Saal Railway
Encyclopedia
The Saal Railway is a 153 kilometre-long double-track main line in the German state of Thuringia
. It connects the Thuringian Railway at Großheringen
(near Naumburg
) with the Franconian Forest Railway
at (Frankenwaldbahn) at Saalfeld and is part of the north-south main line, Munich
–Nuremberg
–Halle / Leipzig
–Berlin
. It is electrified
at 15 kV. 16.7 Hz.
|}
valley date from 1850. In particular, the university town of Jena
sought to connect to the emerging railway network. However, the conflicting interests of the affected Thuringian states
for a long time prevented the implementation of these plans. The signing of a treaty of 8 October 1870 was signed between Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
, Saxe-Meiningen
, Saxe-Altenburg
and Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
allowed the granting of a concession on 3 April 1871 to the newly formed Saal Railway Company (Saal-Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft) to build and operate a railway line from Großheringen to Saalfeld via Jena and Rudolstadt
. On 30 April 1874 the line was formally opened.
Three months later, on 14 August 1874, the Peppermint Railway (Pfefferminzbahn) was opened from Großheringen via Sömmerda
to Straußfurt
by the Nordhausen–Erfurt Railway Company.
At first the Saal line was only a route of regional importance, connecting at Großheringen with the Thuringian Railway from Bebra
through Erfurt
to Weissenfels. The north-south mainline at Weißenfels connected to Saalfeld via Gera
(the Weißenfels–Zeitz and Leipzig–Probstzella lines). Economic difficulties and pressure from Prussia
led to the railway being sold to the Prussian government in 1895 and becoming part of the Royal Railway Administration of Erfurt (Reichsbahndirektion Erfurt). In 1899, an eastern connection to the Thuringian railway was opened enabling Großheringen to be avoided. This meant that the route for services between Weissenfels and Saalfeld were now about 25 kilometres shorter than via Gera. As a result, the Saal line together with the Franconian Forest Railway
became one of the major north-south routes in Germany. Between 1936 and 1939 Class SVT 137
high-speed streamlined diesel train sets connected Berlin
to Munich
or Stuttgart
, on the Saal line, reaching an average speed on it of 95 km / h. Between 1935 to mid 1941, the line was electrified and thus connected to the electrified networks in central and southern Germany.
Five years later, all components of the electrical equipment and the second line were removed as part of reparations
to the Soviet Union
following World War II
. Because of the division of Germany, the line lost its importance as a north-south runway during the next four decades, but remained important for the Saale valley with Saalfeld retaining a significant freight yard. The border crossing at Probstzella
was one of eight lines used by interzone trains running to and from West Germany
, using the Saal line. The northern section of the line to Camburg
was re-electrified in 1967 and by 1981, the line had been rebuilt as a two-track line. Following German reunification
in 1990, the Saale Railway has grown to be an important mainline railway connecting central Germany and southern Germany again. Its electrification was completed by 1995 and further work on its restoration was completed in 2005. New high-speed
lines, due to be completed in 2017, are being built to the west of the Saale line via Erfurt
: the Leipzig/Halle–Erfurt and the Erfurt–Nuremberg lines. These lines will release capacity on the Saale line for slower trains. As of 2007 an ICE takes 53 minutes to cover the 85-kilometer section between Naumburg and Saalfeld, corresponding to an average speed of 96 km/h.
river. Although the line is built through a hilly region it contains no tunnels. The height difference between Großheringen and Saalfeld is 99 metres, the maximum grade is 0.5%. Since the route follows the winding course of the Saale, the smallest radius of a curve is 450 metres and the sections where the maximum speed of 120 km / h can be achieved are relatively short.
Thuringia
The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....
. It connects the Thuringian Railway at Großheringen
Großheringen
Großheringen is a municipality in the Weimarer Land district of Thuringia, Germany....
(near Naumburg
Naumburg
Naumburg is a town in Germany, on the Saale River. It is in the district Burgenlandkreis in the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt. It is approximately southwest of Leipzig, south-southwest of Halle, and north-northeast of Jena....
) with the Franconian Forest Railway
Franconian Forest Railway
The Franconian Forest Railway , route no. KBS 840, is an 88 kilometre long, electrified, double-tracked main line from Lichtenfels via Kronach to Saalfeld. It is part of the Munich–Nuremberg–Bamberg–Jena–Halle/Leipzig–Berlin trunk route...
at (Frankenwaldbahn) at Saalfeld and is part of the north-south main line, Munich
München Hauptbahnhof
Munich Central Station is the main railway station of the city of Munich in Germany. It is one of the three long distance train stations in Munich, the others being München-Pasing and München Ost. The station sees about 350,000 passengers a day, which puts it on par with other large stations in...
–Nuremberg
Nürnberg Hauptbahnhof
Nuremberg Central Station is the main railway station for the city of Nuremberg in Germany. It is the largest station in north Bavaria and belongs to the 20 stations in the highest category of importance allocated by DB Station&Service....
–Halle / Leipzig
Leipzig Hauptbahnhof
is, at 83,460 m², Europe's largest railway station when measured by floor area. It has 24 platforms housed in six iron trainsheds; a multi-level concourse with towering stone arches; and a 293 metre-long facade...
–Berlin
Berlin Hauptbahnhof
' , is the main railway station in Berlin, Germany. It began full operation two days after a ceremonial opening on 26 May 2006. It is located on the site of the historic Lehrter Bahnhof, and until it opened as a main line station, it was a stop on the Berlin S-Bahn suburban railway temporarily...
. It is electrified
Railway electrification system
A railway electrification system supplies electrical energy to railway locomotives and multiple units as well as trams so that they can operate without having an on-board prime mover. There are several different electrification systems in use throughout the world...
at 15 kV. 16.7 Hz.
|}
History
Local committees supporting the building a railway line through SaaleSaale
The Saale, also known as the Saxon Saale and Thuringian Saale , is a river in Germany and a left-bank tributary of the Elbe. It is not to be confused with the smaller Franconian Saale, a right-bank tributary of the Main, or the Saale in Lower Saxony, a tributary of the Leine.-Course:The Saale...
valley date from 1850. In particular, the university town of Jena
Jena
Jena is a university city in central Germany on the river Saale. It has a population of approx. 103,000 and is the second largest city in the federal state of Thuringia, after Erfurt.-History:Jena was first mentioned in an 1182 document...
sought to connect to the emerging railway network. However, the conflicting interests of the affected Thuringian states
Thuringian states
The Thuringian states refers to the following German federal states within the German Reich:*The Grand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach *The duchies of Saxe-Altenburg, Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Saxe-Meiningen...
for a long time prevented the implementation of these plans. The signing of a treaty of 8 October 1870 was signed between Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
The Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach was created in 1809 by the merger of the Ernestine duchies of Saxe-Weimar and Saxe-Eisenach. It was raised to a Grand duchy in 1815 by resolution of the Vienna Congress. In 1877, it officially changed its name to the Grand Duchy of Saxony , but this name was...
, Saxe-Meiningen
Saxe-Meiningen
The Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen was one of the Saxon duchies held by the Ernestine line of the Wettin dynasty, located in the southwest of the present-day German state of Thuringia....
, Saxe-Altenburg
Saxe-Altenburg
Saxe-Altenburg was one of the Saxon duchies held by the Ernestine branch of the Wettin dynasty in present-day Thuringia.-History:The duchy originated from the medieval Burgraviate of Altenburg in the Imperial Pleissnerland , a possession of the Wettin Margraves of Meissen since 1243...
and Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt was a small historic state in present-day Thuringia, Germany with its capital at Rudolstadt.-History:Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt was established in 1599 in the course of a resettlement of Schwarzburg dynasty lands...
allowed the granting of a concession on 3 April 1871 to the newly formed Saal Railway Company (Saal-Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft) to build and operate a railway line from Großheringen to Saalfeld via Jena and Rudolstadt
Rudolstadt
Rudolstadt is a town in the German Bundesland of Thuringia, close to the Thuringian Forest to the southwest, and to Jena and Weimar to the north....
. On 30 April 1874 the line was formally opened.
Three months later, on 14 August 1874, the Peppermint Railway (Pfefferminzbahn) was opened from Großheringen via Sömmerda
Sömmerda
Sömmerda is a town near Erfurt in Thuringia, Germany, on the Unstrut river. It is the capital of the district of Sömmerda.-History:Archeological digs in the area that is now Sömmerda, formerly Leubingen, have uncovered prominently buried human remains dating to around 2000 BCE...
to Straußfurt
Straußfurt
Straußfurt is a municipality in the Sömmerda district of Thuringia, Germany....
by the Nordhausen–Erfurt Railway Company.
At first the Saal line was only a route of regional importance, connecting at Großheringen with the Thuringian Railway from Bebra
Bebra
Bebra is a small town in Hersfeld-Rotenburg district in northeastern Hesse, Germany.-Location:Bebra lies some 45 km south of Kassel on the Fulda. The town is easy to find on most maps thanks to its prominent location on the Fuldaknie...
through Erfurt
Erfurt
Erfurt is the capital city of Thuringia and the main city nearest to the geographical centre of Germany, located 100 km SW of Leipzig, 150 km N of Nuremberg and 180 km SE of Hannover. Erfurt Airport can be reached by plane via Munich. It lies in the southern part of the Thuringian...
to Weissenfels. The north-south mainline at Weißenfels connected to Saalfeld via Gera
Gera
Gera, the third-largest city in the German state of Thuringia , lies in east Thuringia on the river Weiße Elster, approximately 60 kilometres to the south of the city of Leipzig and 80 kilometres to the east of Erfurt...
(the Weißenfels–Zeitz and Leipzig–Probstzella lines). Economic difficulties and pressure from Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
led to the railway being sold to the Prussian government in 1895 and becoming part of the Royal Railway Administration of Erfurt (Reichsbahndirektion Erfurt). In 1899, an eastern connection to the Thuringian railway was opened enabling Großheringen to be avoided. This meant that the route for services between Weissenfels and Saalfeld were now about 25 kilometres shorter than via Gera. As a result, the Saal line together with the Franconian Forest Railway
Franconian Forest Railway
The Franconian Forest Railway , route no. KBS 840, is an 88 kilometre long, electrified, double-tracked main line from Lichtenfels via Kronach to Saalfeld. It is part of the Munich–Nuremberg–Bamberg–Jena–Halle/Leipzig–Berlin trunk route...
became one of the major north-south routes in Germany. Between 1936 and 1939 Class SVT 137
DRG Class SVT 137
The DRG Class SVT 137 was a class of streamlined diesel train sets of the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft and later of the Deutsche Bundesbahn and the Deutsche Reichsbahn...
high-speed streamlined diesel train sets connected Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
to Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
or Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
, on the Saal line, reaching an average speed on it of 95 km / h. Between 1935 to mid 1941, the line was electrified and thus connected to the electrified networks in central and southern Germany.
Five years later, all components of the electrical equipment and the second line were removed as part of reparations
War reparations
War reparations are payments intended to cover damage or injury during a war. Generally, the term war reparations refers to money or goods changing hands, rather than such property transfers as the annexation of land.- History :...
to the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
following World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Because of the division of Germany, the line lost its importance as a north-south runway during the next four decades, but remained important for the Saale valley with Saalfeld retaining a significant freight yard. The border crossing at Probstzella
Probstzella
Probstzella is a municipality in the district Saalfeld-Rudolstadt, in Thuringia, Germany.-History:Between 1945 and 1990 Probstzella station served as East German inner German border crossing for rail transport...
was one of eight lines used by interzone trains running to and from West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
, using the Saal line. The northern section of the line to Camburg
Camburg
Camburg is a town in the Saale-Holzland district, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated on the river Saale, 18 km northeast of Jena, and 13 km southwest of Naumburg. Since 1 December 2008, it is part of the town Dornburg-Camburg....
was re-electrified in 1967 and by 1981, the line had been rebuilt as a two-track line. Following German reunification
German reunification
German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The start of this process is commonly referred by Germans as die...
in 1990, the Saale Railway has grown to be an important mainline railway connecting central Germany and southern Germany again. Its electrification was completed by 1995 and further work on its restoration was completed in 2005. New high-speed
High-speed rail in Germany
Construction on the first German high-speed lines began shortly after that of the French LGVs . Legal battles caused significant delays, so that the InterCityExpress trains were deployed ten years after the TGV network was established...
lines, due to be completed in 2017, are being built to the west of the Saale line via Erfurt
Erfurt Hauptbahnhof
is the central railway station of Erfurt in Germany. It is an important junctions of the German railways and is served by numerous local and long-distance rail services. Immediately north of the station, is Erfurt's city center. It had approximately 12.5 million passengers in 2006, that is an...
: the Leipzig/Halle–Erfurt and the Erfurt–Nuremberg lines. These lines will release capacity on the Saale line for slower trains. As of 2007 an ICE takes 53 minutes to cover the 85-kilometer section between Naumburg and Saalfeld, corresponding to an average speed of 96 km/h.
Route
The Saale line generally run on the western side of the SaaleSaale
The Saale, also known as the Saxon Saale and Thuringian Saale , is a river in Germany and a left-bank tributary of the Elbe. It is not to be confused with the smaller Franconian Saale, a right-bank tributary of the Main, or the Saale in Lower Saxony, a tributary of the Leine.-Course:The Saale...
river. Although the line is built through a hilly region it contains no tunnels. The height difference between Großheringen and Saalfeld is 99 metres, the maximum grade is 0.5%. Since the route follows the winding course of the Saale, the smallest radius of a curve is 450 metres and the sections where the maximum speed of 120 km / h can be achieved are relatively short.