The Heudeber-Danstedt–Bad Harzburg/Vienenburg railway is a 32-kilometre (20 mi) long main line railway that runs along the northern edge of the Harz Mountains in central Germany, crossing the states of Saxony-Anhalt and Lower Saxony. The line is designated as German route number 330 and line number 6425, with standard gauge track (1,435 mm / 4 ft 8½ in) and a maximum operating speed of 120 km/h (74.6 mph).
Route
The line begins at Heudeber-Danstedt station (188 m elevation), where it connects with the Halberstadt–Vienenburg railway. From there it runs southwest through Minsleben to Wernigerode (234 m), where it connects with the Harz Narrow Gauge Railways. Continuing west, it passes through Darlingerode, Drübeck, Wahrberg (with a siding to rolling mills), and Ilsenburg (237 m). From Ilsenburg, the modern route turns northwest through Stapelburg and Eckertal, crossing the Saxony-Anhalt/Lower Saxony state border, before terminating at Bad Harzburg (234 m), where it connects with lines to Brunswick and Oker.
History
The first section, a branch line from Heudeber-Danstedt to Wernigerode, opened on 11 May 1872, built by the Magdeburg-Halberstadt Railway Company. The extension from Wernigerode to Ilsenburg was opened on 20 May 1884 by the Prussian state railways, and the final section from Ilsenburg to Bad Harzburg (via Stapelburg and Eckertal) entered service on 1 October 1894. Through passenger trains from Bad Harzburg to Halberstadt operated from the outset.
Following the division of Germany in 1945, the line was cut at the inter-zonal border between Stapelburg and Eckertal. The Deutsche Bundesbahn discontinued passenger services to Eckertal in 1958. In 1961, the Deutsche Reichsbahn cut public services back from Stapelburg to Ilsenburg, though the line remained open for military use.
Reconnection in 1996
After the fall of the Berlin Wall in December 1989, the Ilsenburg–Stapelburg section was reopened. A new section of line was built from Ilsenburg towards Vienenburg, incorporating parts of the previously closed Halberstadt–Vienenburg railway. This new link entered service on 2 June 1996, and the line was upgraded to handle speeds of up to 120 km/h. The Ilsenburg–Stapelburg section was closed again on 12 April 1995 for reconstruction and reopened as part of the new alignment.
In 2007, the line underwent further trackworks, receiving new electronic signal boxes and equipment for tilting trains. The line fully reopened in December 2007.
Current operations
As of 2010, the line is served by fast passenger trains (the HarzExpress) running between Halle and Hanover, and local stopping trains operated by HEX (HarzElbeExpress), both at two-hourly intervals. The line is part of the North Harz Network (Nordharznetz). At weekends, the Harz Berlin Express connects the Harz region with Berlin. Freight traffic includes steel shipments between factories in Salzgitter and Ilsenburg.
