Wittenberge – Buchholz railway line
The Wittenberge – Buchholz line - also known as the Wittenberge-Buchholzer branch line - was licensed, planned, built and opened in 1874 by the Berlin-Hamburg Railway Company (BHE). It was intended as an additional connection between the metropolises Berlin and Hamburg as well as Bremen , but never achieved the hoped-for significance. The route connected Wittenberge , Dömitz , Dannenberg , Lüneburg and Buchholz and was originally intended to continue to Bremerhaven .
The single-track main line ran through today's federal states of Brandenburg , Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Lower Saxony . At the end of the Second World War, the Elbe bridge in Dömitz was destroyed. The Wittenberge – Dömitz section in the Soviet occupation zone was dismantled in 1947 as a reparation payment . This interrupted the continuous connection; as a result, other sections of the line were shut down.
Today two sections are still in operation. The longer of the two between Lüneburg and Dannenberg in Wendland is known today as the "Wendlandbahn", the shorter from Buchholz to Jesteburg was part of the western connection to the Maschen marshalling yard .
history
Planning and construction of the route
The line was planned and built by the Berlin-Hamburg Railway Company (BHE), which in 1870 granted the concession for a connection from Wittenberge on the Berlin – Hamburg line via Dömitz and Dannenberg to Lüneburg on the Hanover – Hamburg line and on to Buchholz on the Wanne-Eickel – Hamburg line .
The original considerations provided for an extension to Bremerhaven, which would enable long-distance traffic from Berlin to another North Sea port and the route would have come into direct competition with the more southern American line from Stendal to Bremen; In addition, strategic military reasons were also decisive for this planning.
Due to its intended supraregional importance as a double-track main line, the line went into operation on December 15, 1873 with the first section from Wittenberge to Dömitz. After the completion of the Elbe bridge, rail traffic to Göhrde could be started on November 26, 1874 . A train station of its own was built in Lüneburg (today Lüneburg West ), but the continuous route construction ended in Buchholz. Since the priorities had changed, the section to Bremerhaven was no longer realized.
As an independent connection, it was built as the Bremerhaven – Buxtehude railway about 30 years later via Harsefeld and Bremervörde . This completed the connection between the Reich capital and the North Sea port from 1902 onwards, but continuous passenger or freight traffic between the two cities was never carried out via this route.
After the nationalization of the until then private railway companies, competitive thinking was lost, besides the main line of the Berlin-Hamburg railway and the American line there was no need for a further long-distance route to the North Sea ports; the main reason for the preservation was now only the strategic military importance.
Only now did the will to develop the region emerge, the route received additional stops in Jesteburg , Brackel , Tangendorf and Bahlburg and thus gained mainly regional importance. In 1939 only five continuous pairs of trains ran from Wittenberge to Lüneburg, supplemented by a pair of express trains from Rostock to Uelzen. The second track, which had only been laid on the Elbe bridge, was also dismantled there.
Second World War
Allied air raids in World War II suggest that the route was given special importance. In such an incident on February 22, 1945, the Dannenberg city center was partially destroyed, while the railway bridge over the Jeetzel remained almost undamaged. On April 20, 1945 at around 4 p.m., the Dömitzer Elbe Bridge was hit by an American aerial bomb. The eastern pillar of the river next to the swing bridge was so badly damaged that a superstructure fell into the river . The continuous connection between Dömitz and Dannenberg was thus permanently interrupted, the bridge was never rebuilt.
Development from 1945
Section Wittenberge – Dannenberg
Until 1947 there was still train service between Wittenberge and Dömitz, then the connection was dismantled as a reparation payment for the Soviet Union . On the western side, the track between the bridge and Dannenberg was used to park damaged wagons until the early 1970s, when it was also removed. The section Wittenberge – Dömitz is partly used as a cycle path. The entire route can still be seen very well on aerial photographs.
Section Dannenberg – Lüneburg
For the small towns of Rohstorf, Dumstorf, Neetzendorf, Oldendorf, Harlingen and Pisselberg, new stops have been set up for operation with rail buses. In 1997 saw LNVG nor a cancellation of this section SPNV ago. Instead, the route should only be served by buses. Since the route was upgraded by the federal government because of its importance for the Gorleben interim storage facility , the cancellation of the offer could be averted. The line speed and the frequency of use can only be increased with investments. However, there is no sufficient demand potential for this measure. By increasing the top speed of the route from 60 to 80 km / h and closing three stops (Wendisch Evern, Neetzendorf and Leitstade), the travel time is to be reduced to 55 minutes, which will enable the frequency to be increased to a two-hour cycle without additional circulation. The costs should amount to 13 million euros, a realization date has not yet been set.
Section Lüneburg – Buchholz
Even after the Second World War, the Lüneburg – Buchholz section of the route remained of local importance, which was mainly limited to the development of the neighboring communities. As an east-west connection in a region characterized by north-south traffic, it lost, like many lines of the Deutsche Bundesbahn , its passenger traffic before reunification. The cessation of freight traffic and the closure followed, only a small part of the line could survive as part of a newly built freight bypass .
Infrastructure
While initially only the stations Marxen , Wulfsen and Mechtersen were present who got breakpoints Jesteburg and Brackel later sidings and obtained by request station status. Tangendorf and Bahlburg had a loading siding and were operational stops. After the Second World War, the Reindorf (near Buchholz / Nordheide), Vögelsen, Ochtmissen and Sternkamp (on the outskirts of Lüneburg) were opened. In this way, the Federal Railroad wanted to make the route more attractive in times of increasing motorization . At the end of the 1960s, numerous level crossings were equipped with flashing lights.
With the cessation of passenger traffic in 1981, the remaining Wulfsen and Mechtersen signal boxes were dismantled and the points were fitted with hand levers. Mechtersen was also only temporarily occupied and has now been relegated to a junction . In addition, from then on all of the turn signal systems on the route were no longer serviced or converted to manual operation. Brackel already lost its staff in the 1970s when the station was downgraded to a stop. In 1988 the line between Marxen and Mechtersen was closed, but the Marxen – Wulfsen section had not been used since 1981. In 1990, the tracks were dismantled between Brackel and Tangendorf until shortly after Tangendorf in the direction of Wulfsen. The remaining branch lines Abzw Jesteburg – Marxen and Mechtersen – Lüneburg were closed in 1994. In 1997 the connection point in Jesteburg was expanded, so that the branch point became a transfer point (Üst). In 2000, all remaining track systems between Üst Jesteburg and Lüneburg were removed within a few days.
business
Since the 1950s, Uerdingen rail buses replaced the steam locomotive-hauled carriage trains. Not all trains traveled the whole route, especially Wulfsen was often the start and end station of some pairs of trains. For travelers between Buchholz and Lüneburg, it was quicker anyway to take the detour via Hamburg-Harburg .
Finally, in 1981, rail passenger traffic was completely discontinued and replaced by the newly established Buchholz – Lüneburg bus line (line number 1908, today 4408/5202). The newly built platforms in Jesteburg and Reindorf were only used for a few years. In the course of regionalization , responsibility for the bus route was transferred from the federal government to the two districts of Harburg and Lüneburg . A little later it was broken in Wulfsen and the timetable in the border area between the two districts was thinned out considerably.
The route was only of local importance in freight transport. Occasionally, however, it was also used by continuous trains to avoid the detour via Hamburg-Harburg. Bahlburg and Tangendorf were the first to lose their freight traffic, later Jesteburg and Brackel followed, and on May 24, 1988, freight traffic between Mechtersen and Marxen was completely stopped. Mechtersen was served by transfer freight trains from Lüneburg and Marxen until May 28, 1994 from Jesteburg until April 28, 1994 . In addition, the Jesteburg – Marxen junction was closed until 1997, e.g. B. in the course of the track renewal of the freight bypass in 1996/1997, used as a passing point for work and construction trains.
Buchholz – Maschen freight bypass
In 1977 Europe's largest marshalling yard was opened in Maschen along the Hanover – Hamburg line. The taxiway to Bremen and the Ruhr area already branches off further north, so that freight trains traveling from Maschen in the direction of Bremen would have to go crazy in Harburg . In order to avoid changing the direction of travel and to relieve the main line between Harburg and Buchholz, a freight bypass railway was built that leaves Maschen in a southerly direction and leads to Buchholz. The existing eight-kilometer section between Jesteburg and Buchholz was fundamentally renewed, two-track expanded and electrified . Together with the newly built Jesteburg – Maschen section, it now bears the VzG route number 1280.
About two kilometers east of the Jesteburg train station, the Jesteburg branch to the new line to Maschen with a new relay interlocking was built . In the course of the double-track expansion, the Jesteburg station was dismantled to the stop and, like Reindorf, got new outer platforms . The mechanical signal box in Marxen, which was located in the station building, was dismantled, the points and the newly installed light signals are operated by the line signal box Jf , which is still in operation today, but is remotely controlled from Buchholz (Nordheide).
The freight bypass is now used for freight traffic as a direct connection between the southern end of the marshalling yard in the (south) west direction. On Saturday and Sunday, the route will also be used by the RB 38 line, which will be extended from Buchholz to Harburg on these days.
Current operation
The 53-kilometer section between Dannenberg Ost and Lüneburg, which is still in operation today, is now classified as a non-electrified branch line and is also known as the "Wendlandbahn".
In passenger traffic, this section has the timetable number 112 and is part of the Hamburg transport network as the regional train line RB 32 . Due to the lack of barriers at most level crossings, the maximum speed is 60 km / h, which results in a total travel time of over an hour. The route is only used every three hours. Since December 14, 2014, the route has been operated by the Soltau-based railway company erixx with Lint 54 railcars .
A total of five pairs of trains run between Lüneburg and Dannenberg Ost from Monday to Friday, and four pairs of trains on Sundays and public holidays. Only in the night from Saturday to Sunday is no railcar parked in Dannenberg Ost. After the last train arrives in Dannenberg Ost at 9:48 p.m., the railcar is driven from track 1 via track 2 to the Castor reloading station and parked there overnight. About 30 minutes before the first train leaves at 6:11 a.m., the railcar is driven from the Castor transfer station to the station.
For the cultural country party in May 2016, two trains from erixx were in use on a total of six days, and they ran every two hours. On Ascension Day , May 5, 2016, two trains each with two class 622 (LINT 54) railcars were used. On the following weekend (May 7th and 8th) a train with two class 622 multiple units and a train with two class 648 multiple units (LINT 41) were deployed between Lüneburg and Dannenberg Ost. There were also two trains running every two hours over Whitsun (May 14-16, 2016). During this time, train crossings took place regularly in Dahlenburg station.
In freight traffic, only Castor containers with radioactive waste are transported over the route , which are transferred to road vehicles at a transshipment facility at the end of the tracks one kilometer east of the Dannenberg Ost train station for onward transport to the Gorleben nuclear waste storage facility . Due to blockades by opponents of nuclear power and police operations, passenger traffic is suspended during the Castor transports. The other freight traffic is discontinued.
The Buchholz – Maschen section has also had passenger traffic on the weekends since December 2018. The RB38 trains are extended from Buchholz to Hamburg-Harburg via the freight bypass.
Planning
Passenger traffic in the greater Hamburg area
Since the route is located in the southern Hamburg area and the local communities are recording a steady increase in population, reactivation for passenger transport was discussed more often in local politics in the 1990s and 2000s. In view of the scarce financial resources and lack of interest from the country, it seemed unlikely so far.
The use of the freight railway Maschen-Buchholz for passenger traffic including the reconstruction of the Jesteburg and Reindorf stops and the construction of a new stop in Ramelsloh failed both due to internal party differences at the municipal level and for financial reasons. In 2013, the Lower Saxony Ministry of Transport examined possible route reactivations nationwide. In October 2013 the ministry announced a list of 28 routes that would be shortlisted, including Buchholz – Maschen. The planned extension of the Heidebahn Hanover – Buchholz to Hamburg-Harburg achieved a positive economic viability, due to the heavy load on freight traffic, reactivation is currently only possible to a limited extent.
A reactivation to Lüneburg is a long way off due to the dismantling of all track systems in 2000, the construction of the route in two communities in the Harburg district and their filling instead of a bridge in Ochtmissen. In the municipality of Brackel, too, the trough was used to fill up with over 16,000 m³ of soil materials from various origins. It was not included in the reactivation investigation from the start. Some municipalities are currently considering an urban use of the former railway area, which makes reactivating the entire route almost impossible. In 2007, the municipality of Vögelsen created a narrow walking and cycling path on its territory, from Vögelsen to Mechtersen, after buying up the railway line and land. The Harburg and Lüneburg associations of the General German Bicycle Club (ADFC) propose to convert the route into a bicycle route from Buchholz to Lüneburg.
An independent citizens' initiative has been founded as an association (since April 21, 2018 as BI BB Landschaftsradweg Veloroute Buchholzer Bahn eV (AG Lüneburg VR 201632) based in Lüneburg). This is in negotiations with the buyers after June 14, 2019 to implement nature and landscape protection issues in connection with this new infrastructure measure in the region.
Reactivation of the entire route as an alternative to the Y route
The Verkehrsclub Deutschland (VCD) with its regional association Elbe-Heide recommends reactivating the route together with a new line from the Port of Hamburg to Buchholz and newly built bypasses as an alternative to the Y-route and for seaport hinterland traffic to the planned freight train corridor east, which extends from Stendal to Wittenberge shall be.
This alternative solution was vigorously discussed in the public Dialog Forum Schiene Nord (DSN) of the State of Lower Saxony with Deutsche Bahn AG in Celle in 2015 and ultimately rejected.
This revitalization was ultimately ruled out after settlements in the proposed route (Wulfsen and Mechtersen stations = "living on the track") and in the reactivation of the Veloroute through further auction on June 14, 2019 and sale of the route sections including the monuments. The last areas of the railway line will be deedicated after they have been completely robbed between Marxen and Lüneburg. The route of the Buchholzer Bahn was also deleted from the regional planning programs (RROP) of the Harburg and Lüneburg districts. The power line of 20 KV in DB intervals from the DB substation in Lüneburg-Zeltberg to the west of Mechtersen remains and is needed.
The bicycle route but take the old roadbed of the track line guides and a water-bound bike lane in Makadamaufbau (Sabalith compression) and lighting, also SOLMOVE-road elements to record.
literature
- Dietmar Ramuschkat: Berlin – Bremen via Wittenberge – Lüneburg – Buchholz. A railway line is created . videel, Niebüll 2002, ISBN 3-89906-316-3
- Wolfgang Fiegenbaum, Wolfgang Klee: Farewell to the rails, disused railway lines in passenger traffic in Germany 1980–1985 . P. 22 ff, Motorbuch, Stuttgart 1988, ISBN 3-613-01191-3
- Railway Atlas Germany, edition 2009/2010 . Verlag Schweers + Wall GmbH, Cologne 2009, ISBN 978-3-89494-139-0
Web links
- Dömitzer Eisenbahnbrücke on geschichtsspuren.de (formerly lostplaces.de)
- 1958 - From Lüneburg to Wendland: the Kbs 109h on db58.de
- Former route Lüneburg – Buchholz on www.spurkranz.de
Individual evidence
- ↑ DB Netze - Infrastructure Register
- ↑ Railway Atlas Germany . 9th edition. Schweers + Wall, Aachen 2014, ISBN 978-3-89494-145-1 .
- ↑ LNVG, SPNV-Konzept 2013+, pp. 142–143 ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Ingo Petersen: Railway line to Dannenberg: Expansion takes time. In: landeszeitung.de. June 23, 2017. Retrieved January 22, 2019 .
- ↑ Press release from LNVG on the new operator erixx ( Memento of the original from November 13, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , December 19, 2012.
- ↑ Reactivation of railway lines - Transport Minister Olaf Lies: 28 lines are in the second round , press release of the Lower Saxony State Ministry for Economic Affairs, Labor and Transport of October 23, 2013, accessed on December 9, 2013
- ^ MW Lower Saxony: reactivation of railway lines , accessed on May 6, 2015.
- ^ Ministry of Transport plans to reactivate railway lines , press release of the Lower Saxony State Ministry for Economic Affairs, Labor and Transport from August 6, 2013, accessed on December 9, 2013
- ^ ADFC district association Harburg: Project Buchholzer Bahn
- ^ ADFC district association Lüneburg: Project Buchholzer Bahn
- ^ NDR: Verkehrsclub proposes an alternative to the Y-route. ( Memento from December 13, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Dr. Carsten Hein: Development potential of the railway infrastructure in the seaport hinterland Lower Saxony as an alternative "Y-route". , VCD opinion, September 2014.
