Johann Michael Bossard are supposed to represent the three ages of life. The track from the direction of Barmbek is even covered by a “stone gate”. Not only Raabe & Wöhlecke designed buildings for the elevated railway, architects such as Emil Schaudt , Johann Gottlieb Rambatz , Wilhelm Jollasse and the government builder Volz shaped the first face of the elevated and underground railway . In this kind of architectural style, the elevated railway was supposed to stand out in a certain sense, as it was a new type of means of transport. Via viaducts and tunnels, attractive, new traffic levels were to be created for passengers. The structural engineer for the steel structures of the viaducts and bridges and site manager was Georg Kapsch .
While the construction work was in full swing, the Hamburg state tendered the concession for the operation of the electric elevated and underground railway in 1907. The two construction companies Siemens & Halske and AEG were the only participants in this tender . An advantage of this was undoubtedly that if they also took over the operation, technical difficulties, for example, would be easier to resolve. On July 31, 1907, the two companies submitted an offer in which, among other things, they agreed to found an independent operating company with share capital of around 15 million marks. The offer also included the construction of a power plant to supply electricity to the electric train. The two companies were prepared to reimburse the Hamburg state for all the costs of acquiring the land. It was decided to build the power station on Hellbrookstrasse in Barmbeck. After the operating license was handed over by the Senate in early 1909, the two companies Siemens & Halske and AEG were looking for a financier for the newly founded operating company. A partner was found in Deutsche Bank , which was already involved in a subway operating company in Berlin. The foundation of the "Society for Elevated and Underground Railways" took place on May 27, 1911.
The first test drives on the new routes took place from October 1911. This exceeded the original construction time of five years by half a year.
Opening of the ring
→ The platform, which has been modernized several times
On February 15, 1912, at least part of the built ring line was finished, so that the city's dignitaries were invited to an inaugural trip on the Hamburg electric elevated and underground railway. This began at 12 noon on the two side platforms of the Rathausmarkt station . From there, two trains drove in parallel on the route between Rathausmarkt and Barmbeck , where it was then possible to visit the operating facilities and workshops.
In the main workshop of the elevated and underground railway in Barmbeck, the then mayor Dr. Johann Heinrich Burchard gave the opening speech, in which he said among other things:
- We Hamburgers are not always quick to make up their minds, but what we tackle tends to turn out well. (...)
- The elevated railway was created for everyone in Hamburg - and it should benefit everyone.
The choice of words of the first mayor, who is aimed directly at the people of Hamburg - not everyone - should be taken into account. This shows, for example, the rivalry between the Hanseatic city and the neighboring Prussian state. The Ringbahn ran completely through Hamburg state territory and not into the neighboring - Prussian - Altona . Incidentally, the Hamburger Hochbahn opened its doors exactly ten years after its Berlin model, making it the third German underground railway - the Berlin elevated and underground railway was put into operation on February 15, 1902.
After the celebrations were over, the opening guests drove back to the Rathausmarkt in the two trains that had been provided . For the two weeks that followed, the elevated railway company granted all Hamburg residents free travel on the approximately seven-kilometer route. The scheduled, chargeable operation began on March 1, 1912. 80 train units were initially available for circulating operations, which were divided into the price levels 2nd class and 3rd class .
The section of the Ringbahn was now opened, exactly twelve weeks later, on May 10, 1912, the second section of the Ringbahn between the Barmbeck and Kellinghusenstrasse stations went into operation. This means that four new stations (Flurstrasse, Borgweg, Sierichstrasse, Kellinghusenstrasse) with four kilometers of overground line belong to the new Hamburger Hochbahn. Two weeks later, the Kellinghusenstrasse - Millerntor route followed with six new stations, and three quarters of the future ring were now open to public transport. The last Millerntor - Rathausmarkt route, which was complicated due to the numerous supporting arches and the resulting underground difficulties, went into operation on June 28, 1912. This completed the entire ring route around downtown Hamburg in the same year. Already on the first opening days there was a lot of use by the Hamburgers, so that a general 5-minute cycle was run on the ring.
- Architectural decorations between the Mundsburg stop and the bridge over the Kuhmühlenteich
See also:
Branch to Hellkamp (Eimsbüttel)
When the first rapid transit system was planned for Hamburg, a route was planned for the very populous Eimsbüttel , which had just been built using a closed construction method . This part of Hamburg, north of the Prussian Altonas, could only be reached by horse-drawn tram . Also Siemens & Halske and AEG designed a branch line to Eimsbuettel that should branch off from the main line, the ring. Nevertheless, these branches were withheld from the Senate until 1904, and there was no mention of their plans. Only after the Hamburg citizenship had specifically dealt with the construction of the elevated and underground railways and their costs did the citizens' council also demand routes to Rothenburgsort and Eimsbüttel. The decision to build the electric elevated railway was made on August 19, 1905 and included, among other things, the branch line to Eimsbüttel.
The first plans for this line envisaged a route over today's Schäferkampsallee and Fruchtallee to the Eimsbüttel market square. In the future, an extension via Lappenbergsallee and Langenfelder Damm to Langenfelde was planned. The current route under Schäferkampsallee, Fruchtallee and Stellinger Weg was only established after the route was changed.
Around 1909, when the construction work for the Schlump stop , the branching station for the Eimsbüttler line, began, the elevated railway company also had the first work done for the construction of the branch line. In the period 1909–1912 the route tunnel was completed in the course of Schäferkamps- and Fruchtallee. In 1912 the tunneling under the Isebeck Canal and the construction of the Christ Church station at the church of the same name followed . In 1913/1914, the elevated railway company had the remaining part of the line to Hellkamp built, including the Hellkamp and Osterstraße stations. The construction costs for the entire 2.43 kilometer long branch line amounted to six million Reichsmarks.
In order to start traffic on the new branch line as quickly as possible, the Christ Church station was opened on June 1, 1913 , and it already had a passenger-friendly central platform. The next opening followed on October 21, 1913: the Emilienstraße station . On May 23, 1914, the last section of the Eimsbüttler route branch was put into operation, now the Osterstrasse and Hellkamp stations also belonged to the Hamburg elevated railway network. Behind the Hellkamp train station there was a 120 meter long sweeping system. Operationally, the line was threaded through the three-track Schlump station; the trains from Hellkamp then continued as ring trains to the main train station or to Barmbeck and thus condensed the cycle on the southern ring via St. Pauli Landungsbrücken (port workers) and the business town.
Branch line to Rothenburgsort
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For the densely populated Rothenburgsort / Hammerbrook district , there were early plans for a railway stop. A further development of the area by high-speed trains was considered sensible. The chief engineer Franz Andreas Meyer had thought of developing Rothenburgsort with his steam train ring line. However, this project did not come to fruition for a variety of reasons, the non-connection to the city center, the competition with Prussia and the general routing were among other things. But it was not only Meyer who thought of developing Rothenburgsort, the two German electronics companies Siemens & Halske (S & H) and AEG , later favored by the Hamburg parliament, had also planned a connection. This should take place as a branch line, there would be a terminal station in the district.
Previously, S & H and the AEG had only provided for one branch line in their elevated railway plan submitted to the Senate or the citizenship, this should lead to northern Ohlsdorf . After the citizens of Hamburg were largely positive about the elevated railway concept, they demanded that the lines to Eimsbüttel and Rothenburgsort that were implemented later also be included in the construction plan. The latter should branch off as a branch at the main station, the length should be 3.23 kilometers. This addition was approved on August 19, 1905.
Construction work on this section of the route between the main train station and Rothenburgsort began in 1909, as work was also taking place at Hamburg central station. The line beginning there branched off from the elevated railway ring and rose gently east of the most important Hamburg train station in order to cross the tunnel of the Hamburg outer ring. Behind the Besenbinderhof, the route climbed out of the tunnel via ramps on Norderstraße and led directly to a viaduct, in order to then cross the railway tracks over a bridge with a considerable span of 49.5 meters. This exceptionally long bridge also made it possible to leave space for later extensions of the railway, here the main line to Lübeck. Behind this bridge, the route followed Nagelsweg and then crossed Spaldingstrasse, where an elevated station of the same name was built between 1912 and 1914. The elevated railway then followed Nagelsweg again to the southern canal, over which the Süderstraße station that was created there was partially located. Behind this, the line followed the Lübeck freight railway until it met the railroad tracks to Berlin. The Bille , which was also crossed , was passed by means of a three-track bridge until the line swiveled slightly to the northeast again to reach the Billstrasse station, where the viaduct ended. This was followed by a dam on which today's S-Bahn route to Bergedorf and the Billhorner Deich road were crossed. All of these structures could be completed in time for the outbreak of the First World War . Construction work on the Rothenburgsort terminus behind it, located directly at the railway station of the same name, was delayed considerably, so that its completion took until June 1915. In addition, a smaller depot with three sweeping tracks and a car shed was built there.
All elevated stations on the short, 3.23-kilometer branch line received side platforms, which in turn were protected by a shared gable roof . In terms of their construction, the stations were very similar to the Baumall and Rödingsmarkt ring stations.
After all the work was finally completed, the city of Hamburg and the elevated railway company opened on July 27, 1915, operations on the new branch line between the four-track underground station Hauptbahnhof and Rothenburgsort station. Despite every ten minutes, this relatively short route did not reach the expected number of passengers. As early as 1917, the elevated railway company was planning an extension to the Billbrook industrial area . Due to the difficulties caused by the war, however, one could not get beyond an extension of the railway embankment and the construction of piers for the bridge over the Elbe-Bille Canal . The embankment was used as an access for a later built wagon hall.
Branch line to Ohlsdorf
Thanks to the central cemetery in the Ohlsdorf district , the area developed rapidly, and many Hamburgers visited Ohlsdorf, especially on the weekends. In order to relieve the horse-drawn tram to Ohlsdorf, Siemens & Halske and AEG also proposed a route to Ohlsdorf in their elevated railway plan. It should branch off from the elevated railway ring and end in Ohlsdorf.
In 1905 the Hamburg Senate and the citizenship approved the elevated railway plans of the two companies and gave the order to build a total of four stations on the new branch line, which was to begin at Kellinghusenstraße station: Hudtwalckerstraße, Lattenkamp, Alsterdorf and the terminus in Ohlsdorf.
The first work began in 1908/1909 when the construction companies built the four-track Kellinghusenstrasse station as part of the construction work on the Ringbahn. A flyover for the Ohlsdorf tracks was built behind the branching station, so that the branch line was extended at no level. Behind it the route leads on a heaped embankment in order to cross the Alsterstreek, the towpath and the towpath canal over bridges. After these three bridges there is another bridge over Sierichstrasse or Hudtwalckerstrasse, directly behind it, Siemens & Halske and AEG had the new Hudtwalckerstrasse station built by 1913, which - curiously - was spelled without a 'c' - a spelling mistake. Lattenkamp train station is also located on the embankment of the further route. The proximity of the two stations was due to the planned freight bypass , which was only realized later. Here the train leaves the closed development on a stretch of embankment and reaches the Alsterdorf station , which opens up the village of the same name. Further to the northeast, the route changes from a dam to a cutting route. By 1914, the rest of the line was completed with the then four-track Ohlsdorf station, which was already partially built when the city and suburban railway was built. Because of the beginning of the First World War, the Ohlsdorf line could only go into operation with a delay. The first elevated trains ran from Ohlsdorf on December 1, 1914 via the branching station Kellinghusenstrasse to the main station or even further to Barmbeck. As on the other two branches of the route, every 10 minutes was the rule.
With the construction of the Ohlsdorf route, the network initially planned for the Hamburg elevated and subway network was completed. All routes decided in 1905 by the Senate and the City Council were built and were now in operation. Apart from the Rothenburgsort Line, the number of passengers developed well and, in turn, helped the operating company and the means of transport to improve their image among the population. Nevertheless, there was still rivalry with the Prussian Railway and its urban and suburban railway.
Growing together of a rapid transport system
The Walddörferbahn
In contrast to today, the territory of the Hanseatic City of Hamburg at that time was very fragmented. For example, today's Hamburg districts of Altona , Wandsbek or Wilhelmsburg were not included, but the municipalities of Groß-Hansdorf , Farmsen , Volksdorf , Wohldorf-Ohlstedt , Langenhorn , Fuhlsbüttel , Geesthacht , Amt Ritzebüttel or the island of Neuwerk, among others . Due to these partially existing exclaves , the Hamburg Senate and the Hamburg citizenship concerned themselves with the transport links to some of these “political islands”.
A first proposal for the connection of the so-called " forest villages " in the north-east of Groß-Hansdorf, Farmsen, Berne , Volksdorf and Wohldorf-Ohlstedt was submitted by the planning department of the Senate during the construction work for the first circular line on April 15, 1911 . This included the alignment of a main line Barmbeck – Farmsen – Volksdorf as well as two branches that were to connect from Volksdorf on the one hand to the community of Ohlstedt / Wohldorf and on the other hand to the "Walddorf" Groß-Hansdorf or Schmalenbeck . However, this proposal required a negotiation with the state of Prussia, as the route touched Prussian territory.
There was hardly any criticism of the project to connect the villages themselves. Much more, however, was criticized, among other things, the route of the Groß-Hansdorfer branch line. For example, the plan was to build a neighboring elevated railway station at the Lübeck-Büchener Eisenbahn (LBE) station in Ahrensburg - the LBE feared large passenger losses. Until February 1912, the Hamburg citizenship and others took part in the discussion in large numbers. So it was negotiated with the municipality of Ahrensburg that it should now receive two elevated stations in the southern part of the Prussian municipality instead of a train station adjacent to the LBE. But additional stations were also included in the project. An extension of the two routes beyond the future end stations of Wohldorf and Groß-Hansdorf was also planned. Finally, the Hamburg citizenship passed the Walddörferbahn project on February 23, 1912.
Due to the affected Prussian territory, the Hanseatic City of Hamburg negotiated a state treaty with Prussia, which was approved on March 17, 1912 and announced on May 8. The contract was advantageous for Prussia, as in return it received permission from the Hanseatic government to run the Prussian Alstertalbahn (now part of the S1 S-Bahn line) from Ohlsdorf station to Poppenbüttel.
The first work on the almost 29 kilometers long completely above-ground route with a total of 15 stations began shortly after the contract was published. In 1912, earth surveys were primarily necessary in order to examine the subsoil for the numerous bridges, around 70, and dams. The first embankments and work on the bridges and underpasses began. From 1914, the city of Hamburg began with the architectural constructions for access buildings and platforms.
The line begins at Barmbeck train station, which has also been given a third platform including a fifth track for the new line, and leads directly behind it over a double-track bridge structure with a total length of 500 meters. This was necessary in order to pass the existing ring tracks, the tracks to the main workshop at Hellbrookstraße and the route of the suburban railway Barmbeck - Ohlsdorf and the freight bypass railway . A total of 16 intermediate supports support the so-called “half-timbered construction”, which was built between 1913 and 1915. In the further course a dam follows, which - with the exception of the Farmsen train station - extends to the then border of the municipality of Berne. From there to the Volksdorf border, the route runs in a cut. The branches branching off in Volksdorf are routed differently. The line in the direction of Ohlstedt is built as an incision track up to the northern Volksdorf border, behind which there is another dam to the terminus. The construction of the Ohlstedter branch took place relatively without problems due to the extensive routing of the line in Hamburg area, the tracks were built right next to the electric small railway Altrahlstedt - Volksdorf - Wohldorf already located here . This in turn should then stop their passenger traffic and only manage goods transport.
The Großhansdorfer branch line runs from Volksdorf to behind Buchenkamp on a high embankment. From Ahrensburg East to behind Kiekut it has been led through a sometimes very deep cut. Due to the change of plan - after protests by the LBE, Ahrensburg was not allowed to be involved - the route did not continue via the Ahrensburg train station to Schmalenbeck, but on an alternative route south past Ahrensburg through open fields to the terminus (now instead of Schmalenbeck) Groß-Hansdorf.
Much of the construction work could be completed by the beginning of the First World War , but after that the construction was delayed considerably. The route, tracks and stations could only be built slowly, step by step. Nevertheless, during the war it was still possible to complete the entire route with two tracks. However, there was no electrical equipment with busbars , nor were there any railcars for passenger operation.
After the end of the war, constant bottlenecks in the procurement of rolling stock and raw materials for electrical equipment prevented operation under normal conditions. The twenty subway cars manufactured by the Hochbahngesellschaft were not sufficient for a 30-minute cycle during the day, so only provisional operation was possible. This interim solution was dealt with on July 6, 1918, when the objection assembly in Volksdorf was set up by the community board and the citizens' association, and the demand for an immediate start of operations was formulated. It was possible to procure two Belgian steam locomotives that had come into the possession of the Reich as a result of the war. Converted elevated railway cars were to be coupled to these, whereby the cost estimate put the procurement of the locomotives at 200,000 marks and the ongoing operation would cost 500,000 marks annually. When the Walddörferbahn went into operation, the Barmbeck , Wandsbek-Gartenstadt , Farmsen , Berne , Volksdorf , Hoisbüttel and Ohlstedt stations were to be opened. The stations Habichtstraße , Trabrennbahn , Meiendorfer Weg and Buckhorn , on the other hand, were not yet to be served, as the low population density in the area led to the fear that these stations, which were already under construction, would not be used.
With the two purchased Belgian locomotives captured by the Reich in the war, the opening of the provisional steam operation on the Walddörferbahn took place on September 12, 1918, although this took place without any inauguration celebrations. In contrast to the inexpensive inner-city elevated railway traffic in Hamburg with a maximum price of 20 pfennigs per trip, the use of the new train was quite expensive, as the use of the entire route cost 90 pfennigs, with a change in Barmbeck to continue to the city center 1.10 marks. Nonetheless, it was able to undercut the fare of the Lübeck Railway by continuing to Wohldorf by means of a small train to Wohldorf, so that demand was initially high, even if the journey between Ohlstedt and Barmbeck was quite long at 43 minutes. The steep gradients to be overcome at Barmbek meant that the locomotive was only able to pull a maximum of two passenger wagons. The operation of the route became increasingly unreliable, so that on April 19, 1919, the Senate applied to the citizenship for a sum of 4.625 million marks for the expansion of the route, combined with the electrical equipment between Barmbek and Volksdorf. However, further operational difficulties continued to arise, so that the procurement of raw materials could not even be started. Due to the need for major repairs to the locomotives, the Hochbahn ceased operations on the Walddörferbahn completely on May 22, 1919, after Sunday operations had ceased to operate eleven days earlier.
After the locomotives had been repaired, the Demobilization Commission ordered them to be returned to Belgium. The complaint of the community representatives of the four forest villages was linked to the demand to enable and start electrical operation on the Walddörferbahn. The Senate was referred to its decision of February 23, 1912, according to which the residents were granted inexpensive and fast transport links. As a result, a track between Volksdorf and Barmbek was given a power rail.
The further electrification of the Groß-Hansdorf branch line, which was initially planned, was also up for grabs due to the constant rise in steel prices, so that the decision was made at short notice to remove the second track of this branch and use its rails as compensation material for the purchase of power rails to use the branches Volksdorf - Groß-Hansdorf and Volksdorf - Ohlstedt, which was also under construction. In the meantime, further progress was made in the construction of the Großhansdorfer branch line, so that commissioning was scheduled for September 6, 1920. On this day, the start of operations on the single-track electrified line between Barmbeck and Volksdorf could take place as planned. A year later, on November 5, 1921, the continuing single-track branch to Groß-Hansdorf had also received electrical elevated railway operation, so that the stations in Buchenkamp , Ahrensburg , Schmalenbeck , and Groß-Hansdorf could be reached. Only on June 17, 1922, with the opening of the Hopfenbach and Kiekut stations, the branch line was fully operational. Before that, the two stations had remained closed for fear of insufficient passenger numbers when the line actually opened. Due to the lack of driving material, however, the route could only be used every two hours.
The other planned train stations Wulfsdorf and Beimoor never found a connection to the network. The Wulfsdorf stop , southwest of Ahrensburg at the level of Gut Wulfsdorf, was no longer considered after the planning stage, although the route at this point has been widened for the construction of a central platform . In contrast, the Beimoor train station as the final stop was almost completed by 1914 in order to connect a planned residential area and what was then known as an “insane asylum” to local public transport . However, as a result of the First World War and a lack of materials for electrification, this station was never put into operation afterwards, although tracks had already been laid to get there. The building was largely demolished after the Second World War to procure building materials. The remains of the facility that still exist today serve as winter quarters for bats .
Under the most difficult conditions, the construction of the infrastructure for the double-track electrical operation could be advanced. With the start of double-track operation with power rails on May 20, 1923, a 15-minute cycle at least between Barmbeck and Volksdorf could be ensured. Now everything was done to bring the branch line to Ohlstedt fully into operation as soon as possible. For this further expansion, funds of 86,000 marks were granted on June 18, 1924, whereby only single-track equipment was planned. In order to still be able to offer a 15-minute cycle to Ohlstedt, the approval for an additional 65,500 marks for the construction of an alternative point at Hoisbüttel station followed on July 30 of the same year . On September 10, 1924, the bourgeoisie secured adequate operation on the future route branch when they approved an additional 1.08 million marks for the purchase of 18 new cars. After the opening of the line, operations required 53 cars on weekdays and 77 cars on Sundays.
On July 28, 1924, it was possible to offer a 15-minute cycle all day long on the Barmbeck - Volksdorf route after the new cars had been completed and arrived. On February 1, 1925, the Volksdorf - Ohlstedt branch was opened with the Buckhorn and Hoisbüttel stations in between . The previously closed Meiendorfer Weg stop was not put into operation until April 7, 1925, after it had received a sufficient number of visitors after an experimental opening. The Trabrennbahn station in Farmsen was only open on race days, Wednesdays and Sunday afternoons . In the vicinity of the last unopened station, Habichtstrasse , the population density increased with the construction of new blocks, so that the opening of this already-constructed stop was increasingly demanded. This expectation was not met until June 23, 1930.
In the meantime, the Senate Commission for Railway Affairs recommended the expansion of the lines to double-track lines in 1927 because it saw public order as endangered and the state had a contractual obligation to finance the expansion. The result of the following investments is the double-track operation of the Hoisbüttel - Ohlstedt line since May 10, 1927 and the Volksdorf - Buchenkamp line from July 15, 1935 onwards. The other Großhansdorfer branch of the route, however, remained continuously single-track with an evasion.
Until then, the operation of the elevated railway on the Walddörferbahn was borne by the state and only the management was taken over by the HHA. Since April 1, 1934, the elevated railway company also took over the financing of the operation on the Walddörferbahn, whereby the track systems and the rolling stock remained in state ownership.
With the Greater Hamburg Law of April 1, 1937, the Hamburg state territory was redefined, from which, among other things, Gross-Hansdorf has now been spun off. For the Großhansdorfer route this meant the almost complete setting. For example, it was proposed to dismantle the track systems between Ahrensburg and Volksdorf, which should be followed by a connection to the Reichsbahnhof Ahrensburg . The then remaining elevated railway line between Ahrensburg and Groß-Hansdorf should then start up again as a small railway . Since the implementation of such plans failed in 1939 with the beginning of the Second World War , this line was also continuously operated by the elevated railway.
The Langenhorn Railway
The public transport connections between Langenhorn, located in Hamburg's national territory, and downtown Hamburg were also poor until the end of the 19th century, so that the first proposal to establish a rail link between the two places dates back to 1891. Haidmann's project also included the development of the forest villages. The project was rejected, however, and four years later the engineering department of the Hanseatic City of Hamburg made plans that were not pursued any further. From 1902 a horse-drawn bus line connected the Ochsenzoll via the Langenhorner Chaussee and the Alsterkrugchaussee with Eppendorf , a year later this line ended for economic reasons at the tram terminus in Ohlsdorf . As the population of Langenhorn rose continuously, the municipal council wanted to maintain a small train connection, for example as a tram route , for the town. On November 30, 1904, the consortium established for this applied to the Hamburg Senate to extend the Ohlsdorf tram route . The negotiating party SEG demanded subsidies from the Hamburg state, which were refused, so that the extension of the tram also failed.
Only four years later, on February 8, 1908, did the engineer Dr. CO Gleim again the idea of a rail link to Langenhorn by asking the Senate to be allowed to carry out general preparatory work for the construction and operation of a small railway from Winterhude to Langenhorn. On May 4, 1908, Gleim received the recommendation of such a permit from the Senate Commission for Railway Affairs, but he changed his plans to the effect that the Langenhorn siding should be chosen via the projected elevated railway line to Ohlsdorf. This change in his plans was also approved, so that on February 10, 1909 he submitted five proposals to the Senate for a more precise route, which would then have to be decided:
- two stretches from Groß Borstel and Ohlsdorf, which come together and lead along the Langenhorner Chaussee to Ochsenzoll
- a stretch of Ohlsdorf west of the Langenhorner Chaussee
- a stretch from Ohlsdorf parallel to Tangstedter Landstrasse
- first a stretch to the west, then east of the Langenhorner Chaussee with two plan crossings
- two stretches on both sides of Langenhorn, which meet at Ochsenzoll
Gleim only reached the decisive step for the future route to Langenhorn with his third project on April 4, 1910, according to which an electrically operated small railway branching off from Ohlsdorf between Langenhorner Chaussee and Tangstedter Straße should take over passenger operation, and there was also a third track for a freight company intended. The freight track should also branch off to the so-called “lunatic asylum”. According to Gleim, the total costs for the construction amounted to an estimated 2.8 million marks.
However, since the Hamburg state wanted to build the railway itself, no private entrepreneurs should initiate the construction of the line. The advantage of the Langenhorn Railway was that it should run entirely on Hamburg's territory, so that lengthy negotiations with Prussia were unnecessary in this case. On October 12, 1912, the Senate's conception was presented to the citizenship; in its meeting on November 13th, 1912, the citizenship resolved the construction sum of 7.16 million marks and the payment of 5166.90 marks for the advance payments already made to the Committee for the construction of a small railway to Langenhorn. At the beginning of 1913 also took place the incorporation of the communities Klein Borstel , Fuhlsbüttel and Long Horn in the city of Hamburg, which new regulations meant for the previously independent municipalities of the Hamburg state territory. In the same year, the earthworks for the route, which began immediately after approval, could be completed. In 1914 civil engineering began to be constructed in 18 places in order to cross the roads in question, i.e. to drive them under or over them. The operating contract concluded on April 30 and May 1, 1914 between the HHA and the Hamburg Finance Department included the provisions for the operation of the Langenhorn Railway as well as those of the Walddörfer Railway.
With the beginning of the First World War , the construction work was delayed, so that a provisional route opening could not be considered until mid-1917. The areas north of Ohlsdorf were still relatively sparsely populated, so that the provisional operation only provided for the Fuhlsbüttel , Langenhorn (now Langenhorn Markt ) and Ochsenzoll stops . The two other stations Langenhorn Süd (today Fuhlsbüttel Nord ) and Langenhorn Nord remained closed despite their completion. The date for the provisional opening, December 1, 1917, had to be postponed, however, as there was no steam locomotive available for line operation. However, since the Prussian State Railways wanted to open the Alstertalbahn between Ohlsdorf and Poppenbüttel on Prussian territory as soon as possible, efforts were now made to open the Langenhorn Railway as well, so that the faster development of residential developments did not take place in the Prussian Alstertal , but in Langenhorn in Hamburg.
An emergency solution arose from this competitive situation: the civil engineering company Julius Berger AG , which owned a steam locomotive, was now to operate the line at the expense of the state. After the state police inspection the day before, the line was opened on January 5, 1918, a passenger service with four daily journeys in each direction was set up on the freight track east of the line under construction for passenger traffic. After the Hamburg state acquired a locomotive in the spring of 1918, the number of daily train movements in each direction could be increased to eight.
Passenger traffic was still carried out on the freight track, as the electrical expansion of the line was no longer promoted during the war years. In order to take it up again and to build the elevated railway vehicles intended for it, the citizenship approved a further amount of 3.375 million marks on April 13, 1919. The scarcity of raw materials and the onset of inflation meant that the required materials were only partially available despite high sums of money. The company was expanded anyway. Since September 1st, the Langenhorn Nord stop, which was previously closed, has been used and train operations have been continuously increased to eleven train pairs per day by November 1st of that year . On June 30, 1921, Julius Berger AG ceased provisional steam operations. On the following day, management was completely transferred to HHA, which had to order the route with the old fleet despite further additional payments, as the new vehicles required were waiting to be completed. The operation was carried out in accordance with the terms of the operating contract of 1914 on the two tracks intended for passenger traffic every 60 to 30 minutes, the freight track took over its actual purpose for freight traffic and the Langenhorn Süd stop was served from that day. The Hamburg state reimbursed the operating costs of the HHA with a small surcharge; in return, all income had to be transferred to the state.
In addition, additional permits were granted several times for the operating resources of the Langenhorn Railway, for example over 3.3 million marks in 1918, and another 2.7 million marks in March 1922, and the electrification of the freight railway cost 7.94 million marks. Due to a lack of passengers, Langenhorn Süd was closed in 1923, but the stop was opened a second time on April 20, 1924. In the same year, the timetable reached a 15-minute cycle at peak times, even though it only ran once an hour during off-peak hours. From February 23, 1923, evening traffic was also reduced to a 30-minute cycle. On March 6, 1925, money was again given for the construction of vehicle material in order to keep 71 state-owned cars available for the Langenhorn and Walddörferbahn. On May 13th of the same year, funds were granted for the electrification of the freight railway line with an overhead line , with the HHA acting as the leaseholder. The freight connection of the so-called “lunatic asylum” was dropped , as was the construction of the depot in Ochsenzoll, planned in 1914, with car halls and workshops. The final, complete start of operations on the Langenhorn railway went hand in hand with May 25, 1925, when the timetable was improved with increased frequency on the line and the inauguration of another station took place with Klein Borstel .
Modifications in the subway network
Just 13 years after the new mode of transport started operating in Hamburg, the capacity of trains with a maximum of four cars was no longer sufficient everywhere. Between 1925 and 1927, the platforms of the stations were therefore lengthened by 20 m to a length of 90 m so that six-car trains could use the ring and its branch lines. At the same time, several train stations were changed through demolition, new entrances and similar measures. From 1928, the first six-car trains with improved technology, including automatic Scharfenberg couplings , began their service.
As the number of vehicles grew continuously, a second parking facility also had to be set up. Between the inner ring tracks, Wiesendamm, Flurstrasse and Goldbek Canal, the second depot, named after the adjacent Stadtpark stop (today Saarlandstrasse ), took its place from 1927. For this purpose, modifications had to be carried out on the tracks of the Stadtpark station a year earlier in order to set up the connection to the depot. The enlarged entrance hall and the arrangement of the now two central platforms with four tracks and the underpassing of the connection to the south-west located company premises from the western station exit through the main track coming from Borgweg also date from this time.
The Kell-Jung Line as a fast connection to the city center
When the Walddörfer- and Langenhorner Bahn were built, the intention was to establish another connection to the city center. The planned routing of the Walddörferbahn provided for an introduction from the east into the ring railway, with higher traffic volumes the trains should then run over the ring line or a new line into the city center. Even after the construction of the Walddörferbahn, the line was to be introduced into the ring line from the east, but this time past the Barmbeck train station in front of the Flurstraße stop . After passing the stop, the route should then continue directly into the city center. However, the First World War initially prevented the construction of such a short connection to the city center.
After the end of hyperinflation in November 1923, Hochbahn planned network expansions again and HHA director Wilhelm Stein enforced the Kell-Jung line named after its terminus against a planned free port line. He justified the use of this line with the fact that the free port railway would only be used in rush hour traffic. Furthermore, the ferry traffic in the free port can show its advantages over an elevated railway.
This approached the idea of an inner city express train again, but now the branch from the ring line was to take place south of Kellinghusenstrasse and serve as a short inner-city connection for the Langenhorn railway. The route then led completely underground below the streets Rothenbaumchaussee , Stephansplatz and Colonnaden to Jungfernstieg . Since the tram lines ran parallel in this area , the distances between the stops were chosen to be particularly large; the average distance between stations on the section is 1088 m. This meant that the fine distribution function of the tram should continue to be retained.
In May 1925, construction began on Rothenbaumchaussee. The principle of open tunnel construction was used, so that considerable amounts of earth should be excavated. On August 10, 1926, the actual tunnel construction began at the Hallerstrasse sports facilities . The residents' protests in Oderfelder Strasse against the subway line under their own street meant that the route was ultimately unthreaded from the ring into the street of the same name just before the Eppendorfer Baum stop . The four stops to be built had a length that would allow eight-car trains, and exits at both ends of the platform. The crossing under the connecting line at Hamburg Dammtor station was a major problem in the construction of the line and delayed the work until 1929. This could only be solved by building a vaulted tunnel. There the sweeping system joined the Stephansplatz stop .
The remaining construction section represented the second main problem of the route. In addition to the technical difficulties in excavating the colonades, there was also the resistance of the business people who had settled there. They feared a slump in sales due to the closure of the shopping street and in December 1927 they demanded that the route, contrary to the drafts, be led via Dammtorstraße and Gänsemarkt . After the interest group was unsuccessful with its objection, the excavation work began and the construction of the last Jungfernstieg stop below the Alsterfleet . With the global economic crisis , the construction of the route was also delayed, so that the terminus on March 25, 1931 could only be opened provisionally a little further northwest. This provisional stop comprised a wooden platform with only one track. The double-track line connected directly to the station after a switch. It was the first Hamburg elevated train stop with two escalators . Only on the morning of April 28, 1934, with the opening of the exits to Plan and Ballindamm, could work on the route be completed. At that time, financial means were preferred in favor of military armament, so that a network expansion was ruled out in the foreseeable future.
Consequences of war
The elevated railway was not spared from the air raids in the course of 1943, which destroyed large areas of the Hanseatic city. While the attacks on individual urban areas outside the city center had briefly interrupted operations by the summer of 1943, Operation Gomorrah forced the aerial railway to cease operations completely in July and August 1943 with the bombing of the inner city. Among other things, the station buildings of the Schlump , Mundsburg and Wagnerstrasse stops (today Hamburger Strasse ) and the Stadtpark depot were significantly destroyed.
Instead of the once planned renewal of the elevated railway systems, the removal of the war damage was now given priority. Parts of the network could be repaired after a short time, although neither material nor personnel was available in sufficient quantities. Due to its location outside the urban area with high density of buildings, the Walddörferbahn was least affected by the air raids and could be operated again after a few days. This was followed by the western ring route and the branches to Hellkamp and Langenhorn. The eastern ring route was initially reserved for temporary freight operations and business trips.
In the period up to the occupation of Hamburg by the British Army on May 3, 1945, further attacks followed, which also caused severe damage. Operation was briefly interrupted or even stopped several times. Until the unconditional surrender of the Wehrmacht , the routes could only be put into operation temporarily. The Rödingsmarkt and Landungsbrücken stops as well as the tunnels at the Dammtorbahnhof and Heiligengeistfeld , in Osterstrasse and the city center were damaged . During the heavy air raids in the summer of 1943, the densely populated districts of Hammerbrook and Rothenburgsort were almost completely destroyed and the elevated railway viaduct was badly hit. After the residential development there was no longer available, it was decided not to rebuild the 3.2 kilometer long branch line to Rothenburgsort. This is the only German underground line whose operation has been suspended forever and whose facilities have been dismantled.
reconstruction
The track system was damaged in around one hundred places, of 383 vehicles only 258 remained undamaged. The war damage amounted to 5,393,841 Reichsmarks. On May 5, 1945, two days after the city was occupied by the British military, the temporary underground service began. Operations now run every 15 minutes on four lines, including the route between the Volksdorf stop and Hamburg. Half-hourly intervals were set up on the branches of the Walddörferbahn. The Walddörferbahn got a direct connection to the city center again with the route over the western ring and the Kell-Jung line. The route, which was previously poorly used due to the relatively low population density, now crossed areas with numerous makeshift accommodations and was thus able to show higher passenger numbers.
In 1947 the supervisory board of the HHA decided to designate all routes of its network as " U-Bahn " as in Berlin . This decision was mainly due to the fact that the Langenhorner Bahn went through the underground Kell-Jung route to the city center and there was no longer any real difference between the elevated and underground trains. Regardless of this decision, the operation of the Walddörferbahn inland from Habichtstraße was treated separately according to the tariff.
The regular service of the western part of the ring between Barmbeck and the main train station was extended to Mundsburg (on the eastern part of the ring) from July 1, 1949 . The exception to the 15-minute cycle was the Schlump - Hellkamp branch line, which now runs every ten minutes , and has since returned to the Christ Church stop, which had been passed through until now . In the same year the Hochbahn adopted the new spelling of the districts that had previously ended with "-beck".
Exactly one year later, on July 1, 1950, the ring was closed again with the opening of the Mundsburg - Barmbek section. Previously, the previously unused Barkhof stop (today Mönckebergstraße ) had already been reopened on June 1, 1950 . The ring was served by both the trains threaded from the forest villages via Barmbek and pure ring trains, so that it had a 5-minute cycle. The Hellkamp - Schlump line kept its 10-minute intervals. Repeater trains from the city center condensed the Jungfernstieg - Ochsenzoll route, which is served every 15 minutes, to Flughafenstrasse (today Fuhlsbüttel Nord ) to 7 ½ minutes. Just a few months later, on November 5, 1950, the line to Ochsenzoll also received the uniform 10-minute cycle with the winter timetable . This timetable also put an end to the special tariffs of the Walddörferbahn: the route was included in the standard tariff.
With the measures up to 1950, the war damage was essentially remedied; only building damage had to be repaired. With the exception of the Rothenburgsort route, the network and operations had reached pre-war levels. In the period that followed, the long-term planning for route extensions came back into focus.
First expansion plans after the war
After the Second World War , the Hanseatic city recorded increased migratory movements to the outskirts, so that the routes between home and work were lengthened. The consequence of this development was an increasing overload of the tram network . This challenge has now been met with new expansion plans for the rapid transit network. The first concepts from 1950 envisaged the following lines:
| Line A: | ring |
| Line B: | Schnelsen - Hagenbeck Zoo - Schlump - Jungfernstieg - Messberg - Central Station - Billstedt - Billbrook |
| Line C: | Ochsenzoll - Ohlsdorf - Kellinghusenstraße - Jungfernstieg |
| Line D: | Barmbek - Trabrennbahn - Volksdorf - Ohlstedt / - Großhansdorf |
| Line E: | Lurup - Altona - Millerntor - Jungfernstieg - Central Station - Wandsbek - Trabrennbahn |
| Line F: | Teufelsbrück - Altona Süd - Millerntor - Meßberg - Elbbrücken - Veddel - Reiherstieg |
| Line G: | Altona - Schlump - Hallerstraße - Uhlenhorst - Mundsburg - Burgstraße - Elbbrücken - Veddel ( Alsterhalbring ) |
The route planning was designed for the long term, as the financial situation was problematic. Estimates put the construction costs for such an enlargement of the underground network at around 400 million DM. At that time the prevailing opinion was that underground trains in the districts already served by trams should not replace them. Nevertheless, the operation of two rail networks, some of which ran in parallel, initially appeared to be too cost-intensive.
In 1953, priority was given to expanding the tram network. This decision was based on the lower operating costs of the tram compared to the bus and lower construction costs compared to the subway. Ultimately, however, the HHA described this as an interim solution until the financial means for an underground expansion were available.
Replacement of the tram by bus and subway
New objectives and "preliminary general plan"
In 1955, two years after the decision to dismantle the trams, the objective was completely different: Now subways should only be built where they could replace trams in the long term. On heavily used roads, the tram was now more frequently involved in traffic jams and accidents with cars. With increasing motorization , it was increasingly viewed as an obstacle to private transport .
This point of view also manifested itself in the Senate's draft “Reorganization of Hamburg's urban traffic”, according to which the tram should be continuously dismantled under the impression of the tense situation in local traffic. The Senate justified its U-turn with the fact that the tram could not effectively relieve the city center, even with modern vehicles. At the same time, only two modes of transport were planned: the underground and the bus. This meant that the subway had to take over some of the fine distribution functions in its catchment area.
For this purpose, the HHA drafted a program under the name “Preliminary General Plan” for the long-term expansion of high-speed traffic based on the plans published in 1950, the aim of which was to “develop a network of subway lines that would not only meet the main traffic needs, but also can also be dispensed with on the surface in densely built-up urban areas ”.
According to these plans, seven new lines should be created and the route network should encompass over 200 route kilometers. The network structure provided for a tight basic network in the city center and from there routes to the outer city. Although the concept was not appropriate to the size of the city, it later resulted in several realized routes.
Wandsbek will be connected step by step
Instead of an underground line on routes affected by constant congestion, such as the direction of Billstedt , the HHA initially wanted the long-awaited extension of the Kell-Jung line over the Meßberg to the main station , especially since there was no competition with the tram on this route could arise. Furthermore, in contrast to the Jungfernstieg and Rathaus stops at the main train station, a short transfer connection to the Ring was to be created. These reasons led to the fact that the extension of the butt end in the city center was preferred to a new line.
As early as June 1955, the first plans for an underground extension after the Second World War, discussed in the city council, led to the specification of this project. The route was to lead south from Jungfernstieg via Meßberg to the subway station Hauptbahnhof on the ring line. From there, the line via Wandsbek Markt and Hinschenfelde at Farmsen station was supposed to thread into the tracks of the Walddörferbahn. The route was underground up to Tegelweg, from then on it was laid out above ground to Farmsen. The length of the route was put at 12.1 kilometers. In the following year, construction should begin on Jungfernstieg and take around six years.
After the deliberations in the citizens' transport committee had been completed, construction work had already started in the summer of 1955; The route should be passable as early as 1957. But it was not until September 1955 that the exact route and its schedule were set, so that the HHA did not begin the first construction work on the old fish market until October 10, 1955. The HHA took over the construction management, the Hanseatic city financed the construction. Shortly after the start of construction, however, there were complications with the boggy soil and the groundwater when houses were demolished or undercut. The steam ram for strengthening the required sheet piling led to noise pollution and vibrations that had been criticized. Businessmen demanded faster construction progress due to declining sales. Nevertheless, the residents' complaints from the old fish market prevailed against the noise generated, so that since August 1956, the sheet piling was pushed into the building ground with short blows. With this change in the construction process, the planned completion dates could no longer be met. At the beginning of 1958, when the section to the main train station was supposed to be ready for operation, the Messberg had not yet been reached.
Previously, the citizens of the Senate had approved the bill for the construction of a 160 m long "test section" with prefabricated concrete parts for the tunnel on Lübeckertordamm in order to make the tunnel construction faster, although there were still discussions about the continuation from the main station. In the meantime, the construction management has changed into the hands of the municipal building authorities. From April 1958, the southern tracks in front of the main train station had to be tunnelled, whereby the construction method with shield tunneling was chosen for the first time in Hamburg . The steel shield used had an outer diameter of 6.4 m, was 5.3 m long and weighed 70 t.
At the latest at the end of 1958, when the tunnel systems reached the main station, the discussions about the continuation from the main station had to be put to an end. The demand from the east of the city for a routing of the heavily loaded axis towards Billstedt still existed, the previously projected connection, however, provided for a threading of the railway in Farmsen . With its memorandum from December 1958, the Senate decided to continue via Wandsbek. But now, as a variant of the previous plans, a threading of the route in Wandsbek-Gartenstadt was envisaged . This was supported by the considerable savings in construction costs due to the shortening of the route to Wandsbek-Gartenstadt, the better development of the Dulsberg area and the relief of the Barmbek stop through the new route between the forest villages and the city center. Thus, the variant of the leadership of the underground route to Billstedt was subject.
In 1959, construction of the subway below Lübecker Strasse began. This was the last time that new buildings were built to divert the affected trams in the parallel streets. Work between the Lübecker Straße stop and the Sechslingspforte began on August 1st of that year . In September 1959, the attempt to lower the prefabricated tunnel on the 50 m long section between Lindenstrasse and Wallstrasse failed on this section.
- Construction work on the U1 on Wandsbeker Marktstrasse
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The construction progress now led to the continuation of the Kell-Jung line at short intervals. On February 22, 1960, after decades, a new subway line went into operation. The section between Jungfernstieg and Meßberg was transferred to the HHA on that day. On October 1st of the same year, the second construction phase up to the main train station was taken over by the HHA and put into operation the following day. For this purpose, a transfer system to the ZOB was built at the main train station. From July 2, 1961, the trains also served the 1.6-kilometer section to Lübecker Strasse ; On October 1, every second train reached the Wartenau stop on the then single-track line . Around a year later, on October 28, 1962, the route was extended to Wandsbek Markt station , where a large, modern bus transfer facility with a local control center was built for the first time in Hamburg . The buses leading from Jenfeld and Tonndorf found their final stop at this facility. Three days earlier, the route passed into the hands of HHA. On March 3, 1963, every second train reached the Straßburger Straße stop . On August 4, 1963, when the entire new line to the expanded Wandsbek-Gartenstadt station went into operation, new routes came into force. The line from Ochsenzoll was continued on the Walddörferbahn, while the ring trains from Barmbek ended in Farmsen. At the same time, the trains coming from Hellkamp went to the main station, and at times also to Barmbek.
The connection Stellingen - Billstedt
After the required subway route to Billstedt had initially been postponed opposite the connection to Wandsbek-Gartenstadt , it was now included in plans from January 1960. On a route that had been kept free for a long time, a new subway was to replace the overloaded trams from the main train station to Billstedt. A short time later, thought was given to extending the Eimsbüttel branch northwards to Hagenbeck's zoo in Stellingen . However, the ring line between Schlump and Hauptbahnhof or Berliner Tor was no longer able to accommodate additional trains, so there was a need to build another inner-city underground line that connects the two extension routes. From these individual plans, the three planning sections were below Section West , mid section and section East forth that have been implemented in time parallel structurally since 1,962th
Extension of the Eimsbüttel route
The planning section west led from Schlump underground station northwest to Stellingen and provided for the use of the existing branch line to Hellkamp. First of all, there were considerations as to how the unfavorable position of the then Hellkamp terminus and the connection to the Schlump could be changed. Initial plans included another “Brehmweg” stop to solve the problem at the Hellkamp stop , which would have been built 705 m from Hellkamp train station. However, another solution had prevailed: the repeal of the previous terminus and the construction of the Lutterothstrasse stop without the Brehmweg station . The advantage here was that you only had to build a new stop and it would still be in the densely populated part of the Eimsbüttel district. The further route in the direction of Stellingen north of the new train station had meanwhile been finalized in May 1962. The route should run in the cut along Hagenbeckstraße to a planned final stop “Koppelstraße” . The only correction was that the end of the tunnel was built further north. The new terminus was placed at the intersection with a ring road to be built, called Ring 3, and a public destination, and was given the better-known name “ Hagenbeck's Tierpark ”.
Due to the numerous renovation work between Schlump and Hellkamp , the HHA temporarily suspended traffic on the branch line from May 1, 1964 and set up replacement bus services. During this time, the Osterstraße stop was given two side platforms instead of the previous central platform . After the completion of the new Lutterothstrasse stop , the line went back into operation on May 30, 1965 and ran every 5 ( HVZ ) or 10-minute intervals to the main station , so that the ring between Schlump and the main station was more heavily served. A stretch of the former branch line to Rothenburgsort behind the main train station was used as a sweeping route. With the start of the winter timetable on October 30, 1966, the new section to Hagenbeck's zoo and its six-track storage facility behind it could also be put into operation.
New line Berliner Tor - Billstedt
Even after the first plans for a branching out of a branch line to Billstedt from the main train station had failed, the subway connection to Billstedt was not out of sight. It should now be integrated into the new diameter section as a section east . Here, too, as with the western extension of the Eimsbüttel route, construction work began in 1962. The tunnels for the new route to Billstedt could be built using the open construction method along the Geest slope ; the route is open between the Burgstrasse and Hammer Kirche stops and between Legienstrasse and Billstedt in the incision.
On January 2, 1967, the first route clearance of the planning section took place between Berliner Tor and Horner Rennbahn . During the work, the planning received a decisive change: the operation of the full ring line was to be terminated on this opening date. As a result of this, the new section was assigned to the U3 line. This line thus led from Barmbek in a westward direction via Kellinghusenstrasse , St. Pauli and the main train station to Horner Rennbahn . The remaining part of the Ringbahn was incorporated into the newly formed U2 line from Hagenbeck's zoo to Wandsbek-Gartenstadt via the town hall and Barmbek . Reinforced trains coming from Horner Rennbahn ended at the Berliner Tor due to the lack of a downtown section of the new line , so that overloading of the southern ring line was avoided.
On September 24 of the same year, the U3 reached the next new station, Legienstrasse . The stop comprises two open side platforms in the cut, the distance between them increases to the east, as a new depot was planned between the tracks east of it . However, only a large parking facility was implemented from Billstedt station. On September 28, 1969, the extension to Billstedt was approved. This station received four tracks on two central platforms for the incoming and outgoing trains, and because now, in addition to another line extension to Mümmelmannsberg , a branch to Glinde was also being considered. The covered platform area under the bus transfer system is supplemented by a shopping center . But Billstedt was not to remain the final stop of the U3 line for long either: on May 30, 1970, another 1.3 kilometer section was put into operation, which went beyond the original plans for the Stellingen - Billstedt route. From then on, the eastern terminus of the U3 was to be the new Merkenstrasse stop for the next twenty years .
From Schlump through the city center to the Berliner Tor
The third section between Berliner Tor and Schlump through the city center brought with it the highest demands and costs of the three planning parts. The first hurdle was the crossing-free introduction of the new line at Berliner Tor into the existing network. Construction work began on May 14, 1962 in Große Allee on Lindenplatz . The side platforms and the entrance building of the old Berliner Tor stop were to be demolished, because a new four-track underground station with two central platforms was to be built further to the south-west. This demolition work temporarily required wooden makeshift platforms. On May 10, 1964, the northern central platform at the new location of the station could be served; two years later, the southern central platform went into operation. The line changes in the meantime, aimed at the separate operation of the ring sections by two lines, had to be taken into account accordingly in the track arrangements at the Berliner Tor .
The actual route construction for this inner city route began in 1965 both on Georgsplatz and on Karolinenstrasse . The shafts for the shield driving machines were dug here. The entire route had to be built using the shield tunneling method due to the dense development in a deep location. The only exception was the Jungfernstieg stop as a simultaneous intersection with the City S-Bahn below the Inner Alster . It was constructed using the open construction method after the Alster had been sealed off from the construction area by sheet pile walls. The Jungfernstieg stop of the U2 was built with two central platforms, because at that time the numerous underground plans were still expected to open a further line U4 westwards with the possible destination Lurup in the short to medium term .
The inner-city section was then opened to traffic in several steps, which led to the formation of the U21 and U22 lines. Starting on September 29, 1968, the U21 served the eastern ring from Barmbek to the converted Berliner Tor transfer station and on to the new Hauptbahnhof Nord stop . The platform area of the Hauptbahnhof Nord stop with its two central platforms should also accommodate the U4, which should continue in a north-east direction to Sengelmannstraße via Borgweg . On May 31, 1970, when the section between Schlump (below) and Gänsemarkt was put into operation, the U22 shuttle line began, which was a two-car train that only served this short route. On June 3, 1973, the missing middle section between Gänsemarkt and the North Central Station could finally be integrated into the network via the large Jungfernstieg transfer station . This led to changes in the line structure: the U2 took over the new inner-city route and now ran from Hagenbeck's zoo via Jungfernstieg , Berliner Tor and Barmbek to Wandsbek-Gartenstadt . As a result, the U21 and U22 lines lost their provisional function and merged with the U2 line. The U3 kept its route from Barmbek via Schlump and the southern ring and led from Berliner Tor via Billstedt to the then terminus Merkenstrasse . The amplifier trains no longer had to end at the Berliner Tor due to the relief of the ring from the U2 trains . The continuous operation with one line on the complete ring line of the elevated railway was from then on - until 2009 - no longer offered according to the schedule. This led to a crossing-free and thus independent operation of the three underground lines, which has significant advantages in terms of freedom from interference (in contrast to the operation of the S-Bahn lines ).
The U4 in conflict with the S-Bahn
As early as the conception of 1955, the E line was intended to be an underground line between the city center and Lurup . During the construction of the connection Stellingen - Billstedt, the stops Hauptbahnhof Nord and Jungfernstieg received two middle platforms and four tracks as advance payments for a fourth underground line . After the construction of the connection between Stellingen and Billstedt, which was completed in 1973, this route planning, known as the U4, should also be implemented. This line, which runs almost completely in the tunnel, was planned with the following route:
Osdorfer Born - Lurup - Bahrenfeld - Altona - Feldstraße - Neustadt - Jungfernstieg - North Central Station - Uhlenhorst - Borgweg - Sengelmannstraße (- Fuhlsbüttel Airport)
In addition, a possible continuation to Fuhlsbüttel Airport from Sengelmannstrasse was included in the considerations as a supplementary measure.
The project of a city suburban train published by the Deutsche Bundesbahn in mid-1963 was to have a decisive influence on the development of the U4 . Up to this point in time, the S-Bahn comprised two lines that were run together over the connecting line. Since the S-Bahn network was also to be expanded to include new routes, there was a threat of a bottleneck on the connecting line, so that a second S-Bahn trunk line was designed as an underground connection between the main train station and Altona .
After the project was presented, the Federal Railroad could quickly be certain of the approval of the Hanseatic city, as both partners saw the need for a transport association with the integrated S-Bahn component. But the route between the main train station and Altona, which was part of the U4 concept as well as the City S-Bahn, was the trigger for years of ongoing discussions about the connection to Lurup. Nevertheless, according to the proposal of the Senate, in addition to the two S-Bahn lines with the U4, a third connection should continue to be built between the two Hamburg long-distance stations, although with the City S-Bahn of the U4, which was under construction from 1967, only a few development functions in the inner city area remained.
From this situation, the Federal Railroad agreed to support the connection to Lurup; instead of the subway, however, with their mode of transport S-Bahn. Sun was among other things a diameter line between Harburg and Lurup or Ahrensburg and Lurup talking. However, this offer was rejected by the Senate, because they wanted to continue to hold on to a subway connection to Lurup under all circumstances. As a result, the Senate issued an urgent motion in 1973 to demand the construction of the subway between Altona and Lurup in isolated operation without a connection to the existing subway network. The application received a majority despite the controversial island operation.
However, the 1974 general election that followed shortly afterwards led to significant losses for the SPD and a short time later to the resignation of First Mayor Peter Schulz . The renewed coalition of SPD and FDP, now under Hans-Ulrich Klose , aimed to stabilize the city's financial situation through savings. This had numerous consequences for the construction of new high-speed rail lines, including the initially temporary suspension of the U4 project including island operation. The only remaining route concepts were the structural completion of the S-Bahn connections between Altona and the main train station and between the main train station and Harburg . With these developments, an interruption in the expansion phase of the subway already became apparent. Between 1973 and 1979 the subway construction was not continued.
Additions and completions to the route network
New station for the Langenhorn Railway
After new apartments were built in the Ochsenzoll area and the Ochsenzoll and Heidberg hospitals were to be better developed through another stop, the new Kiwittsmoor station was opened on May 10, 1960 after years of discussion . It was subsequently added to the existing line around 1.0 km southeast of Ochsenzoll and 1.7 km north of Langenhorn Nord.
Extension to Garstedt
But changes were also made to the Ochsenzoll terminus with the demolition work on the station building in August 1963. The previous bus stop system was replaced by a low-rise building. In order to improve the transfer connections to the Alsternordbahn and the bus, a pedestrian underpass was built under Langenhorner Chaussee . Furthermore, after the end of construction on September 18, 1964, a sweeping and parking facility was available next to the track system. Since the extension towards Garstedt, which had been planned for some time, was considered to be relatively secure, points have already been laid to connect the new tracks.
However, the actual expansion plans to Garstedt were still struggling. The Garstedt municipality, which was independent until December 31, 1969, was very interested in the underground connection of its area, but the financing was unclear. This problem was solved by the negotiations on the expansion of the Hamburg airport . In the airport expansion contract from 1962, the state of Schleswig-Holstein assured the necessary extension of runway 2 in the Garstedt municipality and in return asked Hamburg to extend the Langenhorn route to the north. Some open questions about financing and planning, for example in relation to the transfer routes to the Alsternordbahn in Garstedt, postponed the start of construction. The Garstedt terminus was originally designed in an open cut, but it did not correspond to Garstedt's ideas for building a shopping center and residential areas. Garstedt explained that required parking spaces would make a tunnel stop necessary, which the elevated railway accepted. After Schleswig-Holstein had to pay more than 3 million DM for the desired solution of introducing the Alsternordbahn via a ramp into a tunnel for a comfortable change to the underground, it was decided to close the underground station in an approximately 560 meter long tunnel erect, but leave the ANB bus stops on the surface.
In 1966, this section of the Alsternordbahn from the Pinneberg district was transferred to the Hanseatic city, in order to lower the line from 1967. After opening at the end of May, regular service to the new Garstedt underground station began on June 1, 1969, every 10 or 20 minutes with every second U1 train. Due to the very good use of the connection from the start, the previously missing second (eastern) track had to be laid. According to this, Garstedt could be reached every five minutes during peak traffic times from December 14th of the same year .
Replacement of the tram by the subway in Niendorf
After the rapid expansion of the underground network, the city's tram network had shrunk to just five lines and 48 kilometers by early 1975, a final decision about this mode of transport had to be made in the mid-1970s. The tram network and its fleet were either financially intensive to modernize or abandoned. On the other hand, the discontinuation of tram routes met with much stronger resistance from the population than in the 1960s.
The report "Investigations into the situation of the tram" of the Hamburger Verkehrsverbund (HVV) from 1975 recommended the closure of the remaining tram routes by the end of 1977 and the replacement by bus routes. But the discontinuation of the still heavily used tram line 2 between Niendorf and the main train station would be difficult to convey. The consequence was that the idea of a subway connection from Niendorf was taken up again. The original plans provided for this route known as the “ Grindellinie ” with a threading out of the U1 at Stephansplatz , which follows Grindelallee and reaches Niendorf via Hoheluft and Lokstedt . This variant would be the direct replacement of the previous tram line 2. Another report published in 1975 advised, however, to expand the lightly loaded U2 to Hagenbeck's zoo in the direction of Niendorf, as this would increase the occupancy rate and would be financially more favorable than the “Grindellinie”.
From autumn 1975 the building authorities of the Hanseatic city started planning the U2 extension. In the meantime, the tram network was continuously reduced, only the Niendorf route was to be maintained until the planning approval decision for the Niendorf underground extension was completed. Due to the small population, the concept only envisaged the further stop Niendorf Markt for the first extension , but the district assembly of Eimsbüttel reached a second station called Hagendeel . They also spoke out in favor of environmental protection for the route in the tunnel, although the development would not justify this.
The planning approval decision followed as early as autumn 1977 and was completed in 1978, as the route leads through a comparatively thin building density. After the last tram line was closed on October 1, 1978, construction began on July 7, 1979. The shell of the 3.42 kilometer long new line was completed at the end of 1983 . On November 5, 1984, the new route was presented to the media, but the underground train was moved by a locomotive. Regular operations only began on June 1, 1985 for both new stops.
The construction of the second section between Niendorf Markt and Niendorf Nord , which began in 1983, was to follow in 1987, but objections from those affected delayed construction. This 2.4-kilometer section with its two intermediate stops Joachim-Mähl-Straße and Schippelsweg is also completely in the tunnel. There is also a parking facility north of the terminus. After the tram had ceased operations in the autumn of 1978, it took until March 9, 1991 for the entire district with the subway extension to Niendorf Nord to have a rail connection again.
The U3 goes to Mümmelmannsberg
In addition to the extension of the U2 to Niendorf, the report from 1975 also explained an extension of the U3 to Mümmelmannsberg , a large housing estate built between 1970 and 1979 in the far east of the city with almost 20,000 inhabitants. As early as 1979 the Senate decided to tackle this proposed expansion of the subway network and to prepare the planning for it. At the beginning of 1983, the planning approval procedure could be started with the building decision , which was completed in spring 1984. The construction work then began on June 20, 1984.
The first concepts for the extension to Mümmelmannsberg comprised a route that was to be removed from the existing route of the U3 at the four-track Billstedt station and to be routed via Kirchsteinbek to Mümmelmannsberg. However, since this route would have affected private property to a considerable extent, it was discarded and a continuation from the previous terminus at Merkenstrasse was preferred. Part of the Mümmelmannsberg underground station was already built as a stopping point in the east-west direction, which, however, could not be used because of this decision.
The section of the route implemented instead measures 1.9 kilometers and runs entirely in the tunnel. The route was mainly prepared in open construction; the shield tunneling method with a knife blade, on the other hand, was used on a 425-meter-long section of the route to the underpass of the A1 motorway . In contrast to the route proposed in 1975, the Steinfurther Allee intermediate station opened up the Kaltenbergen area . The construction costs amounted to around 300 million DM.
Regular operation of the new route with the associated Steinfurther Allee and Mümmelmannsberg stops began on September 29, 1990. The final stop is below Kandinskyallee . To the south of the central platform there is a three-track parking facility, during the construction of which any route extensions towards Allermöhe were taken into account. Right from the start, the station was designed to be handicapped accessible with an elevator. The design is characterized by partially tiled wall surfaces and reflective metal plates and small rabbits in connection with the place name Mümmelmannsberg .
The subway reaches Norderstedt Mitte
After the U1 had already reached Norderstedt urban area with the extension in 1969 to Garstedt , the newly created city center of Norderstedt should also be reached directly by underground without changing to the Alsternordbahn . This expansion was completed on September 9, 1996. Here, the route could be connected to the butt- ending tracks in Garstedt . This lengthened the tunnel in Garstedt to 560 meters. This is followed by an almost level route with the Richtweg stop . The northern end of the U1 line is marked by a 330-meter-long tunnel with the sidings and the new Norderstedt Mitte terminus . Here, underground passengers can change to the AKN trains on the A2 line to Ulzburg on the same platform . This last extension of the U-Bahn to Norderstedt Mitte has replaced the Alsternordbahn, which had previously operated on this route since September 28, 1996, and which was given a provisional replacement route to the west of the original route for the construction of the U-Bahn from 1992. The developer was Verkehrsbetriebe Norderstedt, a subsidiary of Stadtwerke Norderstedt , which also holds the ownership rights to the new subway including the rolling stock. The route network of the subway then comprised a length of around 100.7 kilometers, 42 kilometers of which ran in tunnels. It had 89 stops.
A new line network with four lines
Since the then First Mayor Henning Voscherau presented his ideas on May 7, 1997 for the redesign of more than 100 hectares of free port area close to the city center, there has been a new urban development project of the highest priority in Hamburg: HafenCity .
In order to optimally connect this area to local public transport , new plans for a fourth subway line in Hamburg were taken up. Since the beginning of 2002, investigations have been carried out by the Authority for Construction and Transport, in which 34 different route variants were assessed. The only two routes that were able to withstand the criteria of a new U4 in the investigation were the variants of an extension from the U2 line at Jungfernstieg in a westerly direction or an extension from the U3 line at the town hall in a south-westerly direction with subsequent underground continuation into the HafenCity. In October 2002 the decision was made that the new line at the town hall from the U3 should leave the existing route network underground.
In this context, a route to Bramfeld and Steilshoop , which has been discussed for a long time, should be implemented as a branch route. The U4 was thus given the route Bramfeld - Berliner Tor - Rathaus - HafenCity . Starting from HafenCity, all options for continuing towards Veddel , Wilhelmsburg or even Harburg should remain open.
Line swap 2009
In order to use 120-meter-long trains on the Billstedt line, the sections of the U2 and U3 north and east of the Berliner Tor transfer station were swapped. This led to the redesign of the network under the title "Linientausch 2009": The U2 was swiveled to Mümmelmannsberg , but the U3 has been running again as a ring line with operation of the branch to Wandsbek-Gartenstadt since June 29, 2009 . The primary goal was to be able to use trains with two train parts of the type DT4 (8 cars), corresponding to 120 meters in length, on the busiest route between Billstedt and Berliner Tor (up to 70,000 passengers per day) . This was not possible in the past, as many stops along the old U3 ring line with a platform length of 90 meters are too short and designed for trains with only six DT2 / DT3 cars. There was not enough stock to operate with DT3 vehicles.
The first harbinger of the "2009 line swap" was the change in transfers at the Berliner Tor stop in 2006 . There, the eastbound trains exchanged lines: A U2 train arriving from the North Central Station became the U3 and continued in the direction of Billstedt, a U3 train coming from the South Central Station became the U2 and continued in the direction of Barmbek. This means that the longer trains in the direction of Mümmelmannsberg could theoretically be used at this time , but in practice the old route through the port to Barmbek was used on the return journey from Mümmelmannsberg, and also from Wandsbek-Gartenstadt via Jungfernstieg to Niendorf Nord. Due to this line coupling, both the U2 and the U3 could only be operated from the beginning of 2006 up to and including June 28, 2009 with single DT4 or with 6 DT2 or DT3 cars.
Course of the U2 until 2009
Course of the U3 until 2009
The U4 to HafenCity
In June 2004, the Hochbahn published the news that the U3 line between 2007 and 2010 between Rödingsmarkt and City Hall would not be able to operate due to the construction work on the fourth underground line. In 2011, the U4 was to connect to HafenCity, but planning the Bramfeld branch line would initially be postponed until the route into HafenCity was implemented.
On December 15, 2004, the following change in planning with regard to the U4 reached the public: From now on, the plans were based on the U4 extending out of the U2 from Jungfernstieg . This wanted to avoid possible lawsuits from business people on Mönckebergstrasse . This means that the unused platform sides in Jungfernstieg station are intended for the new U4. The U4 is branching out towards the northwest. The tunnel of the new line then leads in a wide 225-degree arc in a first south and then east direction to the new Überseequartier stop , which is reached after a 3.5 kilometer journey. The construction costs were initially estimated at 298 million euros and later at 323.6 million euros.
The contract for this route between the HHA and the Senate was signed on June 8, 2007. The shield tunneling machine, baptized under the name VERA (“ V on der E lbe R ichtung A lster”) , started work in 2008; the opening date should initially be the first quarter of 2011. In September 2009, with a delay of more than four months, the Jungfernstieg was reached and the shell of the first tunnel tube was completed. Operations should now start in September 2012. In fact, it opened in late November 2012. The U4 line runs the HafenCity University - Überseequartier - Jungfernstieg - Berliner Tor - Billstedt route and thus takes on reinforcement functions for the U2 east of the Jungfernstieg.
On December 6, 2018, the partially above-ground extension to the third HafenCity stop Elbbrücken went into operation. Since December 2019 it has also been possible to change to the S-Bahn there. The new end point is designed in such a way that it can later be extended in the direction of Kleiner Grasbrook and Wilhelmsburg.
literature
- Stephan Benecke and others: The history of the Hamburger Hochbahn. Arbeitsgemeinschaft Blickpunkt Straßenbahn eV, Berlin 1999, ISBN 3-926524-16-2
- Ralf Heinsohn: Schnellbahnen in Hamburg, The history of the S-Bahn and U-Bahn, 1907-2007. Norderstedt 2006, ISBN 3-8334-5181-5
- Joachim Häger, Hans-Jürgen Simmersbach: Hammonia and its subway. Christians-Verlag, Hamburg 1986, ISBN 3-7672-9967-4
- Lutz Achilles, Erwin Möller: 75 years of the Langenhorn Railway. Self-published, Hamburg 1993
- Erich Staisch: Hamburg and its city traffic. Rasch and Röhring Verlag, Hamburg 1989, ISBN 3-89136-279-X
- Ulrich Alexis Christiansen: Hamburg's dark worlds. The mysterious underground of the Hanseatic city. Hamburg 2008, ISBN 3-86153-473-8
Web links
- Private website hochbahnbuch.de on the history of the Hamburg elevated and underground railway by André Loop
- Hamburger-Untergrundbahn.de ( memento from June 9, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) with a very detailed chronicle of the Hamburg subway
- Planning options for the subway since 1901
- Irene Altenmüller: February 15, 1912: Hamburg gets going , pictures of the construction of the subway on NDR.de
- Hochbahn celebrates 100 years of the U-Bahn ( memento from October 7, 2012 in the Internet Archive ), news item from February 15, 2012 with historical footage from the early days of the U-Bahn on NDR.de
Individual evidence
- ↑ http://fredriks.de/hvv/ring/
- ^ Herbert Hussmann: Operations management and equipment of the Hamburg subway. In: Der Stadtverkehr , Issue 1/1970, pp. 14-18, Werner Stock Verlag, Brackwede 1970
- ^ Private website hochbahnbuch.de , Demographie Hamburgs
- ↑ Based on the year 1905, this amount corresponds to around 264,700,000 euros in today's currency, adjusted for purchasing power. The figure was based on the template: Inflation determined, rounded to 100,000 euros and applies to the past January.
- ^ Page of the Hanseatic City of Hamburg with a list of all mayors since 1507 (PDF; 25 kB)
- ↑ Private website with text part of the address for the opening of the Hamburger Hochbahn in 1912
- ↑ Private website on the chronology of the Hamburg subway
- ↑ Private website on historical plans for an elevated railway in the free port
- ↑ Hamburger Abendblatt- Hamburg: Niendorf "closer to the city center. July 6, 1979, accessed on December 5, 2019 (German).
- ^ Hamburger Abendblatt- Hamburg: premiere trip to Niendorf. November 6, 1984, accessed December 5, 2019 (German).
- ^ Hamburger Abendblatt- Hamburg: HVV informs about new U 2. May 23, 1985, accessed on December 5, 2019 (German).
- ↑ NORMAN RAAP: the Road to Niendorf. March 11, 1991, accessed December 5, 2019 (German).
- ^ Hamburger Abendblatt- Hamburg: Start of construction for the U 3 extension. June 21, 1984, accessed December 5, 2019 (German).
- ↑ Robert Schwandl: Hamburg metro & tram album. Robert Schwandl Verlag, Berlin 2004, p. 81
- ^ Hamburger Abendblatt- Hamburg: Free travel for the new route. September 13, 1990, accessed December 5, 2019 (German).
- ↑ Website on the HafenCity project
- ↑ Article in the Hamburger Abendblatt to change the plans for the U4
- ↑ U 4 is 43 million euros more expensive . In: Hamburger Abendblatt , March 22, 2007, for a fee
- ^ [1] DIE WELT from October 17, 2009
- ↑ Mayor officially puts Hamburg's new U4 into operation. nahverkehrhamburg.de, November 28, 2012, accessed April 28, 2013 .
- ↑ HHA press release from June 15, 2007 on the planning of the U4 ( Memento from December 14, 2007 in the Internet Archive )