Lehrte–Nordstemmen railway
Encyclopedia
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The Lehrte-Nordstemmen railway is a continuous double track, electrified main line railway in the German state of Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
. It connects the railway junction of Lehrte
Lehrte
Lehrte is a town in the district of Hanover, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approximately 17 km east of Hanover. Lehrte is a picturesque town with a population of 45,000 and a modern infrastructure, combined with local culture and an interesting history.-History:The first documented...
with Hildesheim
Hildesheim Hauptbahnhof
is the Hauptbahnhof of the German city Hildesheim. It is used by trains of Deutsche Bahn and Euro Rail. Trains stopping in Hildesheim are Hanover S-Bahn services, regional services and the hourly Intercity-Express trains running between Frankfurt am Main and Berlin .-History:The first Hildesheim...
and Nordstemmen
Nordstemmen
Nordstemmen is a village and a municipality in the district of Hildesheim, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the river Leine, approx. 10 km west of Hildesheim, and 25 km south of Hanover.-External links:...
, where it connects with the Hanoverian Southern Railway. The section from Lehrte to Hildesheim opened in 1842 and is one of the oldest lines in Germany.
History
The Lehrte–Hildesheim line was the southern branch of the cross railway built by the Royal Hanoverian State RailwaysRoyal Hanoverian State Railways
The Royal Hanoverian State Railways existed from 1843 until the annexation of the Kingdom of Hanover by the Kingdom of Prussia in 1866...
(German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
: Königlich Hannöverschen Staatseisenbahnen), along with the east-west arms (the Hanover–Brunswick line) and the northern arm (the Lehrte–Celle line
Lehrte–Celle railway
The Lehrte–Celle railway is a main line in the east of Hanover Region in Germany. It links the railway hub of Lehrte with the town of Celle, where it connects to the present-day Hanover–Hamburg railway...
). It was opened on 12 July 1846. The previously insignificant town of Lehrte became a railway junction, as a result of the scepticism of King Ernst August I
Ernest Augustus I of Hanover
Ernest Augustus I was King of Hanover from 20 June 1837 until his death. He was the fifth son and eighth child of George III, who reigned in both the United Kingdom and Hanover...
concerning railways and his opposition to substantial railway facilities in the city of Hanover.
His son George V
George V of Hanover
George V was King of Hanover, the only child of Ernest Augustus I, and a grandchild of King George III of the United Kingdom. In the peerage of Great Britain, he was 2nd Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale, 2nd Earl of Armagh...
was more supportive of railways. In 1853 the first section of the Hanoverian Southern Railway opened from Hanover to Alfeld
Alfeld
For the town in the district of Nürnberger Land, see Alfeld, Bavaria.Alfeld is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located on the Leine river in the district of Hildesheim and on the German Framework Road.-History and main sights:...
. A connecting line was opened on 15 September 1853 from Hildesheim to a station at Nordstemmen
Nordstemmen
Nordstemmen is a village and a municipality in the district of Hildesheim, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the river Leine, approx. 10 km west of Hildesheim, and 25 km south of Hanover.-External links:...
adjacent to the Southern Railway. This originally single-track line was duplicated in 1875 by the Hanover-Altenbeken Railway Company
Hanover-Altenbeken Railway Company
The Hanover-Altenbekener Railway Company was among the companies of the German "railway king" Bethel Henry Strousberg. Its route network at the end of the first phase consisted of two lines, Hanover–Altenbeken and Weetzen–Haste . In addition, a branch line was opened from Linden-Küchengarten to...
(German: Hannover-Altenbekener Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft) as part of a project to continue its Elze–Löhne railway to the east through Hildesheim to Vienenburg
Vienenburg
Vienenburg is a town in the district of Goslar, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the north of the Harz mountain range on the river Oker, approx. northeast of Goslar...
.
After the Hanoverian Southern Railway was extended to Kassel in 1856, it was possible to operate from Harburg through Celle
Celle
Celle is a town and capital of the district of Celle, in Lower Saxony, Germany. The town is situated on the banks of the River Aller, a tributary of the Weser and has a population of about 71,000...
, Lehrte and Hildesheim to Kassel
Kassel
Kassel is a town located on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Kassel Regierungsbezirk and the Kreis of the same name and has approximately 195,000 inhabitants.- History :...
and Frankfurt. This line was mainly used by freight trains; passenger trains went through Hanover. The opening of the Hannover freight rail bypass in 1909 made the Southern Railway available for freight traffic to the south.
The Lehrte–Hildesheim line also encouraged the opening of several potash
Potash
Potash is the common name for various mined and manufactured salts that contain potassium in water-soluble form. In some rare cases, potash can be formed with traces of organic materials such as plant remains, and this was the major historical source for it before the industrial era...
mines.
The Nordstemmen–Lehrte line was electrified on 29 May 1965.
Realignment in Lehrte
The historic route left Lehrte station just after the platforms and went directly south. The station was handicapped by a level crossing affecting north-south and east-west traffic. Therefore, in 1990 the line from Hildesheim between Lehrte and SehndeSehnde
Sehnde is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located approx. 15 kilometres southeast of Hanover.-History:Sehnde was formed in 1974 by combining fifteen autonomous villages which belonged to three different districts: Bilm, Bolzum, Dolgen, Evern, Gretenberg, Haimar, Hoever, Ilten, Klein Lobke,...
was moved well to the east, now leaving from a new junction with the lines from Brunswick and Wolfsburg. As a result the Lehrte-Nordstemmen line became longer by about two kilometres. Further development of the node occurred in 2008 at Lehrte with the opening at a grade-separated route for traffic between Celle and Hildesheim, which passes over the passenger tracks between Lehrte and Wolfsburg.
Route
The line originally ran in an almost straight line between Lehrte and Hildesheim. Since the early 1990s, it leaves the Hanover-Brunnswick line at Lehrte in an easterly direction. It makes a curve of almost 180 degrees to the west and meets the old route south of Lehrte. It then goes south across mostly flat terrain through Sehnde, AlgermissenAlgermissen
Algermissen is a village and a municipality in the district of Hildesheim, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approx. 12 km north of Hildesheim, and 20 km southeast of Hanover...
and Harsum
Harsum
Harsum is a village and a municipality in the district of Hildesheim, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approx. 6 km north of Hildesheim, and 25 km southeast of Hanover....
, where it approached Hildesheim station
Hildesheim Hauptbahnhof
is the Hauptbahnhof of the German city Hildesheim. It is used by trains of Deutsche Bahn and Euro Rail. Trains stopping in Hildesheim are Hanover S-Bahn services, regional services and the hourly Intercity-Express trains running between Frankfurt am Main and Berlin .-History:The first Hildesheim...
from the east. The line then goes due west to Nordstemmen. Since 1991, it has crossed the Hanover–Würzburg high-speed line to which it is connected to and from the south by the Hildesheim loop. Since 1893 at the end of the line there has also been a single-track connecting curve to the north, connecting with the Hanoverian Southern Railway at Barnten station.
Current operations
Since 14 December 2008, Hanover S-BahnHanover S-Bahn
The Hanover S-Bahn is an S-Bahn network operated by DB Regio in the area of Hanover in the German state capital of Lower Saxony...
line S3 has operated on the line between Lehrte and Hildesheim and S-Bahn line S4 (from Bennemühlen and Hanover) has operated over the line between Barnten and Hildesheim, in place of the previous Regionalbahn
RegionalBahn
The Regionalbahn is a type of local passenger train in Germany.-Service:Regionalbahn trains usually call at all stations on a given line, with the exception of RB trains within S-Bahn networks, these may only call at selected stations...
service. This meant that the intermediate stations had to be rebuilt. On the Barnten–Hildesheim route Regional-Express trains also operate to the Harz
Harz
The Harz is the highest mountain range in northern Germany and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. The name Harz derives from the Middle High German word Hardt or Hart , latinized as Hercynia. The legendary Brocken is the highest summit in the Harz...
. On the Nordstemmen–Hildesheim route, Eurobahn trains operate every hour. With the long-distance trains operating over the line between the Hildesheim loop and Hildesheim, this section of this line is well used.