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136-510: After the completion of the privately financed Leipzig–Dresden railway in 1839, the Saxon parliament also began to get involved in railway construction. Early on it was recognised that railway lines to Bavaria , Bohemia and Silesia were needed and that there ought to be a route running north-to-south through the kingdom. The funding of this plan lay in the hands of privately financed railway committees. The state, however, saw itself arranging for

272-530: A 2-2-2 wheel arrangement were procured. These classes were deployed on the main lines for a relatively long time; it was not until 1870 that 4-4-0 locomotives ( Saxon K II, later K VIII ) entered service. On branch lines and in shunting services the four-couplers were the main form of motive power for even longer. From the early 1890s locomotives with six coupled wheels were acquired. From that time, locomotives began to be matched more closely to their various tasks (goods, passenger and express train duties). Even

408-551: A bell had to walk in front of the train at Dresdner Platz. Therefore, from January 1903 the Chemnitz–Altchemnitz section was lowered and the section between Altchemnitz and Chemnitz coal yard was raised above street level. In addition, the line was rebuilt with four tracks in these sections. The reconstruction was completed at the end of 1909. Since the Chemnitz–Adorf railway was upgraded to two tracks as far as Einsiedel at

544-525: A break between the preliminary design and the pre-construction of the section. The intention in the summer of 1993 to initiate the planning process for the southern bypass of Riesa and the connection to the Berlin–Dresden railway was not carried out. The southern bypass Riesa was finally abandoned in March 1995 and instead it was decided to upgrade the line through the town with a speed reduced to 100 km/h;

680-580: A central node, Tenner's idea gained new force. In the same year, a railway committee was established and it addressed a petition requesting the building of a railway line from Leipzig to Dresden to the first Saxon parliament ( Sächsischer Landtag ) in Dresden on 20 November 1833. After the railway had been approved by government decree on 6 May 1835, the Leipzig-Dresden Railway Company was founded by twelve citizens of Leipzig as

816-464: A cost of 2.675 billion marks. 67 km of the line would have been upgraded and 48 km would have been new line. Riesa would in this case have been bypassed to the south by a new line that would have separated from the original line between Oschatz and Bömitz. The Jahna valley would have been spanned by an 800 m-long bridge and a new bridge would have been built over the Elbe near Merschwitz in

952-561: A large number of private railway construction projects. However, in most cases the state had to come to their aid in order to complete the planned routes and to continue to run them. In addition, further building work was carried out in order to expand the network. The construction of railways made it possible to site industry even in the villages of the Ore Mountains and the Lausitz and to foster under-developed regions. On 1 July 1876

1088-531: A long time from 1883 were three Thomas steam railbuses. Two diesel-electrics purchased in 1915 proved themselves well in practice, but were sold to Switzerland after the First World War . An overview of the individual locomotive classes is given in the List of Saxon locomotives and railbuses . In addition to their own designs, Saxony also used only slightly modified Prussian goods wagon designs. After

1224-618: A major change. In addition to the creation of the Dresden-Friedrichstadt station , the construction of a main station ( Hauptbahnhof ) was one of the central elements. The new station located on the site of the Bohemian station was opened in 1898. The trains coming from the Werdau direction now terminated on the low level terminal tracks. Plans for additional new construction elsewhere were not implemented either before or after

1360-559: A private company that had formed with state support. On 31 January 1851 this company was transferred to state ownership. At the same time the running powers of the private Löbau-Zittau Railway Company ( Löbau-Zittauer Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft ) were taken over. By combining the management of the two lines radiating from Dresden savings were supposed to be made. Thus, the 'Royal Division of Saxon-Bohemian and Saxon-Silesian State Railways in Dresden ( Königliche Direction der Sächsisch-Böhmischen und Sächsisch-Schlesischen Staatseisenbahnen in Dresden )

1496-466: A private corporation on 22 May. The shares of the company were fully subscribed at a price of 100 thalers within one and a half days, making capital of 1.5 million thalers available to the company. In October 1835, the English engineers Sir James Walker and Hawkshaw examined the proposed routes and stated their preference for a northern route via Strehla (estimated cost: 1,808,500 thalers) rather than

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1632-528: A realignment around the Mulde, which was around 1,000 m long. The first stage of construction between Leipzig and Riesa went into operation in 2002. The section has since been largely (kilometres 5–23 and 29–51) operable at 200 km/h and equipped with the Linienzugbeeinflussung train protection system (kilometres 3.6–59.5). Between Borsdorf and Bornitz the sub-block mode was used for

1768-699: A rise of 228 metres in 11.6 kilometres. This station was once the starting point of the 750 mm gauge railways of the Wilsdruff Network to Frauenstein and Oberdittmannsdorf . Now begins a section with a number of viaducts. The first viaduct spans the Colmnitzbach in Colmnitz. In Niederbobritzsch, a town in the district of Bobritzsch , the line crosses the Bobritzsch river on a 26-metre-high (85 ft) viaduct. After Muldenhütten station,

1904-568: A route via Meissen (1,956,000 thalers). On 16 November 1835, land acquisition began for the section between Leipzig and the bridge over the Mulde west of Wurzen . Ground was broken near Machern on 1 March 1836. The management of the construction for the whole project was in the hands of the Saxon Senior Waterways Construction Engineer ( Oberwasserbaudirektor ), Karl Theodor Kunz (1791–1863). But then

2040-677: A second track was necessary. On 1 April 1869 the Freiberg–Chemnitz section was opened, so that for the first time a connection existed between the eastern and the Western Royal Saxon State Railways in Saxony. As a result, the now completed Dresden–Werdau railway became an important rail link between Silesia and Southern Germany . On 19 September 1895, a military train and a passenger train collided at Oederan . Ten people died and six were also injured. In

2176-498: A second track. The whole line was open for two-track operations by 1 October 1840. This was made possible because the subgrade along with all engineering structures had been designed from the outset for two tracks. Trains—following English practice—ran on the left until 1884. On 29 March 1876, the general meeting of shareholders decided to sell the Leipzig–Dresden Railway to the Saxon government. Operations and management of

2312-502: A slope of 1 in 40, sometimes even 1 in 39. In the age of steam, which lasted until the electrification of the line in the mid 1960s, this ramp could only be climbed by the use of locomotives in multiple. This gradient was necessary to climb the Ore Mountain Foreland ( Erzgebirgsvorland ). After Edle Krone station, the line runs through a 122-metre-long tunnel. In Klingenberg Colmnitz, the line reaches 435 m above sea level,

2448-436: A synopsis for making a decision began on 23 January 1992. For economic reasons, the option of building a new line was rejected on 19 March 1992 as a combined new and upgraded line would have been about one billion marks cheaper than a purely new line. The upgraded line would allow operations at 200 km/h, according to the status of the planning set out on the foundation stone (1992), it would have been completed in 1999 at

2584-564: A total length of 519.88 km. The most important railway structures were the Dresden Hauptbahnhof built from 1891 to 1901 and the Leipzig Hauptbahnhof which was finished in 1915. Both were linked to the cities with extensive modifications to the railway yards . On the abdication of King Friedrich August III in 1918 and the transformation of the kingdom to a free state, the appellation 'Royal' ( Königlich )

2720-420: A total of 55 minutes between Karl-Marx-Stadt Hbf and Freiberg. After the electrification, the running time was reduced to only 35 minutes. Even more significant reductions in travel time for freight trains resulted from the discontinuation of bank engine operations between Flöha and Oederan. The 1300 tonne Dg 7301 locomotives took 61 minutes on the same section compared with 122 minutes before electrification. In

2856-586: A triangular junction (where lines branch off to Dresden-Neustadt ) and turns south past the rail museum in the former Dresden-Altstadt depot. From Dresden-Plauen station it runs to Freital through the narrow valley of the Weißeritz (known as the Plauenscher Grund ) and crosses Autobahn 17 . The standard gauge Windberg Railway ( Windbergbahn ) formerly branched off between Dresden-Plauen and Freital-Potschappel. Just south of Freital-Hainsberg, where

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2992-580: Is approximately 60 minutes. Construction of the upgrade of the existing line between Weißig and Priestewitz began in May 1993, which was followed a little later by the upgrade of the section between Leipzig-Ost and Engelsdorf and bridge work between Wurzen and Oschatz. The ground for the upgrade of the line was broken in Dahlen by State Secretary Wilhelm Knittel, Deutsche Bahn board member Peter Münchschwander and foreman Steffen Müller on 9 September 1993. In 1996,

3128-508: Is being refurbished and refilled. The federal government and Deutsche Bahn AG have set aside a total of around €95 million for these measures. The new construction and the reconstruction are to be carried out with rail operations continuing on a single track. The planning approval procedure was initiated in September 2015. If this can be completed by 2018, construction may start by 2019. The route leaves Dresden Hauptbahnhof and runs to

3264-484: Is no longer in service. The speed limit between Coswig and Riesa is 120 km/h throughout (on the original line, not on the new Weißig–Böhla line). Between Dresden and Coswig there were, until the commencement of the upgrade project (at the end of 2009), four permanent speed restrictions of 70 or 90 km/h. During the work, there was only one track available between the stations of Coswig and Radebeul West and between Radebeul Ost and Dresden-Neustadt. Freight trains and

3400-509: Is now closed. After connecting with two lines from the north, the line from Riesa and the line from Leipzig , the Dresden–Werdau line reaches Chemnitz Hauptbahnhof. After the station, the railway line runs along a wide curve south of the city centre as a direct route through the centre was not possible at the time of the construction. At Chemnitz Süd (south), a line branches off to Aue and to Stollberg . The Dresden–Werdau line turns to

3536-527: Is planning to rebuild three rail overpasses in Plauen from 2016 to 2018 and to rebuild Dresden-Plauen station in a different location. The new station will be barrier-free and have a lift. Concrete plans have not yet been completed. Deutsche Bahn AG is also planning to modernise the Chemnitzer Bahnbogen ("Chemnitz railway arc"), a 2.8 kilometre-long section of the Dresden–Werdau railway in

3672-711: The 750 mm gauge Weisseritz Valley Railway begins, the line passes the confluence of the Weißeritz 's tributaries: the Red Weißeritz and the Wild Weißeritz . The line follows the Wild Weißeritz through Tharandt to Edle Krone. To the west lies the Tharandt Forest . The line is used by S-Bahn line S3 as far as Tharandt. Starting in Tharandt the line is extremely steep for a main line, with

3808-638: The European Regional Development Fund for the financing of construction phase 3. It is estimated that approximately €222 million will be spent on upgrading the Dresden-Neustadt–Coswig section, including almost €91 million for the upgrade of the S-Bahn. The initially planned new line was calculated to cost 3.5 billion Deutsche Mark (DM). When the project was modified to include a mixture of new and upgraded line,

3944-606: The Leipzig–Hof railway , that is both to Leipzig via Werdau and to Hof and Nuremberg via Reichenbach. The line ends here, 135.96 km from Dresden. Dresden Albertbahnhof ( 51°02′55″N 13°42′55″E  /  51.0486°N 13.7152°E  / 51.0486; 13.7152 ) The line originally started at the Albertbahnhof (Albert station) of the Albertsbahn AG (company). After its nationalisation,

4080-528: The Nossen–Moldava (Moldau) line , which was restored to operation on 5 November 2005. That line branches off to the west of Freiberg station and runs north to Nossen . At this junction, the Dresden–Werdau line passes under federal highway 173 for the first time. About 1.5 km east of Frankenstein station, in Wegefahrt, the line runs across one of the most impressive railway viaducts of the 19th century,

4216-554: The Soviet Union . All the rail operations now took place on track 1, which had originally been built as a separate link to Freital-Potschappel station. The Höllenmaul was filled in 1984 and completely demolished during the upgrade of this section of the Dresden–Werdau railway in 2003. The points at Freital-Ost junction were abolished in 2003. Freital-Potschappel ( 51°00′48″N 13°39′41″E  /  51.0133°N 13.6615°E  / 51.0133; 13.6615 ) Of

Royal Saxon State Railways - Misplaced Pages Continue

4352-700: The Voigtländ State Railway (Herlasgrün– Eger ). One crucial event in the history of Saxon railway operations turned out to be the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 between Prussia and Austria . Because Saxony was on the Austrian side, it evacuated all the locomotives to Hof, Eger and Budapest when Prussian troops invaded. During the course of the war the Ostrau Viaduct and the bridge over the Elbe at Riesa were destroyed. In

4488-468: The Wehrmacht . However, in 1946, the line was completely dismantled down to one track and numerous platform tracks were dismantled as war reparations . As the ability of the important line to handle traffic was considerably reduced, the second track was restored on some sections in Dresden and Chemnitz by the early 1950s. The second track was restored on the bulk of the route in the 1960s and 1970s, but it

4624-478: The Weißeritz and more than 15 km of the line was completely destroyed. The section had previously been extensively renovated and was due to be returned to service on 13 August 2002. Between Klingenberg-Colmnitz and Dresden, rail replacement bus services were established and long-distance traffic on the Chemnitz–Dresden section was only served by replacement buses. From the autumn of 2003, Tharandt station

4760-532: The Weißeritz river for a line to connect their coal mines with Dresden. The request was granted and, on 4 May 1853, the easternmost section of the line from Dresden to Tharandt was opened with branch lines to the mines. The line opened on 18 June 1855 as the Albertsbahn (Albert Railway), named after Prince Albert of Saxony . On 15 November 1858, the Chemnitz–Zwickau section was opened as part of

4896-479: The first standard gauge railway tunnel in continental Europe. Work to upgrade the line as German Unity Transport Project ( Verkehrsprojekt Deutsche Einheit ) no. 9 has been underway since 1993. According to the federal government €1.115 billion of an estimated total cost of €1.451 billion had been invested in the project by the end of 2013 (net present value for planning, land acquisition and construction costs). Funds of €336 million were still available. The line

5032-465: The railway to Annaberg-Buchholz joined the network and the line to Weipert followed in 1872. The most important reason was the transportation of brown coal from the north Bohemian basin. In 1869 the gap between Flöha and Freiberg was finally closed and the two networks joined together. As a result, on 1 July 1869, the Leipzig and Dresden divisions were merged into the new "Royal General Division of

5168-579: The 1880s, the Chemnitz railway node was no longer able to cope with the increase in traffic, especially freight. In spite of major upgrades at various locations (including the expansion of the Altchemnitz station and the construction of the Kappel freight yard), the construction of a marshalling yard became unavoidable. Finally, various projects were selected, which included construction to the south of

5304-553: The 348.5-metre-long (1,143 ft) and 39-metre-high (128 ft) Frankenstein viaduct, which crosses the valley of the Striegis. Shortly before Oederan the line passes under highway 173 again. Before Flöha the line connects with the branch line from Marienberg and Olbernhau . Until 1991, the line crossed the Flöha river on the old Hetzdorf Viaduct ; it now runs along a new section with two prestressed concrete viaducts. After passing

5440-471: The Berlin–Dresden railway and the diversion of long-distance services to the Berlin–Dresden line between Böhla and Neucoswig represented the only remaining planned changes to the route of the line. To date (as of 2013), no completion date has been set for the entire project In addition, a 7 km-long 110 kV traction current cable between Lüptitz and Wurzen and the Wurzen substation was to be rebuilt and

5576-467: The Berlin–Dresden railway were completed as part of the third stage of construction. The 13 km long upgrade of the line between Dresden-Neustadt and Coswig began in the autumn of 2009 and is expected to be completed in 2016. As a result of the upgrade, two separate tracks will be established for both the long-distance traffic and the Dresden S-Bahn . The signalling and the S-Bahn stations along

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5712-586: The Dresden–Freital section was similar to that in Chemnitz; the growing road and rail traffic caused more and more problems. Therefore, from 1901 to 1905, the railway was also raised higher, in order to eliminate the level crossings. Around 1910, the tracks on the Dresden Hbf – Dresden-Plauen section and from 1909 to 1912 on the Freital Ost junction– Tharandt section were quadrupled. At the same time,

5848-540: The Dresden–Werdau, Leipzig–Dresden and Leipzig–Zwickau lines) was one of the most important investment projects of Deutsche Reichsbahn . In addition to significant cost savings in railway operations, this also promised a significant reduction in travel times, particularly as the use of bank engines on the steep slopes on the Tharandt-Klingenberg–Colmnitz and Flöha–Oederan sections would no longer be necessary with electric traction. Construction work for

5984-456: The IC traffic were rerouted via Cossebaude. Speeds of 160 km/h have been permitted on the long-distance tracks since December 2014 between Radebeul Nord junction and Radebeul Ost. The upgrade to four tracks between Dresden-Neustadt and Radebeul Ost (km 109.7 to 116.0 ) could not begin until November 2011. In July 2010, it was expected to be completed by the spring of 2016. Deutsche Bahn justified

6120-565: The Leipzig-Dresden Railway were transferred to the Royal Saxon State Railways ( Königlich Sächsische Staatseisenbahnen ) on 1 July 1876. The development of the Leipzig–Dresden Railway from its beginnings as a private initiative of Leipzig citizens until its nationalisation in 1878 is reflected in Leipzig's railway heritage. The Saxon part of the new Leipzig Hauptbahnhof (main station), which became

6256-549: The Leipzig–Dresden railway. This would have saved about 370 million marks, significantly reduced affects in nature and landscape and allowed the separation of fast and slow traffic. The preliminary design for the entire project was completed on 31 August 1992 and handed over to Deutsche Reichsbahn to check. It was confirmed in March 1993. The new route would follow the existing tracks between Leipzig and Wurzen as well as between Kornhain and Bornitz. The line would bypass Riesa to

6392-655: The Riesa–Chemnitz–Zwickau route of the Niedererzgebirgische Staatsbahn (Lower Ore Mountains State Railway). However, the planned extension from Tharandt to Freiberg turned out to be problematic. At first, the steep slopes between Tharandt and Freiberg were insuperable. Ultimately, a route was selected along the Seerenbach Valley to Klingenberg with a maximum gradient of 1 in 40. Several large viaducts had to be built across

6528-540: The Saxon State Railways" ( Königlichen Generaldirection der sächsischen Staatseisenbahnen ), abbreviated to K. Sächs. Sts. E. B. “, in Dresden. One of the managing directors of the Saxon state railways was the privy councillor, Otto von Tschirschky and Bögendorff, the father-in-law of the later General Paul von der Planitz. The years after the foundation of the Reich in 1871 were also marked, in Saxony, by

6664-480: The Second World War. Dresden-Plauen ( 51°01′47″N 13°42′12″E  /  51.0296°N 13.7032°E  / 51.0296; 13.7032 ) Plauen bei Dresden ("Plauen near Dresden") halt was opened on 18 June 1855 together with the Albertsbahn (Albert Railway) and was located to the left (south-east) of the railway. In 1897, the so-called Alte Bahnhof ("old station") Plauen was opened with

6800-437: The budgeted rate of up to 500 million DM per year was reduced in early 1994 by Deutsche Bahn so that in the annual financial statements for 2008 it had fallen to an average of 120 million DM. After the reduction of funds in 1993 and 1994 due to the federal funding of about 100 million DM per year having been cut in half, the project was no longer expected to be completed before the turn of the century. The Weißig–Böhla link to

6936-525: The capacity of one of the most important main lines in Germany had been reduced to only a fraction of its former level. Temporarily trains ran one way from Leipzig and Dresden on the line, while trains running in the other direction ran via Meissen and Döbeln . This system of operations proved problematic, however, as the hilly route via Döbeln meant that additional locomotives were always needed for heavy trains. The second track had been rebuilt by 1967. In

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7072-654: The city of Chemnitz, probably from 2019 to 2022. The planned measures include, among other things, the reconstruction of Chemnitz Süd station , the relocation of Chemnitz Mitte station to a new station at Stollberger Strasse and the reconstruction of tracks, overhead lines, retaining walls and five railway overbridges. In addition to the Chemnitz Viaduct , the bridges included are the crossings of Augustusburger Straße, Bernsdorfer Straße, Reichenhainer Straße and Stollberger Straße. The railway viaduct in Reichsstraße

7208-534: The completion of documentation for the regional planning process for the Bornitz–Weinböhla section. A scheduled rebuilding of the line between Engelsdorf and Leipzig as a four-track electrified line was rejected by the Federal Ministry of Transport on 27 August 1993. The preparatory work for the construction of this section, which had started in May 1993, was abandoned. In January and February 1994,

7344-425: The completion of the Elbe bridge at Riesa, the entire route from Leipzig to Dresden was finally opened. The travel time between Leipzig and Dresden was three hours and 40 minutes. On this occasion, a coin was issued with an engraving of an English B locomotive, which ran over the line in the early years. It included the 513-metre-long Oberau Tunnel, the first standard gauge rail tunnel in continental Europe. The line

7480-492: The construction of state railways. The work was not without problems, due to geographical difficulties. The extension of the route between Chemnitz and Riesa as well as the line from Freiberg to Tharandt were technically challenging and correspondingly expensive. On 15 November 1858 the line from Chemnitz to Zwickau was completed. That meant there was now a link from Riesa to the Saxon-Bavarian Railway over

7616-618: The corresponding political and legal hurdles to be cleared. On 14 January 1841 a treaty was agreed with the Kingdom of Bavaria and the Duchy of Saxony-Altenburg for the construction of a railway route between Leipzig and Hof . On 22 June 1841, the Saxon-Bavarian Railway Company was founded and on 19 September 1842 railway services between Leipzig and Altenburg station were opened. Because the construction costs exceeded

7752-622: The dates of the completion of the electrification: After the German reunification in 1990, the line was one of the busiest railway in Germany and, like many other lines of Deutsche Reichsbahn, required urgent rehabilitation and modernisation. The project was approved as German Unity Transport Project No. 9 (VDE 9) by the Federal Cabinet on 9 April 1991. The scheduled journey time between Leipzig Hauptbahnhof and Dresden Hauptbahnhof has been reduced to 47 minutes in 2014. In 1990,

7888-476: The delays compared to the original plan as being a result of the delays in the finalisation of the financing of all parts of the project until October 2009. The section between Dresden-Neustadt and Coswig is now expected (as of 2014) to be completed in 2016. The track has been equipped with ETCS Level 2. It is not known (as of summer 2015) when continuous operations at 200 km/h between Riesa and Coswig will be possible. Assuming sufficient federal funding, it

8024-499: The different route profiles (flat in the north and northeast, hilly in the south and southwest) led to increasingly different designs. From the turn of the century faster and faster classes were introduced. After the 4-6-0 locomotives followed classes with 4-6-2 ( XVIII H ) and 2-8-2 ( XX HV ) arrangements for express train services; 2-6-2 ( XIV HT ) for local traffic and 2-8-0 ( IX H ) and E ( IX V and XI HT ) for goods train duties. The development of narrow gauge locomotives

8160-431: The early 1960s, there were plans were for electrification of the line as part of the Saxon triangle. Electric-powered services operated between Dresden and Riesa from the winter 1969–1970 timetable and the remaining section was operated by electric trains from 1 September 1970. The electrification included the first use of spun concrete poles by Deutsche Reichsbahn . The power was supplied over 110 kV transmission lines from

8296-817: The east–west links from Plauen via Chemnitz to Dresden, from Leipzig to Dresden and from Dresden to Görlitz. The industrialised Ore Mountains were especially well linked by several stub lines along the river valleys. In places these routes crossed the watershed of the Ore Mountains and joined up with the Bohemian railway network. An overview of the individual routes may be found in the German List of railway lines in Saxony . The first locomotives that were procured were from proven classes built in England. These were four-coupled 0-4-0 steam locomotives and, later, 2-4-0 machines. To begin with even locomotives with

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8432-483: The electric catenary started in the early 1960s. The construction of the facilities between Freiberg and Werdau was relatively unproblematic. However, the electrification between Dresden and Freiberg, especially around Edle Krone, was more difficult because restricted clearances hindered the construction of the catenary. The most important building project in this section was the widening of the Edle Krone tunnel, since

8568-795: The elevation of the line and its quadruplication after 1900. In 1913, a narrow-gauge connecting track was established, which was used for freight transport and the exchange of rolling stock with the Weißeritz Valley Railway ( Weißeritztalbahn ). The narrow-gauge line towards Wilsdruff was shut down in 1972, since which the maintenance of Weißeritz Valley Railway rolling stock has only been carried out in Freital-Potschappel. Freital-Deuben ( 50°59′57″N 13°38′47″E  /  50.9993°N 13.6465°E  / 50.9993; 13.6465 The halt has had three different names during its period of operations: The halt

8704-421: The end of the 1930s. Further construction began during the Second World War, but it could not be finished due to personnel and material shortages. While large sections of the railway largely survived World War II, numerous railway installations were severely damaged or completely destroyed, especially in the Dresden, Chemnitz and Zwickau areas. In contrast to other lines, however, no major bridges were blown up by

8840-566: The engineer's forum of the Union of German Railway Administrations ( Verein Deutscher Eisenbahnverwaltungen ) set out principles for secondary lines. These were legally implemented in 1878 as part of the 'Railway Regulations for German Railways of Lower Importance' ( Bahnordnung für deutsche Eisenbahnen untergeordneter Bedeutung ). The routes built to these simpler regulations were known in Saxony as 'secondary lines' or Sekundärbahnen (Singular: Sekundärbahn ). Twenty-six routes totalling 453 km were immediately run as Sekundärbahnen and in 1879

8976-429: The estimated cost at the end of 1996 was DM 1.889 billion, of which DM 409 million had been spent by the end of 1996. Dresden%E2%80%93Werdau railway The Dresden–Werdau railway is an electrified, double-track main line in the German state of Saxony . It runs from Dresden via Freiberg , Chemnitz and Zwickau to Werdau wye , where it joins the Leipzig-Hof railway . The line

9112-401: The existing main Dresden–Werdau line were not pursued. Instead of a proposal that had gained favour that included a complicated southern detour with three tunnels that were each about 1 km-long, an upgrade of the existing marshalling yard was carried out. Despite this reconstruction, which was completed in 1930, Chemnitz station remained an intractable bottleneck. In 1900, the situation on

9248-404: The existing workshops. At the same time, the Dresden–Werdau railway was moved north of the workshops. Construction began in 1896, and the marshalling yard was opened in 1902. Around the turn of the century, road traffic in the city of Chemnitz was growing. As the rail traffic also increased, the numerous level crossings became more and more of a problem. A railway attendant with a warning flag and

9384-463: The first electronic interlocking in Saxony was taken into operation in Oschatz. The line has been largely upgraded for speeds of 160 km/h in the city of Leipzig and for 200 km/h east of Leipzig-Paunsdorf. In the section between Leipzig and Wurzen the existing route has been largely preserved; deviations of the line were necessary in four places to permit speeds to be raised. The section of rebuilt line through Wurzen station (km 21.6 to 27.66)

9520-446: The first newly built Sekundärbahn , the suburban route from Leipzig to Gaschwitz via Plagwitz. Because even Sekundärbahnen did not produce the desired savings in every case, in 1881 the construction of the first 750 mm ( 2 ft  5 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ) narrow gauge railways began. On 17 October 1881 the section of line between Wilkau and Kirchberg (Sachsen) was opened. By 1920 Saxon narrow gauge railways had

9656-419: The first time for trains entering from on a track connecting from an old line. The section of line controlled by the electronic signalling centre at Wurzen now makes reversible operations possible continuously from Leipzig-Engelsdorf to Bornitz and Leipzig Hauptbahnhof to Oschatz. €530 million had been invested in the upgrading of 51 km of lines by the beginning of 2002. With more than 220 trains per day,

9792-418: The former Block post of Freital-Ost junction on the Dresden–Werdau railway. From 1912, the line branched off the main line to the right and ran parallel with the freight line to Tharandt and then crossed it at the so-called Höllenmaul ("hell's mouth"). A further railway connection to Freital Ost station only served freight traffic. In 1946, Deutsche Reichsbahn dismantled both branches as war reparations to

9928-635: The foundation of the German State Railway Wagon Association in 1909 the standardised goods wagons were procured, that were defined in 11 goods wagon templates . Leipzig%E2%80%93Dresden railway The Leipzig–Dresden line is a German railway line. It was built by the Leipzig–Dresden Railway Company between 1837 and 1839. It was the first long-distance railway and the first railway using only steam traction in Germany . It also included

10064-538: The junction with the Marienberg branch line and another line from Annaberg-Buchholz, the line reaches the town of Flöha and then crosses the Zschopau river . Niederwiesa, the second last stop before Chemnitz Hauptbahnhof for regional trains, is the beginning of a branch line to Hainichen. Chemnitz-Hilbersdorf station used to be the site of an important rail depot and one of the largest marshalling yards in Saxony; it

10200-473: The line are being completely renewed and a new Dresden Bischofsplatz station is being built as part of this work. Once the work is completed, the speed limit on this section will increase for long-distance and regional traffic from 120 km/h to 160 km/h. Work has not begun on sections of this line at Riesa station and on the Röderau–Zeithain junction and Zeithain junction–Weißig sections. Parts of

10336-454: The line between Riesa and Dresden-Neustadt were upgraded for higher speeds than 120 km/h. Between Weißig (km 77.9) and Coswig (km 101.3), the line was upgraded for the use of active tilt . Between Weißig (km 77.9) and Coswig (km 101.3) the line was upgraded for the use of active tilting and ICE T trains ran there until 2008 with speeds of up to 160 km/h. Nevertheless, the train control system installed for tilting operations

10472-526: The line crosses the 196 metres-long and 42.8 metres high viaduct over the Freiberger Mulde . At the 40.0 km mark the line reaches Freiberg station. It was formerly a major rail hub, but it is now only the end point for Dresden S-Bahn line S30 peak-hour services and the starting point of the branch line to Holzhau. The line to Holzhau together with the Zellwaldbahn (Zellwald Railway) form

10608-729: The line from Zwickau that had been built in 1845. As a result, the Chemnitz Division was disbanded and the management of its routes transferred to the Leipzig Division, which was given the title of "Royal Division of the State's Western Railways" ( Königliche Direktion der westlichen Staatseisenbahn ). At the same time the Dresden Division was renamed the "Royal Division of the State's Eastern Railways" ( Königliche Direktion der östlichen Staatseisenbahnen ). In 1862

10744-533: The line passes under highway B 180 to reach St. Egidien station, where another line to Stollberg starts. At Glauchau, the Glauchau–Wurzen railway ( Mulde Valley Railway) used to branch off, but almost all of it is now closed. At the next station, Glauchau-Schönbörnchen, the line to Gößnitz branches off. The line now turns south and follows the course of the Zwickauer Mulde . The line passes through

10880-502: The line subsequently. This had been necessary, after the private firm, the Chemnitz-Riesa Railway Company, had gone bankrupt due to the cost of structures needed between Waldheim und Döbeln . Unlike Prussia, Saxony never issued a railway law. This meant that every railway proposal had to be agreed in the state parliament. In spite of the negative experiences of the past, the next ten years saw an increase in

11016-706: The line to Hof (Saale) was completed. Because no suitable private company had been found to build the Saxony-Bohemian Railway from Dresden to Bodenbach , the state took over this task itself. On the opening of the section from Dresden to Pirna on 1 August 1848, Saxony had its second state railway line, for which the 'Royal Division for the Construction and Operation of the Saxony-Bohemia Railway' ( Königliche Direction für Bau und Betrieb der Sächsisch-Böhmischen Staatseisenbahn )

11152-442: The line was considered to be the most important railway line in Saxony. During the 2002 European floods , two bridges to the east of Riesa collapsed and an embankment was severely damaged. The section was completely closed from 16 August 2002. Regular operations were resumed with two single-track temporary bridges on 31 October 2002. The second track at Röderau was put back into operation at the end of August 2003 The total damage to

11288-580: The line was integrated into the Dresdner Böhmischen Bahnhof (Dresden Bohemian station, the current main station ). Since the spring of 1869, all passenger trains have run from the Bohemian station. From then on, the Albertbahnhof served as a so-called Kohlenbahnhof (coal station) for freight transport only, so that, for example, approximately 500,000 tonnes of coal were handled there annually in around 1900. Gradually, however,

11424-415: The lowering of the tracks was impossible because of bridges connecting directly to the tunnel. Many catenary masts had to be constructed as special constructions with catenary supports over both tracks. The overhead was opened between 1963 and 1966 in sections starting from Werdau: The possible travel time reductions were put into full effect in the winter 1966/67 timetable. Steam-driven express trains needed

11560-524: The mid-1980s, the Hetzdorf Viaduct over the Flöha valley in the distinct of Mittelsachsen , which dated from the opening of that section of the line, had reached the end of its service life. In the final years, crossing the viaduct was only possible at a top speed of 20 km/h, which greatly restricted the section's capacity. Deutsche Reichsbahn eventually designed a straightened route bypassing

11696-482: The municipality of Nünchritz . The whole 115 km-long project involved the construction or renovation of 57 railway and 23 road bridges. Other important planned engineering structures also included the two-kilometre long Kockelsberg Tunnel. In a later stage a seven-kilometre long new section of line was planned as a southern bypass of Wurzen . The travel time between the stations of Leipzig and Dresden would fall to 45 minutes for long-distance services. The completion

11832-546: The old viaduct. The new bridge consists of two prestressed concrete bridges, each 344 metres long, that cross the Hetzbach and Flöha valleys. The construction company VEB Autobahnbaukombinat (" Publicly Owned Operation for motorway construction combine") built the bridges from 1987 onwards using the incremental launch method, for the first time during the construction of a railway bridge in East Germany . The new line

11968-402: The original railway companies had built its own station in Dresden, there was originally no central station was for the transfer of passengers. Nevertheless, passenger trains running towards Werdau started to run from the Bohemian station in 1869, which became increasingly the city's busiest station. When the railway facilities became completely overloaded in the early 1890s, it was decided to make

12104-563: The planned limits, the state had to jump in and honour its previously made promise to complete the construction at the national expense. On 1 April 1847 the railway line, which was finished as far as Reichenbach im Vogtland was transferred to state ownership. At the same time the Royal Saxon-Bavarian State Railway Division ( Königlichen Direction der Sächsisch-Bayerischen Staatseisenbahn ) in Leipzig began work. Specific regulations were laid down by

12240-472: The planned southern bypass of Wurzen was also deleted along with the connecting curve at Zeithain . The line through Wurzen would instead be upgraded to allow operations at 160 km/h. The travel time between Leipzig and Dresden in 1994 was 85 minutes. The project suffered from perennial delays for various reasons. The substantially modified planning principles for the Leipzig–Wurzen section resulted in

12376-571: The power station in Karl-Marx-Stadt , which had two 25 MW steam turbines, and from the Muldenstein railway power station, which had three 11.3-MW steam turbines. However, the existing capacity was not enough for the rapidly growing rail traffic so steam and diesel locomotives were also used. Full electric operations were only possible with the commissioning of the Dresden power station with its three 32-MW turbines. The table below shows

12512-591: The preliminary design work that was started in mid-1995 was delayed by this change to the plan. For the section between Radebeul and Dresden Hauptbahnhof the preplanning did not start in spring 1992, like the main part of the line, but only in May 1994, because the planning principles on the part of the customer remained unclear for a long time. The planning in this section was only submitted by Deutsche Bahn in November 1994 and only approved in December 1995. In addition,

12648-417: The previously planned DM 100–560 million), resulting in a reduction of costs to DM 2.313 billion. The planned completion of the project was thus delayed from the end of 1998 to 2008. By 1995, it was estimated that costs could be reduced to about 1.9 billion marks based on more accurate planning, based on the recent experiences and the requirements of Deutsche Bahn. While completion was not absolutely foreseeable,

12784-402: The route depended on the result of continuing investigations. With a top speed of 250 km/h, the travel time of ICE trains would have amounted to around 35 minutes. A supplementary examination of different options for a new railway ( Neubaustrecke ) and a reconstructed railway ( Ausbaustrecke ) were presented on 13 January 1992. The preliminary design for both options and the development of

12920-654: The same time, six tracks were now located next to each other on the section between Chemnitz Hauptbahnhof and Chemnitz Süd. Traffic continued to increase after the end of the First World War. Therefore, quadruplication of the Niederwiesa–Chemnitz–Hilbersdorf section was started in 1915 and finally completed in 1924. Since the Hilbersdorf marshalling yard was inadequate, possible solutions were sought. Proposals for another line south or north of

13056-430: The six Freital stations, Freital-Potschappel station is the most important. The Niederhermsdorfer Kohlezweigbahn ("Niederhermsdorf coal branch railway") branched off here to two coal shafts from 1856 onwards. Its route was used in the construction of the 750 mm gauge Potschappel–Wilsdruff railway opened in 1886. Extensive goods and transhipment facilities were built In Potschappel, which were further expanded during

13192-483: The south, cross the original line at Medessen and finally connect with the Berlin-Dresden railway near Böhla station. With 74 km of upgraded line and 41 km of new construction, the line would be able to operate over its entire length at 200 km/h. An application for planning approval for the new section was prepared in 1993. The preliminary design for the entire project was completed in 1995 with

13328-567: The state locomotives were almost exclusively developed and supplied by the Chemnitz -based Sächsischen Maschinenfabrik locomotive factory. Railcars were only used in limited numbers on Saxon railways. The only regular and long-lasting use of railcars were the electric units on the Klingenthal –Sachsenberg- Georgenthal narrow gauge line. There were trials with steam railcars, accumulator cars and combustion-engined railbuses. Employed for

13464-561: The state parliament. The board of directors was accordingly given the appropriate powers and was assigned directly to a state ministry. The payroll of the officials was to be approved by the state parliament and railway fares by the provincial legislature. In addition to funding for the construction of the line, in particular the Göltzsch Viaduct and Elster Viaduct , agreements had to be reached with Saxony-Altenburg and Bavaria over owning and operating relationships. On 15 July 1851,

13600-582: The state railways had an overall length of 525 km. In addition to the Leipzig-Dresden Railway , there were now private coal railways in the Saxon coal regions of Zwickau and Döhlen , as well as the Zittau-Reichenberg Railway . The state however had an 11/12 stake in the latter. By 1865 links from Leipzig to Corbetha and Bitterfeld , and hence connexions to Magdeburg and Berlin , were established as well as

13736-499: The state took over the Leipzig-Dresden railway and thereby increased the network length by 337.5 km. Subsequently, almost all remaining private railway companies in Saxony were taken over in order to be ready for a planned Reich railway project under Prussian leadership. Because the construction and operations of lines was not always covered by the profits, ways to simplify things began to be investigated. As early as 1865

13872-616: The station building located near the right-hand side of the current tracks. Since the station was located quite poorly for the population of Dresden-Plauen, which had now grown to 12,000 people, a new station was opened about 800 m further north in January 1926 and the old station was closed. This halt, opened in 1926, is to be renovated by the middle of 2018. Freital-Ost (“Freital east”) junction ( 51°00′58″N 13°40′27″E  /  51.016001°N 13.674150°E  / 51.016001; 13.674150 ) The Windberg Railway starts at

14008-512: The station facilities were rebuilt. From then on the freight traffic could be separated from the passenger traffic. Because of the First World War, work on a 3 km-long section in between was not carried out beyond preparatory work. The elevation of the tracks took place between 1923 and 1926 on the section between the Dresden-Altstadt exit and Weißeritzbrücke in the vicinity of old Dresden-Plauen station. The old Dresden-Plauen station

14144-677: The station lost its importance, although in the 1960s, the construction and operation of the Nossenerbrücke cogeneration power station led to a stabilisation of transshipment volumes. After 1990, freight traffic collapsed completely, with the only major transport activity recorded during the construction of the Dresden World Trade Center. All the rail infrastructure has been demolished. Dresden Hbf ( 51°02′25″N 13°43′53″E  /  51.0403°N 13.7313°E  / 51.0403; 13.7313 ) As each of

14280-509: The station. When Interregio-Express services ran, they also stopped there. With the abandonment of the use of tilting , stopping at the station was abandoned in order to save time. Freital-Hainsberg ( 50°59′20″N 13°38′13″E  /  50.9890°N 13.6370°E  / 50.9890; 13.6370 ) Freital-Hainsberg station has been the terminus of the narrow-gauge Weißeritz Valley Railway since 1 November 1882. Its present appearance dates from its reconstruction in 1903 to 1912 as

14416-478: The subsequent peace treaty, Prussia was given ownership of those sections of the Silesian Railway that ran through its territory as well as Görlitz station. A Prussian route from Leipzig to Zeitz also had to be permitted. In the following years the railway network was further expanded. Lines in the upper Ore Mountains appeared after Schwarzenberg/Erzgeb. was given a railway connexion in 1858. In 1866,

14552-589: The successive valleys of the Colmnitzbach , Bobritzsch and Freiberger Mulde rivers. By the time construction of this line started in 1859, rail engineers had acquired experience with steep haul operations on such inclines as the Schiefe Ebene and the Geislinger Steige . The line was opened to Freiberg on 11 August 1862. The route of the missing section between Freiberg and Chemnitz

14688-560: The support of the Saxon government and eventually became part of the Royal Saxon State Railways . The first section opened on 6 September 1845, as a branch from the Saxon-Bavarian Railway at the modern Werdau wye ( Werdau Bogendreieck ) junction to Zwickau . The start of planning for a long-distance railway from Dresden towards Bavaria was the request of mine owners in the Plauen Valley ( Plauenscher Grund ) of

14824-630: The terminus for trains from Dresden, was put into operation on 4 December 1915. 1 April 1920, the Royal Saxon State Railways (recently renamed the Saxon State Railway ) were absorbed into the newly established German National Railways ( Deutsche Reichsbahn ). The Leipzig-Dresden line came under the administration of the Dresden Reichsbahn Directorate . From 1 July 1933 to July 1934 the Oberau Tunnel

14960-667: The total cost of the project was estimated to cost 2.675 million marks (€1.368 million on 1 January 1991 prices) in the Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan of 1992 In September 1992, the Planungsgesellschaft Bahnbau Deutsche Einheit (planning company for German Unity railway construction) estimated the same cost. In the mid-1990s, the timeframe for the project was extended, with annual expenditure projected to grow from DM 53.4 to 289 million (instead of

15096-406: The town of Mosel, which is the location of a Volkswagen factory, and crosses the four-lane federal highway B 93 (and B 175). After 128 km the line finally reaches Zwickau Hauptbahnhof . The line continues past the disused Zwickau marshalling yard for about five km west to Werdau wye ( Werdau Bogendreieck ) junction, which enables trains leaving Zwickau to run forward in either direction on

15232-460: The town of Strehla refused permission for the railway to be built through it. So the line was built seven kilometers to the south, crossing the Elbe in Riesa. The company's initial capital in 1837 was 4.5 million thalers, which was later increased to 6.5 million thalers. The first train crosses the Elbe bridge on 7 April 1839. The line was brought into operation in several stages: On 7 April 1839, on

15368-431: The track to the end of 2002 was estimated at around €60 million. With the restoration of services in 2003, a reduction in the running time of 23 minutes was achieved. The second stage of construction of the upgrade between Dresden-Neustadt and Dresden Hauptbahnhof, which began in 2001, was completed in 2010. The Riesa–Zeithain section, including the three-track Elbe crossing, and the new selection of line connecting to

15504-447: The train control of the whole line was to be implemented through electronic interlockings . The upgrade of the lines was planned in three phases: The journey time between Leipzig and Dresden-Neustadt was projected to decline for long-distance services from 91 minutes before the start of construction to 47 minutes. The minimum journey time in the 2015 timetable between Leipzig Hauptbahnhof and Dresden-Neustadt for long-distance services

15640-513: The travel time between Leipzig and Dresden had been 90 minutes. The Reichsbahn divisions of Dresden and Halle developed a feasibility study until 14 November 1991. Initially it was planned that the existing route would be supplemented by about 105 km of new line. The new line would run between Dresden Hauptbahnhof and the Oschatz area to the south and west of the Elbe . The finalisation of

15776-438: The west, running through the suburbs of Chemnitz and then starts to leave the wide basin of the Chemnitz river . Before Chemnitz-Siegmar, the line passes under the A 72 . During the time of East Germany , the area west of Chemnitz was in the county of Hohenstein-Ernstthal, which was the most densely populated county in that country. Accordingly, the density of stations in the region is unusually high. After Hohenstein-Ernstthal ,

15912-520: Was built by the Leipzig-Dresden Railway Company ( German : Leipzig-Dresdner Eisenbahn-Compagnie , LDE ) established by twelve businessmen in 1835. The idea that a railway should connect Leipzig with Strehla (on the Elbe ), was first suggested in 1830 by the Leipzig merchant Carl Gottlieb Tenner. After the economist Friedrich List (1789–1846) published plans in Leipzig in 1833 for a German railway system with Leipzig as

16048-466: Was closed and replaced by a new building at its current site. In Zwickau, the railway network was also not longer able to cope with traffic by around 1910 as traffic had risen sharply since the 1880s, but the rail infrastructure had hardly changed. At that time, the largest railway freight yard in Saxony had to be fundamentally rebuilt. At the same time, the tracks were to be elevated, as in Chemnitz and Dresden, so as not to obstruct road traffic. This work

16184-412: Was completed and put into operation on 12 May 1992, shortening the connection between Dresden and Chemnitz by about one kilometre. The new section is 2,033.9 metres long, 966.1 m shorter than the old route. It has grades of up to 1.68%. The about 25 km-long Dresden–Klingenberg-Colmnitz section was heavily damaged by the 2002 floods on 12 August, especially by the Wild Weißeritz and

16320-487: Was delayed by the First World War and actual construction only began after the end of the war. However, this work went very slowly, so the elevation of the lines between Zwickau Pölbitz and Zwickau Hauptbahnhof took place between 1921 and 1925. 11 level crossings were replaced completely. For the most part, the reconstruction works, during which the Hauptbahnhof received a new entrance building, were not completed until

16456-494: Was dropped and the railway administration in Saxony called itself the 'Saxon State Railways' ( Sächsische Staatseisenbahnen or Sächs. Sts. E.B. ). The Saxon State Railways brought 3370 km of track into the Deutsche Reichsbahn network in 1920. The railway network included, for one, the north–south links from Leipzig via Plauen to Hof, from Riesa to Chemnitz and from Elsterwerda to Dresden and Schöna as well as

16592-634: Was established, with a head office in Dresden. On 24 July 1843 a treaty was concluded with the Kingdom of Prussia for the construction of a railway route from Dresden via Bautzen to the Prussia towns of Görlitz and Bunzlau . That made it possible to put in the important link to Breslau . On 1 September 1847, the 102 km long route from Dresden to Görlitz was opened by the Saxon-Silesian Railway ( Sächsisch-Schlesische Eisenbahn ),

16728-478: Was formed, which on 14 December 1852 was thankfully renamed to the rather more succinct 'Royal Dresden State Railway Division' ( Königliche Staatseisenbahn-Direction zu Dresden ). On 1 October 1853 the 'Royal Chemnitz-Riesa State Railway Division' ( Königliche Direktion der Chemnitzer-Riesaer Staatseisenbahn ) was established. It had the task of completing the construction of the Riesa–Chemnitz railway and running

16864-460: Was initially scheduled for 31 December 1998. In the Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan of 1992, the proposed upgraded Leipzig–Dresden line ran approximately parallel to a section of the Berlin–Dresden railway for 13 km, but these plans were later modified. Between Böhla and Radebeul, only the Berlin–Dresden railway would now be upgraded for high-speed traffic and a link would be built to

17000-462: Was more controversial. A connection through Hainichen had long been favoured. Ultimately, it was decided to build the shorter but more expensive route through Oederan, which had a steep ramp section and required the construction of several large viaducts. Between Flöha and Chemnitz, the line used the route of the Chemnitz–Annaberg railway , which had opened in 1866, and only the installation of

17136-422: Was not open until 1869, when the missing section from Freiberg-Flöha was opened. From then on the railway line developed into an important connection. It continues to be an important part of the so-called Saxon-Franconian trunk line ( German : Sachsen-Franken-Magistrale ) from Dresden to Nuremberg . The modern Dresden–Werdau line developed from a series of originally independent sections that were built with

17272-596: Was not so focussed. After the six-coupler Saxon I K , followed two designs that were unconvincing. Not until 1892 with the introduction of the 0-4-4-0 Meyer locomotive, the Saxon IV K was a design produced that was to form the backbone of the Saxon narrow gauge fleet for decades. With the appearance of the Saxon VI K in 1918 the final successful design was submitted. Whislst the private Leipzig-Dresden Railway bought its engines from several German locomotive manufacturers,

17408-500: Was not until the middle of the 1970s that the second track had been completely re-built. Nevertheless, the line did not achieve the same importance as it did before the Second World War, since the division of Germany after 1945 meant that most traffic now ran in the north–south direction. After the re-electrification of the network in Central Germany , the electrification of the so-called Sächsisches Dreieck (Saxon triangle:

17544-455: Was opened in 1855 and is located on the border between the two Freital districts of Deuben and Döhlen. The station had a great importance in commuter traffic until the turn of the century due to the founding of the steelworks in Döhlen, also in 1855, where up to 5,000 people were employed. Today services on line S 3 of the Dresden S-Bahn and Dresden–Zwickau Regionalbahn services stop at

17680-407: Was opened in several sections and its first section from Werdau to Zwickau was opened 1845, making it one of the oldest railways in Germany . The Dresden–Tharandt section was completed in 1855, the Chemnitz–Zwickau section followed in 1858, the line was extended from Tharandt to Freiberg in 1862 and the section from Chemnitz to Flöha was opened as part of the line to Annaberg in 1866. The entire line

17816-445: Was opened up and turned into a cutting, because the tunnel was not wide enough as the loading gauge had increased. As a result, the distance between the two tracks did not allow two trains to pass in the tunnel. In 1946 one of the two tracks was removed to provide the route as reparations to the Soviet Union . Even the previously four-track section between Coswig and Dresden-Neustadt was reduced to only one track. This meant that

17952-408: Was planned in mid-2008 that the line would be completed in 2014. According to the Federal Ministry of Transport in 2011, the transport project will be finalised if possible by 2016. From 2008 to 2012, the total costs was always calculated to amount to €1,451million. Expenditure on the project amounted to €1,115 million by the end of 2013. The European Union is contributing €50 million from

18088-612: Was preceded only by the Prince William Railway , a narrow-gauge plateway opened in 1831 and the Bavarian Ludwig Railway opened in 1835, which was a short line and was initially operated largely by horse-drawn trains, partly because it was located a long way from coal fields and no railways existed to convey coal to Nuremberg . In contrast the Leipzig–Dresden Railway used only steam traction from its beginning. Work began immediately on building

18224-453: Was served again from Freiberg and services on the remainder of the line were restored on 14 December 2003. During the construction work, the need for protection from future floods was taken into account. Among other things, the bridge abutments were built at a right angle to the direction of flow. The seven kilometre section between Hohenstein-Ernstthal and St. Egidien was upgraded from mid-May 2010 to mid-December 2011. Around €38 million

18360-651: Was upgraded for speeds of only 160 km/h. In the autumn of 1997, the Posthausen –Altenbach and Wurzen–Bornitz sections were upgraded for operations at 200 km/h, services commenced on the Borsdorf–Altenbach section at 160 km/h and on the Wurzen-Riesa section at 200 km/h in May 1998. The upgrade of the Altenbach–Wurzen section (km 21.64 to 25.23) started in the autumn of 1999, including

18496-484: Was used from an economic stimulus package and from Deutsche Bahn 's own resources. From the beginning of 2010 to December 2013, the approximately 490 m-long underpass running under Dresdner Platz in Chemnitz that is used by the parallel tracks of the Dresden–Werdau and Chemnitz–Adorf railways, was replaced at a cost of €25 million. During the demolition of the old tracks and the new construction, both road and railways were kept open for traffic. Deutsche Bahn AG

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