142-720: The Würzburg–Aschaffenburg railway (also known in German as the Main-Spessart-Bahn ) is an 89 kilometre-long railway line in the Bavarian province of Lower Franconia . It runs from Würzburg via Gemünden (Main) to Aschaffenburg . It is particularly important for long-distance and goods traffic because it links the Rhine-Main conurbation immediately northwest of Aschaffenburg with the Lower Franconian city of Würzburg and beyond it to
284-420: A cant of up to 75 millimetres. The gradients should not exceed the 1.25% specified in the railway regulations ( Eisenbahn-Bau- und Betriebsordnung —EBO), although technical advances (automatic couplings, electric traction, etc.) should also allow gradients that exceed this, up to 2.5%. The loading gauge would initially be 4.40 metres wide and 5.40 metres high (without pantograph and overhead line) in order to meet
426-549: A distinct culture, largely because of its Catholic heritage and conservative traditions, which includes a language , cuisine , architecture, festivals and elements of Alpine symbolism. It also has the second-largest economy among the German states by GDP figures , giving it the status of a wealthy German region. Contemporary Bavaria also includes parts of the historical regions of Franconia and Swabia , in addition to Altbayern . Though Bavaria has been occupied by humans since
568-503: A grade separated junction. The general route between Hanover and the Main valley resulted from the wish to eliminate existing bottlenecks on the heavily used north-south route. In 1970, an average of 142 trains per working day and direction ran on the section between Fulda and Flieden (1967: 123). With an average load of 150 to 159 trains between Hanover and Flieden, 43 percent of all regular freight trains were delayed by more than 30 minutes at
710-480: A large part of the line is in tunnels anyway, in which the up to 400-metre-high elevations between Göttingen and Kassel are crossed. Exceptions are the Grone and Groß Ellershausen districts of Göttingen, for which noise barriers had to be built. The line then runs on the 89.96 km-long section between Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe station and Fulda station , of which 47.79 kilometres run in 25 tunnels. The route roughly follows
852-455: A length of 13 kilometres. The discussion about connecting Fulda to the line took a total of about seven years. At the end of 1976, it was accepted that the new line in the Kassel area would be linked with the existing network at Fuldatal -Ihringshausen. This established the route between Hanover and Kassel. In Kassel, after long discussions, the decision was made around 1980 to route the line via
994-483: A new Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe station . A route below the city with an underground through station under the existing Kassel Hauptbahnhof (main station), a terminal station, was rejected, as were two other options. In a memorandum on the new Hanover–Würzburg line in 1983, BUND of Hesse proposed an alternative concept. The Main-Weser Railway would be upgraded and the new Kassel–Fulda section would not be built. The first section between Hanover and Rethen (12 kilometres)
1136-521: A new line for the development program for the Deutsche Bundesbahn network were developed between 1968 and 1970. On 4 August 1969, the head office of Deutsche Bundesbahn issued a first planning order for a new line that would run from Nordstemmen (south of Hanover) via Fulda to Würzburg. With the approval of the DB network development program in 1970, the executive board ( Vorstand ) and board of directors of
1278-410: A positive state planning assessment. The spatial planning procedures took between one and six years to complete. After completion of the regional planning procedure, the planning approval procedure began. The route was divided into 88 planning approval sections. For this purpose, preliminary draft plans on a scale of 1:5000 were first drawn up, which were finally specified for the approval planning on
1420-442: A reduction in the initial speed to 250 km/h. If a purely passenger line had been realised, about 20 percent of the construction costs would have been saved, according to DB. The distance between the tracks would have been 5.40 meters for this loading gauge, the usable tunnel cross-sectional area above the top edge of the rails should be 103 square metres. In 1975, these plans were discarded after investigations had shown that
1562-563: A route on a large-scale has not yet been determined. In early October 2010, the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Bahndreieck Spessart (Spessart rail triangle working group) proposed a line running north of Lohr. This approximately four-kilometre-long new line through a tunnel was designed to accelerate through traffic and reduce noise pollution. By contrast, regional trains would continue to operate on the existing line. The new halt ( Haltepunkt ) of Mainaschaff Nord will replace
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#17328548016591704-471: A route via Holzminden, but also a route through the zone border area via Northeim and Göttingen. A match with the state planning goals was only established for the section between Hanover and Rethen. Option II, which was then developed, separated from Option I at Elze and ran west of the Leine valley via Nörten-Hardenberg to Göttingen and from there via Dransfeld to Kassel. When construction work began in 1973 on
1846-423: A scale of 1:1000. In May 1981, 75 of the 314 kilometres of route between Rethen and Würzburg were approved, in late summer 1982 113 kilometres. Particular difficulties arose from the construction of new railway power lines. In order to limit the effects of the new line on many farms that had to be crossed, countless land consolidations were necessary. In the absence of applicable federal law, noise protection along
1988-487: A total of 2,056 municipalities in Bavaria. In 44 of the 71 rural districts, there are a total of 215 unincorporated areas (as of 1 January 2005, called gemeindefreie Gebiete , singular gemeindefreies Gebiet ), not belonging to any municipality, all uninhabited, mostly forested areas, but also four lakes ( Chiemsee -without islands, Starnberger See -without island Roseninsel , Ammersee , which are
2130-421: A town hall or temple, and continued in different forms up to 1000 AD. In Manching , Upper Bavaria, an unfortified and semi-urban society appears to have prospered between the 3rd century BC until the early 1st Century AD . The settlement featured food ovens, pottery kilns and metallurgical furnaces. By 200 BC the community there was active in trade—finds of coins, along with an icon-like golden tree suggest it
2272-452: Is also possible to change tracks with the old line. Göttingen station is reached at kilometre 99. In the section between the stations of Göttingen and Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe , the line follows a fairly straight line. Almost 21 kilometres of the 44-kilometre section runs in tunnels, including the 10,525-metre-long Münden Tunnel (km 121), the second longest tunnel in Germany. In the vicinity of
2414-587: Is divided into seven administrative regions called Regierungsbezirke (singular Regierungsbezirk ). Each of these regions has a state agency called the Bezirksregierung (district government). Bezirke (regional districts) are the third communal layer in Bavaria; the others are the Landkreise and the Gemeinden or Städte . The Bezirke in Bavaria are territorially identical with
2556-637: Is followed by the 10,779 metre-long Landrücken Tunnel (km 251), the longest tunnel in Germany. At the north portal of the tunnel, the new line reaches 386 m above sea level its highest point. After the line descends to the Main Viaduct in Gemünden, it ascends further south. At the Burgsinn depot (km 283) there is the option of connecting from the Flieden–Gemünden railway , which runs to Gemünden and from there via
2698-423: Is mainly composed of push-pull trains composed of double-deck cars. Trains composed of Modus (converted from old Deutsche Bahn carriages in 1998-99) or Silberling carriages, hauled by locomotives of class 111 or class 146 are occasionally used, although the class 146 locomotives are operated mostly in "sandwich" mode (one locomotive at the front and one at the back of the train). Every two hours,
2840-483: Is part of the core network of the Trans-European Transport Networks . It is scheduled to be used by around 110 long-distance trains daily at up to 280 kilometres per hour (170 mph) during the day and by an average of 26 freight trains at night with a total of 37,460 gross tonnes (83 million pounds), running at up to 160 kilometres per hour (99 mph). In 2020, the number of passengers on
2982-519: Is shared with the Bundesstraße ;27 . In Wernfeld, it meets the tracks of the Wern Valley Railway ( Werntalbahn ) from Waigolshausen , although the two lines do not initially connect but run parallel. In the vicinity of Gemünden the line makes an almost 180° degree curve next to the Main and again passes under the high-speed line. The Nantenbach Curve ( Nantenbacher Kurve ) connects
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#17328548016593124-532: Is usually at least 400 metres. South of Fulda station, the new line follows the Frankfurt–Göttingen railway for around four kilometres to Bronnzell, where the Frankfurt–Göttingen railway stops running parallel and turns in a south-westerly direction towards Frankfurt am Main. From this line, the Flieden–Gemünden railway branches off at Flieden to Gemünden and Würzburg. A series of shorter tunnels
3266-587: The Regierungsbezirke , but they are self-governing regional corporation, having their own parliaments. In the other larger states of Germany, there are only Regierungsbezirke as administrative divisions and no self-governing entities at the level of the Regierungsbezirke as the Bezirke in Bavaria. The second communal layer is made up of 71 rural districts (called Landkreise , singular Landkreis ) that are comparable to counties, as well as
3408-668: The Anif declaration , releasing both civil and military officers from their oaths, which the Eisner government interpreted as an abdication. After losing the January 1919 elections , Eisner was assassinated in February 1919, ultimately leading to a Communist revolt and the short-lived Bavarian Soviet Republic being proclaimed 6 April 1919. After violent suppression by elements of the German Army and notably
3550-610: The Cold War years, and Edmund Stoiber , who both failed with their bids for Chancellorship . Hanover%E2%80%93W%C3%BCrzburg high-speed railway The Hanover–Würzburg high-speed railway is a double-track, electrified high-speed railway between Hanover and Würzburg in Germany, 327 kilometres (203 mi) in length. The line, built between 1973 and 1991, was the longest contiguous new project constructed by Deutsche Bundesbahn . The total costs were almost DM 11.9 billion (around €6.1 billion; 1980/90s prices). The line
3692-532: The Congress of Vienna . In return, Bavaria was allowed to annex the modern-day region of Palatinate to the west of the Rhine and Franconia in 1815. Between 1799 and 1817, the leading minister, Count Montgelas , followed a strict policy of modernization copying Napoleonic France; he laid the foundations of centralized administrative structures that survived the monarchy and, in part, have retained core validity through to
3834-669: The Czech Republic ( Karlovy Vary , Plzeň and South Bohemian Regions ), as well as with Switzerland (across Lake Constance to the Canton of St. Gallen ). Neighboring states within Germany are Baden-Württemberg , Hesse , Thuringia , and Saxony . Two major rivers flow through the state: the Danube ( Donau ) and the Main . The Bavarian Forest and the Bohemian Forest form the vast majority of
3976-698: The Duchy of Bavaria (a stem duchy ) in the 6th century AD following the collapse of the Western Roman Empire . It was later incorporated into the Holy Roman Empire , became the independent Kingdom of Bavaria after 1806, joined the Prussian-led German Empire in 1871 while retaining its title of kingdom, and finally became a state of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1949. Bavaria has
4118-679: The Freikorps , the Bavarian Soviet Republic fell in May 1919. The Bamberg Constitution ( Bamberger Verfassung ) was enacted on 12 or 14 August 1919 and came into force on 15 September 1919, placing Bavaria inside the Weimar Republic . Extremist activity further increased, notably the 1923 Beer Hall Putsch led by the Nazis , and Munich and Nuremberg became seen as strongholds of Nazism during
4260-568: The Hanau–Fulda/Würzburg new and upgraded railway ( Neu- und Ausbaustrecke Hanau–Fulda/Würzburg ) in 2002 excluded straightening of the winding section east of Heigenbrücken due to very high to extremely high sensitivities of the large-scale continuous, uncut forest areas. A low-impact corridor could not be found for a possible environmental impact assessment . The need to avoid the costly and rolling stock-intensive use of pusher locomotives between Laufach and Heigenbrücken and also to increase
4402-672: The Holy Roman Empire dissolved under Napoleon 's onslaught, Bavaria became a kingdom in 1806 and joined the Confederation of the Rhine . The Duchy of Jülich was ceded to France and the Electoral Palatinate was divided between France and the Grand Duchy of Baden . The Duchy of Berg was given to Joachim Murat . The County of Tyrol and the federal state of Salzburg were temporarily annexed with Bavaria but eventually ceded to Austria at
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4544-630: The Indo-European languages were relative newcomers to the region. Evidence of the ancient Straubing culture , Únětice culture and La Tène culture may be found in what is Bavaria today. Archeologists know of a large Celtic Iron Age settlement which was founded in Feldmoching-Hasenbergl , in the North of suburban Munich. Evidence suggests up to 500 people lived in the village from 450 BC. Local life appears to have centred around what could be
4686-496: The Kassel Hauptbahnhof terminus. In the Kassel area, the line runs for around 15 kilometres next to existing lines. The highest costs per kilometre were incurred during the construction phase for the sparsely populated but topographically very complex section between Göttingen and the state border north of Kassel. In this section, the high-speed line runs past towns and villages at a distance of about 700 to 1000 metres, and
4828-664: The Kinzig Valley Railway in the area of Wächtersbach to connect with the Hanover–Würzburg high-speed line between Würzburg and Fulda. If a southern variant of this project was realised, long-distance trains between Würzburg and Frankfurt would in future bypass the Main–Spessart railway and use the Hanau–Gemünden section of the line towards Fulda. The project was temporarily postponed and resumed in 2013. The selection of
4970-578: The Knüll mountains at a height of 420 metres with links to the existing line west of Fulda. Overcoming the Hessian ridge was planned as the third major climb on the line, in order to then reach Gemünden at an altitude of 150 meters via the Sinn valley. The selected route, which would have been suitable for passenger and freight traffic, emerged as the most favourable solution from the requirement to connect both Kassel and
5112-770: The Leine and the Innerste . The Hildesheim loop , a single-track connecting curve, which is used by trains to and from the Hanover–Berlin high-speed railway via Wolfsburg , Braunschweig and Hildesheim , branches off at Sorsum (km 29). With the entry into the Escherberg tunnel and two subsequent tunnels, the line leaves the North German Plain and passes through the Hildesheim Forest . Between Sibbesse and Bad Gandersheim ,
5254-596: The Linienzugbeeinflussung cab signalling and train protection system). According to another source, an Aschaffenburg–Gemünden upgraded line was planned around 1982 and consisted of the Nantenbach Curve and an 18 kilometre-long bypass of the steep section to the west of the Schwarzkopf Tunnel. The new line would start southwest of Hösbach and connect with the existing line at Wiesthal . As part of
5396-586: The Schwabing district in Munich, a center of international artistic activity at the time. World War I led to the abolition of monarchy all over Germany in 1918. The Bavarian monarchy was the first to fall when on 8 November 1918 Socialist politician Kurt Eisner proclaimed the Free State (i.e. republic) of Bavaria. Eisner headed a new, republican government as minister-president. On 12 November, King Ludwig III signed
5538-619: The Spessart . From Lohr station (200 metres above sea level), the line climbed steadily for 20 kilometres to Heigenbrücken (275 m ASL) until 2017. Immediately west of Heigenbrücken station, it passed through the 926 metre-long almost horizontal Schwarzkopf Tunnel. At the western end of the tunnel at Hofgut Wendelstein was the highest point of the line and the Heigenbrücken West operations yard, where pusher locomotives were detached and returned to Laufach. As far as Laufach station (175 m ASL),
5680-643: The Upper Palatinate for the Palatinate branch of the Wittelsbach in 1329. That time also Salzburg finally became independent from the Duchy of Bavaria . In the 14th and 15th centuries, upper and lower Bavaria were repeatedly subdivided. Four Duchies existed after the division of 1392: Bavaria-Straubing , Bavaria-Landshut , Bavaria-Ingolstadt and Bavaria-Munich . In 1506 with the Landshut War of Succession ,
5822-582: The Vogler (around 260 metres high) into the Holzminden area, then follow the Weser to the east and cross it at Würgassen (a district of Beverungen ). Hümme (near Hofgeismar ) would be bypassed to the east at about kilometre 100 before reaching a through station at Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe at about kilometre 135. North of Kassel, the line would be linked to the planned Dortmund–Kassel supplementary line. The line would pass over
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5964-555: The Weimar Republic and Nazi dictatorship . However, in the crucial German federal election, March 1933 , the Nazis received less than 50% of the votes cast in Bavaria. As a manufacturing centre, Munich was heavily bombed during World War II and was occupied by United States Armed Forces , becoming a major part of the American Zone of Allied-occupied Germany , which lasted from 1945 to 1947, and then of Bizone . The Rhenish Palatinate
6106-555: The Würzburg–Aschaffenburg railway to Würzburg, onto the new line directly to Würzburg and vice versa. The Nantenbach Curve coming from the Würzburg–Aschaffenburg railway merges into the high-speed line in Rohrbach operations station (km 302). After the Main Viaduct at Veitshöchheim (km 321), the line runs through two more tunnels, turns to the left in the last one and merges via a ramp into Würzburg Hauptbahnhof (km 327) at
6248-472: The marshalling yard , which was closed in 2004 by the then Railion (now DB Cargo ). Before reaching Veitshöchheim station , which is noteworthy for its entrance building, the Main–Spessart railway crosses the Hanover–Würzburg high-speed railway , which crossed the Main valley here on a 30-metre-high bridge. The line continues to follow the Main valley, where in places the very cramped right bank side
6390-465: The 21st century. In May 1808, a first constitution was passed by Maximilian I , being modernized in 1818. This second version established a bicameral Parliament with a House of Lords ( Kammer der Reichsräte ) and a House of Commons ( Kammer der Abgeordneten ). That constitution was followed until the collapse of the monarchy at the end of World War I . After the rise of Prussia in the early 18th century, Bavaria preserved its independence by playing off
6532-496: The 25 independent cities ( Kreisfreie Städte , singular Kreisfreie Stadt ), both of which share the same administrative responsibilities. Rural districts: Independent cities: The 71 rural districts are on the lowest level divided into 2,031 regular municipalities (called Gemeinden , singular Gemeinde ). Together with the 25 independent cities ( kreisfreie Städte , which are in effect municipalities independent of Landkreis administrations), there are
6674-499: The EBO of 1.25%, a maximum of 1.8% was considered for short sections (initial considerations assumed 2.5% ). In early considerations, the loading gauge would be particularly large compared to the existing network. Wagons that were 4.30 metres wide with roofs 5.60 metres above the top of the rails would be able to transport trucks in closed railway wagons in piggyback traffic to relieve the roads of heavy traffic at high speeds. A three-track line
6816-608: The Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan 1985 included an upgrade of the line between Gemünden and Aschaffenburg only in the "planning" category. DM 520 million was provided for the “Aschaffenburg–Gemünden upgraded line”. The Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan 1992 contained the ABS/NBS Hanau–Nantenbach/Würzburg– Iphofen project as an “urgent need” with an estimated cost of DM 1.495 billion. An area sensitivity test for
6958-587: The Fulda Viaduct at Solms (km 206), the longest bridge on the line at around 1600 metres, and the Rombach Viaduct (km 218), the second highest railway bridge in Germany at around 95 metres. After the 7,345 metre-long Dietershan tunnel, Fulda station (km 234) is reached. Apart from the Fulda and Kassel junction areas, the new line runs almost entirely in uninhabited terrain in this section. The distance from settlements
7100-403: The Fulda Viaduct in Kragenhof (km 133), the high-speed line begins to run generally parallel with the north-south line, which it will follow for nine kilometres to the southern outskirts of Kassel. The line passes the western edge of the Kassel marshalling yard and reaches Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe station at route kilometre 144. The station, which was newly built as part of the high-speed line, bypasses
7242-419: The German average . Major cities include Munich (its capital and largest city , which is also the third largest city in Germany ), Nuremberg , and Augsburg . The history of Bavaria includes its earliest settlement by Iron Age Celtic tribes, followed by the conquests of the Roman Empire in the 1st century BC, when the territory was incorporated into the provinces of Raetia and Noricum . It became
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#17328548016597384-486: The Göttingen Interessengemeinschaft Trasse ("Trasse Interest Group") countered with their own studies and expert opinions on economic arguments for the connection of Göttingen. The Lower Saxony state government emphasised in a state planning statement of 1975 that from a state political point of view only one route via Göttingen was justifiable. Taking into account new planning parameters (250 km/h instead of 300 km/h speed, standard instead of large structural gauge),
7526-410: The Main at Hafenlohr . The connection to the existing line would be made north of Würzburg and the route length be shortened from 90 kilometres to 67 kilometres and the running time from 50 minutes to 25 minutes. The quadruplication of the existing line was considered, but it was not pursued due to the substandard route east of Aschaffenburg, the Spessart ramp and the narrow profile of
7668-451: The Main–Spessart railway and the Hanover–Würzburg high-speed railway between the operations yard of Rohrbach on the high-speed line and Nantenbach junction, east of Lohr, on the Main–Spessart railway. This shortcut allows long-distance trains to use the high-speed line between Würzburg and Lohr and shortens their travel times considerably as the curvy section through the Main valley only permits moderate speeds. From Lohr, it heads west through
7810-399: The Main–Spessart railway between Gemünden and Würzburg. In local traffic, the line is served hourly by Regional-Express services on the Würzburg–Aschaffenburg–Hanau–Frankfurt route. The services that previously ran to Nuremberg were largely abandoned in December 2006, since there is cross-platform interchange in Würzburg with services to and from Nuremberg. The rolling stock used on the line
7952-425: The Main–Spessart railway every two-hours. It uses the West Rhine Railway ( Linke Rheinstrecke ) between Frankfurt and Cologne and runs through the Ruhr via Wuppertal in the Bergisches Land . Some trains of this service begin in Vienna or Budapest and continue to Hamburg or Kiel. Intercity, Eurocity and Intercity-Express services of the first generation run alternatively here. A Vienna–Frankfurt am Main ICE service
8094-449: The Main–Spessart railway from Würzburg to Wiesthal has been part of the fare zone of the Verkehrsverbund Mainfranken (Main-Franconia transport association, VVM), which replaced the former Würzburger Tarifverbund (Würzburg fare association, WTV) on 1 August 2004. The section from Heigenbrücken to Aschaffenburg is located in both the Verkehrsgemeinschaft am Bayerischen Untermain (Transport association of Bavrarian Lower Main, VAB) and
8236-460: The Palatinate by Rhine ( Kurpfalz in German) was also acquired by the House of Wittelsbach in 1214, which they would subsequently hold for six centuries. The first of several divisions of the duchy of Bavaria occurred in 1255. With the extinction of the Hohenstaufen in 1268, Swabian territories were acquired by the Wittelsbach dukes. Emperor Louis the Bavarian acquired Brandenburg , Tyrol , Holland and Hainaut for his House but released
8378-436: The Paleolithic era, Celtic tribes of the Bronze Age, such as the Boii were the first documented inhabitants of the Bavarian Alps . In June 2023, Archeologists discovered a bronze sword, dated to the 14th century BC , in a former Celtic village; its workmanship so well-preserved "it almost shines." During the early modern era, these peoples were retrospectively romanticized as the most ancient culture of Bavaria, even though
8520-467: The Prussian forces and ultimately joined the Federation, which was renamed Deutsches Reich ( German Empire ) in 1871. Bavaria continued as a monarchy, and retained some special rights within the federation (such as railways and postal services and control of its army in peace times). When Bavaria became part of the newly formed German Empire , this action was considered controversial by Bavarian nationalists who had wanted to retain independence from
8662-716: The RE services continue from Würzburg to Schweinfurt and Bamberg and vice versa. These cycles consist of five double-deck coaches hauled by a class 146.2 based at the Nuremberg depot. A Regionalbahn service, which runs on the Würzburg–Gemünden section, is offset by approximately thirty minutes from the hourly Regional-Express service; it generally runs from Schweinfurt or Bamberg and continues through Gemünden to Jossa or Schlüchtern. On weekdays, during peak hours, there are also some additional trains between Würzburg and Karlstadt, which come from Treuchtlingen. Regionalbahn services also run from Aschaffenburg to Heigenbrücken hourly, with some continuing to Gemünden. Since 1 August 2013,
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#17328548016598804-400: The Schwarzkopf Tunnel. In mid-1971, the line was one of four "supplementary lines" with the highest priority level, which were planned to be largely realised by 1980. The Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan ( Bundesverkehrswegeplan ) 1973 contained a line between Würzburg and Aschaffenburg as one of seven planned high-speed railways. Construction of the planned 65 kilometre-long new line
8946-409: The additional costs of around ten percent for a clearance gauge were not offset by sufficiently large additional yields from piggyback transport. Instead, the expanded standard clearance profile was used as a basis for further planning of the route now known as the "new construction line". As network planning progressed, the planned Hanover–Gemünden and Aschaffenburg–Würzburg routes were combined to form
9088-445: The benefits up to December 1974 for the first time. In the corridor between Hanover and Gemünden (with a continuation to Würzburg), the two supplementary routes, Hanover–Würzburg and Aschaffenburg–Würzburg were compared to the development of the proposed Autobahn 100 (a northern extension of the . In 1973, project officers were appointed to the divisions. Links to the existing north-south route in Kassel and Fulda were already planned in
9230-405: The construction of a new tunnel in the area of the Spessart Ramp , this included the Nantenbach Curve (10 kilometres). The integration of the new tunnel into a new Aschaffenburg–Gemünden high-speed line was explicitly intended as an option. The planning of 1982 provided for a 37.6 kilometre-long section between Aschaffenburg and Gemünden upgraded for a maximum speed of 200 km/h (with
9372-484: The course of the Fulda , which is crossed three times. In the Bebra and Bad Hersfeld area, the line runs well to the west of the Fulda, some of it close to the A 7. Since the Fulda valley is too winding and narrowly built-up for a high-speed line and the side valleys largely run perpendicular to it, numerous structures are required on this section. Around two-thirds of the approximately 80-kilometre-long new section runs over 18 viaducts. The outstanding structures include
9514-420: The diverse requirements of rail freight transport. Due to a lack of experience with trains traveling at speeds of more than 200 km/h, a track spacing of 5.00 metres, in tunnels an increased spacing of 6.00 metres was considered as well as two separate single-track tunnels. The distance between the depots was set at around 20 kilometres and the establishment of transfer points was examined. Gemünden station
9656-419: The early 8th century. Tassilo III of Bavaria succeeded to rule Bavaria. He initially ruled under Frankish oversight but began to function independently from 763 onward. He was particularly noted for founding new monasteries and for expanding eastwards, oppressing Slavs in the eastern Alps and along the Danube and colonizing these lands. After 781, however, Charlemagne began to exert pressure and Tassilo III
9798-416: The economic difference was finally reduced to DM 300 million. In 1976, the discussion was concluded with the approval of the Federal Minister of Transport for the route via Göttingen. A study commissioned by the state of Lower Saxony had compared the options via Göttingen and Holzminden and found that the Göttingen option had consistently higher benefits. In October 1974, Deutsche Bundesbahn decided to route
9940-482: The elector, Frederick William I expected a bribe of 100,000 Thalers before he signed the concession. The leading minister in the Electorate, Ludwig Hassenpflug , then offered his resignation, but the elector refused it. The Hanau–Aschaffenburg section was originally operated by the Frankfurt-Hanau Railway Company ( Frankfurt-Hanauer Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft ) and the Bavarian part was leased to them. The Hessian Ludwig Railway ( Hessische Ludwigsbahn ) took over
10082-449: The empire's laws. During the early and mid-18th century the ambitions of the Bavarian prince electors led to several wars with Austria as well as occupations by Austria ( War of the Spanish Succession , War of the Austrian Succession with the election of a Wittelsbach emperor instead of a Habsburg). To mark the unification of Bavaria and the Electoral Palatinate , both being principal Wittelsbach territories, Elector Maximilian IV Joseph
10224-400: The end of the section. In June 1973, 367 trains ran between Northeim and Nörten-Hardenberg (near Göttingen) on weekdays, with only 288 being able to operate smoothly. At the end of the 1970s, 160 trains per day ran between Hanover and Würzburg, according to the then Deutsche Bundesbahn , 40 more than "technically and economically justifiable". The section between Gemünden am Main and Würzburg
10366-466: The existing line between Aschaffenburg and Gemünden by 1990 instead of a section of new line. The estimated cost was DM 850 million. The Hanover–Würzburg Süd project group, which was planning the southern route section of the Hanover–Würzburg new line at the railway division ( Bundesbahndirektion ) of Nuremberg, was commissioned to develop plans for the upgrade of the line between Gemünden and Aschaffenburg on 25 February 1980. In addition to
10508-413: The first section between Hanover Hauptbahnhof and Rethen (12 kilometres), further discussions arose. A large number of potential routes resulted in a solution known as Option III, which corresponds to the current route and runs via Bad Gandersheim and Northeim to Göttingen and from there in a south-easterly direction via Hannoversch Münden to Kassel. The decisive factor for this option was the wish to build
10650-528: The first time. In the autumn of 1971, a route from Hanover via the Weser Uplands from Holzminden / Höxter and Kassel to Gemünden, designated Option I, was considered. In the course of the spatial planning procedure initiated in 1972 for the Hanover– Elze section (near Hildesheim), the supreme state planning authority of the state of Lower Saxony asked the Deutsche Bundesbahn in 1972 not only to consider
10792-619: The former state border to the former Hanau station , where it connected to the Frankfurt–Hanau railway was built and operated on the basis of a license from the Electorate and a treaty between the Kingdom of Bavaria and the Electorate signed on 7 June 1850. The financing of the construction of the line by the Hanau bank, Bernus du Fay , caused a government crisis in the Electorate in 1852, because
10934-513: The frontier with the Czech Republic and Bohemia. The geographic center of the European Union is located in the northwestern corner of Bavaria. At lower elevations the climate is classified according to Köppen's guide as " Cfb " or " Dfb ". At higher altitudes the climate becomes " Dfc " and " ET ". The summer months have been getting hotter in recent years. For example, June 2019 was
11076-481: The house of Agilolfing ruled the Duchy of Bavaria , ending with Tassilo III who was deposed by Charlemagne . Tassilo I of Bavaria tried unsuccessfully to hold the eastern frontier against the expansion of Slavic peoples and the Pannonian Avars around 600. Garibald II seems to have achieved a balance of power between 610 and 616. At Hugbert's death in 735, the duchy passed to Odilo of Bavaria from
11218-415: The junction in the middle with the tracks of the old line. The high-speed line leaves the parallel section at a grade-separated crossing and swings away from the old line in a south-westerly direction. It then crosses eleven bridges between Rethen and Barnten with a total length of 1.1 kilometres and runs on embankments up to eight metres high with a total length of 6.9 kilometres through the flood plains of
11360-588: The junction with the Nantenbach Curve and Hanau is used by long-distance services, but elsewhere passenger services are dominated by local services. Until recently, an exception was the Saturday Intercity train pair, branded Rottaler Land , from Passau and Mühldorf to Hamburg , between Würzburg and Fulda and used the North–South railway instead of the high-speed line and stopped in Gemünden ;(Main). At
11502-411: The line at speeds of up to 200 km/h, alternating with other passenger and freight trains. The early design parameters for the route, initially referred to as the "high-speed railway", emerged from the high-performance high-speed railway study (HSB). These provided for a top speed of 300 km/h with a minimum curve radius of 7000 metres. In addition to a maximum longitudinal gradient specified in
11644-462: The line follows the course of a valley without major engineering structures, before after another six tunnels and five viaducts it reached the Leinegraben and the high-speed line at Edesheim swings back to run parallel with the north-south line. There, at km 77, it is possible to switch to and from the old line in both directions. Northeim is bypassed to the west, at Nörten-Hardenberg station at km 90 it
11786-426: The line from Rethen to Göttingen by the shortest possible route and to connect Hildesheim as well if possible. In a business comparison between options I and III, option I was preferred. The additional traffic volume of a connection to Göttingen (II/III) could not compensate for the estimated additional investment of DM 500 million for the route, which is 20 kilometres longer than option I. The state of Lower Saxony and
11928-542: The line ran over the Spessart Ramp , the trains on the 5.2 kilometre-long route overcame a height difference of 100 metres, corresponding to an average slope of 1.9%. In fact, this varied between 1.54 and 2.17%. The section from a point east of Heigenbrücken to Laufach is now bypassed by a new line with four tunnels. Shortly before the halt of Hösbach the line crosses the A ;3 . The Main-Spessart Railway between
12070-403: The line to Frankfurt south of Fulda. The 275-kilometre route was intended to reduce the length of the rail link between Hanover and Gemünden by around 60 kilometres. The travel time in long-distance passenger transport would fall from around 160 minutes to 90 minutes. Construction was scheduled to begin in 1973 and be completed in 1980. Earlier completion of individual sections was considered. It
12212-436: The line via Gemünden am Main to Würzburg. In the Fulda area, a western bypass of the city was originally planned, which was to be connected to the new line by means of links to the existing line at Maberzell and Kerzell. This option had already been discarded in the mid-1970s in favour of several variants of a route via Fulda station. In 1978 it was decided to run the new line parallel to the existing line via Fulda station for
12354-456: The line was estimated to be 15.5 million. To date, it is the longest greenfield line for high-speed traffic in Germany. Before the line was built, long-distance trains ran between Hanover and Würzburg via Alfeld , Kreiensen and Northeim to Göttingen ( Hanoverian Southern Railway ), continuing via Eichenberg , Eschwege West, Bebra , Bad Hersfeld , Fulda and Gemünden am Main to Würzburg (old North–South railway ). The upper edge of
12496-689: The line. The federal highway 27 is also largely parallel, although this does not run through Hanover and Kassel. The 327.4 kilometre-long new line begins at kilometre 0.0 in Hannover Hauptbahnhof . Running in a southerly direction, it follows the existing north-south line in Hanover's urban area via the Hannover Messe/Laatzen station , which is also served by long-distance trains (primarily during trade fairs), at km 8 towards Rethen . The two high-speed tracks run between Hanover Bismarckstraße and
12638-453: The lines and bring the commissioning forward to 1991. On 28 May 1984, the board of directors of Deutsche Bundesbahn approved the high-speed railway project, which envisaged using the line for high-speed traffic at speeds of up to 250 km/h as soon as it went into operation. The necessary changes to the route planning were minor, mainly because the Re 250 overhead line had already been tested and
12780-467: The maximum speed on this section, led the Federal Ministry of Transport to decide to fundamentally re-route the entire section on 28 August 2006. Following the award of contracts to a consortium, construction began in the summer of 2013. The newly built section, which was opened on 19 June 2017, shortened the rail route between Würzburg and Aschaffenburg by half a kilometre. It forms section 3 of
12922-594: The metropoles of Nuremberg and Munich . The German name derives from the fact that it initially runs parallel to the River Main and then cuts through the Spessart hills. It was opened on 22 June 1854 by the Frankfurt-Hanau Railway Company and is one of the oldest railways in Germany . Development of the line was licensed under the Bavarian law of 23 May 1846. The Royal Bavarian State Railways ( Königlich Bayerische Staats-Eisenbahnen ) opened
13064-590: The most operationally demanding section of the line was the 5.4 kilometre-long Spessart Ramp , a steep section between Laufach and the Schwarzkopf Tunnel with an average gradient of 1.9%, which meant that heavy freight trains required assistance from a bank engine . Since June 2017, the Spessart ramp has been replaced by a new line on a significantly flatter route. The section in the Electorate of Hesse from
13206-540: The neighboring Alemannia . Odilo issued a Lex Baiuvariorum for Bavaria, completed the process of church organization in partnership with Saint Boniface in 739, and tried to intervene in Frankish succession disputes by fighting for the claims of the Carolingian dynasty . He was defeated near Augsburg in 743 but continued to rule until his death in 748. Saint Boniface completed the people's conversion to Christianity in
13348-408: The new Hanover–Würzburg route in the same year. The main reason for the extension to Würzburg was capacity considerations—between Gemünden and Würzburg, the existing two-track line accommodated traffic to and from Fulda as well as traffic to and from Frankfurt am Main. On 13 July 1977, the board of directors of Deutsche Bundesbahn decided to build the new line between Hanover and Würzburg. The route
13490-409: The new line coming from Hanover and run towards Würzburg-Zell along largely straight lines. The planned new line encountered strong resistance from nature conservation associations, which feared damage to the Spessart, and was therefore abandoned by Deutsche Bundesbahn. The Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan 1980, which was determined at the end of 1979, included as a "new project" the upgrading of
13632-515: The new line. The Federal Transport Minister then approved the construction of the Rethen–Kassel and Burgsinn–Würzburg sections on 21 July 1978. Approval for the Kassel–Burgsinn section followed on 26 August 1980. The approved costs amounted to DM 4,750 million (1975 price levels) for Rethen–Kassel and a total of DM 5,060 million (1979 prices) for Kassel–Burgsinn and Burgsinn–Würzburg. The line
13774-725: The operations of the Frankfurt-Hanau Railway in 1863 and acquired it in 1872 as it now lay in Prussia, as a result of the Austro-Prussian War . During the Second World War, the Main-Spessart Railway was the target of Allied air raids as an important route for traffic. One raid took place on the night of 1/2 April 1942. The section from Würzburg to Veitshöchheim has been electrified since 10 October 1954 and
13916-406: The other Länder ratified it. All of the other states ratified it, so it became law. Thus, during the Cold War , Bavaria was part of West Germany . Bavarians have often emphasized a separate national identity and considered themselves as "Bavarians" first, "Germans" second. In the 19th-century sense, an independent Kingdom of Bavaria existed from only 1806 to 1871. A separate Bavarian identity
14058-648: The other parts of Bavaria were reunited, and Munich became the sole capital. The country became a center of the Jesuit-inspired Counter-Reformation . In 1623, the Bavarian duke replaced his relative of the Palatinate branch, the Electorate of the Palatinate in the early days of the Thirty Years' War and acquired the powerful prince-elector dignity in the Holy Roman Empire , determining its Emperor thence forward, as well as special legal status under
14200-480: The other with white and blue diamond-shaped lozenges . Either may be used by civilians and government offices, who are free to choose between them. Unofficial versions of the flag, especially a lozenge style with coat of arms, are sometimes used by civilians. The modern coat of arms of Bavaria was designed by Eduard Ege in 1946, following heraldic traditions. Bavaria shares international borders with Austria ( Salzburg , Tyrol , Upper Austria and Vorarlberg ) and
14342-507: The overall 28.0 kilometre-long line, which could be operated at 200 km/h, 7 tunnels would be built with a total length of eleven kilometres. A 32 kilometre-long upgrade was planned in 1983. The Aktionsgemeinschaft Laufachtal (Laufach valley action group), which campaigned against the upgrade of the line, was founded at the beginning of March 1983 under the motto of Das Laufachtal muß leben (the Laufach valley must live). Finally,
14484-473: The past. Extreme weather like the 2013 European floods or the 2019 European heavy snowfalls is occurring more and more often. One effect of the continuing warming is the melting of almost all Bavarian Alpine glaciers : Of the five glaciers of Bavaria only the Höllentalferner is predicted to exist over a longer time perspective. The Südliche Schneeferner has almost vanished since the 1980s. Bavaria
14626-467: The planned “Hanau–Nantenbach upgraded railway” ( Ausbaustrecke Hanau–Nantenbach ). The Main–Spessart railway is 112.5 kilometres long, although the system of kilometre markings change in Aschaffenburg. This is a relic from the time when the section north of Aschaffenburg was operated by non-Bavarian railway administrations. After leaving Würzburg Hauptbahnhof , the line first passes the new port and
14768-533: The planning contract; the order made no further specifications. A new line between Hanover and the Würzburg area via Kassel was included as a project in the 1973 Federal Transport Plan ( Bundesverkehrswegeplan ). In December 1974, the Federal Minister of Transport instructed Deutsche Bundesbahn to build the line between Hanover and Würzburg. The ZTP Mainz developed a large-scale rough route, which largely adapted to
14910-582: The previous halt of Rückersbacher Schlucht . Two halts are being planned in Hösbach Ort and Aschaffenburg Ost . Only three of the 17 stations on the line have not been upgraded to make them barrier-free. In Wernfeld, the former station at the junction of the Main–Spessart railway and the Wern Valley Railway was abandoned in favour of a stop closer to the centre, which was completed in the summer of 2002 after 13 months of construction. The total cost of
15052-401: The rail is at heights between 50 m above sea level and 386 m above sea level. The new line is 35 kilometres shorter than the pre-existing lines between Hanover and Würzburg. It runs parallel to existing routes over a length of 51 kilometres. At the time of the division of Germany , 70 percent of the line ran through the border zone. Autobahn 7 also runs through all the major stops along
15194-594: The regional planning procedure for the Edesheim–Göttingen section was completed, and in April 1979, state planning approval for the Göttingen–state border section (north of Kassel) was issued. In January 1980, the 64 kilometre Rethen–Edesheim section followed. The last large-scale regional planning procedure for the 36 kilometre section between Gemünden and Würzburg ended after five and a half years on 20 May 1981 with
15336-410: The regions forming the historic Bavaria before further acquisitions in 1806–1815, speak a Bavarian dialect of German, Franconia in the north and Bavarian Swabia in the south west, have their unique culture, including different dialects of German, East Franconian and Swabian , respectively. Uniquely among German states, Bavaria has two official flags of equal status, one with a white and blue stripe,
15478-564: The rest of Germany, as had Austria. As Bavaria had a heavily Catholic majority population, many people resented being ruled by the mostly Protestant northerners in Prussia . As a direct result of the Bavarian-Prussian feud, political parties formed to encourage Bavaria to break away and regain its independence. In the early 20th century, Wassily Kandinsky , Paul Klee , Henrik Ibsen , and other artists were drawn to Bavaria, especially to
15620-470: The rivalry of Prussia and Austria . Allied to Austria, it was defeated along with Austria in the 1866 Austro-Prussian War and was not incorporated into the North German Confederation of 1867, but the question of German unity was still alive. When France declared war on Prussia in 1870 , all the south German states (Baden, Württemberg, Hessen-Darmstadt and Bavaria) aside from Austria, joined
15762-531: The ruler of two duchies. When in 1180, Henry the Lion was deposed as Duke of Saxony and Bavaria by his cousin, Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor (a.k.a. "Barbarossa" for his red beard), Bavaria was awarded as fief to the Wittelsbach family, counts palatinate of Schyren ("Scheyern" in modern German). They ruled for 738 years, from 1180 to 1918. In 1180, however, Styria was also separated from Bavaria. The Electorate of
15904-409: The second biggest political party in the 2018 Bavarian state elections , and the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), who have dominated the city of Munich until 2020. Hitherto, Wilhelm Hoegner has been the only SPD candidate to ever become Minister-President; notable successors in office include multi-term Federal Minister Franz Josef Strauss , a key figure among West German conservatives during
16046-530: The section of the Main–Spessart railway from Würzburg to the then national border with the Electorate of Hesse , which lay between Kahl am Main and Großkrotzenburg , via Aschaffenburg on 1 October 1854. It formed part of the Bavarian Ludwig Western Railway , which ran from Bamberg via Schweinfurt . The 96-metre-long railway bridge over the A 3 was rebuilt near Hösbach between February 2010 and October 2011. Until June 2017,
16188-401: The southeast of Germany . With an area of 70,550.19 km (27,239.58 sq mi), it is the largest German state by land area , comprising roughly a fifth of the total land area of Germany, and with over 13.08 million inhabitants, it is the second most populous German state , behind only North Rhine-Westphalia ; however, due to its large land area, its population density is below
16330-404: The then national railway made it possible to commission planning for new and upgraded lines. The line between Hanover and Gemünden am Main was one of the most urgent projects. In 1971, a contract for the planning of the line was issued. The line was to run parallel with the existing line between Hanover and Nordstemmen for around 30 kilometres, then leave the Leine valley, head southwest over
16472-510: The three largest lakes of Bavaria, and Waginger See ). Source: Bayerisches Landesamt für Statistik und Datenverarbeitung Bavaria has a multiparty system dominated by the conservative Christian Social Union (CSU), which has won every election since 1945 with the exception of the 1950 ballot. Other important parties are the Free Voters , which became the second largest party in the 2023 Bavarian state election , The Greens , which became
16614-597: The timetable change in December 2014, it was discontinued and was the last long-distance train pair to run on this section. With the commissioning of the Cologne–Frankfurt high-speed rail line , ICE trains replaced the former Intercity services on the Ruhr–Frankfurt–Munich corridor, initially running every two hours and hourly since December 2006. In addition, a long-distance services run from Passau to Dortmund via
16756-467: The topographical conditions and would keep as large a distance as possible to settlement areas. When planning the route, the focus was on accelerating and increasing the capacity of the growing freight traffic. In particular, freight trains would be enabled to jump overnight from the northern German ports to the industrial centres in southern Germany. Passenger trains on the Intercity network were to run on
16898-602: The transition area of the Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund (Rhine-Main transport association, RMV), the main fare area of which begins at Großkrotzenburg station between Aschaffenburg and Hanau. A project called the Mottgers Link ( Mottgers-Spange ) involves a new line from the Frankfurt area towards Fulda and possibly towards Würzburg. One option being considered would consist of a section of new line branching off from
17040-455: The two external platforms built using prefabricated parts amounted to €2.3 million. Two new prefabricated external platforms and a new underpass were installed in Veitshöchheim station at a cost of €3.2 million. Aschaffenburg Hauptbahnhof experienced a comprehensive modernisation up to 2008. Bavaria Bavaria , officially the Free State of Bavaria , is a state in
17182-466: The warmest June in Bavaria since weather observations have been recorded and the winter 2019/2020 was 3 degrees Celsius warmer than the average temperature for many years all over Bavaria. On 20 December 2019 a record temperature of 20.2 °C (68.4 °F) was recorded in Piding . In general winter months are seeing more precipitation which is taking the form of rain more often than that of snow compared to
17324-455: The whole line has been operated electrically since 26 September 1957. Since then, the number of freight trains requiring a bank engine has declined sharply. Until the opening of the new Spessart Ramp, such a locomotive was still based in Laufach station. With 365 trains per day, the line was heavily congested in the summer of 1970 according to Deutsche Bundesbahn . In conjunction with the planned " Hanover–Gemünden supplementary line ", which
17466-569: The year 500 AD, some elements of that victorious Marcomanni people would help to form the Bavarii confederation, which incorporated Bohemia and Bavaria. In the 530s, the Merovingian dynasty incorporated the kingdom of Thuringia after their defeat by the Franks . The Baiuvarii were Frankicised a century later. The Lex Thuringorum documents an upper class nobility of adalingi . From about 554 to 788,
17608-429: Was also considered to be able to handle reliable traffic on two tracks during construction work and other operational disruptions. The first traffic volume forecasts in 1971 and 1972 initially suggested an at least partially three-track line. The oil crisis of 1973 and a recession in 1974/1975 led to more cautious forecasts in the mid-1970s, which allowed a double-track line throughout. Economic considerations also led to
17750-465: Was approved on 16 July 1973 by the Federal Minister of Transport (under Section 14, Paragraph 3c of the Federal Railways Act). The approved costs amounted to DM 226 million (1973 prices). This section was considered undisputed between DB, the federal government and the state of Lower Saxony, while the extension to the south was controversial. In June 1978, Federal Cabinet decided to continue
17892-419: Was crowned king of Bavaria. King Maximilian Joseph was quick to change the coat of arms. The various heraldic symbols were replaced and a classical Wittelsbach pattern introduced. The white and blue lozenges symbolized the unity of the territories within the Bavarian kingdom. The new state also comprised the Duchy of Jülich and Berg as these on their part were in personal union with the Palatinate. When
18034-463: Was deposed in 788. Dissenters attempted a coup against Charlemagne at Regensburg in 792, led by Pepin the Hunchback . With the revolt of Henry II, Duke of Bavaria in 976, Bavaria lost large territories in the south and southeast. One of the most important dukes of Bavaria was Henry the Lion of the house of Welf , founder of Munich , and de facto the second most powerful man in the empire as
18176-522: Was detached from Bavaria in 1946 and made part of the new state Rhineland-Palatinate . In 1949, Bavaria became part of the Federal Republic of Germany , despite the Bavarian Parliament voting against adopting the Basic Law of Germany , mainly because it was seen as not granting sufficient powers to the individual states ( Länder ), but at the same time declared that it would accept it if two-thirds of
18318-430: Was divided into nine sections for the spatial planning process. From 1972, a total of 13 (another source: 11 ) spatial planning procedures were carried out. In most cases, sections were selected that could also be used independently for operational purposes. After the route between Hanover and Kassel was fixed at the end of 1976, the spatial planning procedure was initiated in several parts of this section in 1977. In 1977,
18460-474: Was emphasized more strongly when Bavaria joined the Prussia-dominated German Empire in 1871, while the Bavarian nationalists wanted to keep Bavaria as Catholic and an independent state. Aside from the minority Bavaria Party , most Bavarians now accept Bavaria as part of Germany. Another consideration is that Bavaria is not culturally uniform. While inhabitants Altbayern ("Old Bavaria"),
18602-503: Was established on the line, in collaboration with the Austrian Federal Railways , and operated with tilting ICE sets from December 2007. During the day, if the Hanover–Würzburg high-speed line is not available for passenger trains, individual long-distance trains run between Frankfurt and Würzburg over the full length of the Main–Spessart railway. In addition, individual long-distance trains run between Hanover and Würzburg over
18744-439: Was estimated to cost DM 4.2 billion (around €2.1 billion). The routing of the supplementary line, which was intended for both passenger trains and freight trains weighing up to 1,000 t, was at a design speed of 300 km/h, although lower maximum speeds would also be selected if necessary due to particularly high expenditures on short sections. The planned minimum radii were 7,000 metres (5,000 metres in exceptional cases) with
18886-433: Was estimated to cost around DM 1.2 billion. In the pre-planning as of November 1973, the line at Hösbach was to leave the existing line and run eastwards along the existing line to the southeast of Partenstein . It would continue north to Lohr am Main and south to Neuendorf . From there, the line would run in an arc in a southeasterly direction. South of Gemünden, in the vicinity of Wernfeld, it would connect with
19028-506: Was founded in 60 AD, west of modern-day Manching, as evidenced by a legionnaire's sandal found near remains of an ancient fort. By the late 2nd Century AD , Germanic tribes, including Marcomanni people, were pushing back on Roman forces of Marcus Aurelius and later, Commodus in the Marcomannic Wars . By 180 AD, Commodus had decided to abandon the annexed positions in Bavaria, leaving its control to Celtic and Germanic tribes. Around
19170-436: Was given to the transport management centre ( Zentrale Transportleitung , ZTP) and the federal railway divisions involved (Hanover, Kassel, Frankfurt and Nuremberg) for a line that was to supplement the existing north-south line in terms of quantity and quality. Kassel would also be connected. Considerations to upgrading the existing north-south route between Hanover and Göttingen to four tracks proved to be unfeasible. The line
19312-500: Was in mid-1971 along with the Cologne–Groß-Gerau supplementary line one of two routes that have undergone in-depth route planning. Since the necessary topographical maps on a scale of 1:5,000 were largely missing, they were produced using aerial photography. In the course of the corridor investigations commissioned on 15 June 1971, the costs of projects for different modes of transport in three selected corridors were compared with
19454-531: Was included in the Coordinated Investment Program for Federal Transport Routes in 1977. The commissioning of the first two new high-speed lines in Germany was initially planned for 1985. As a result of the unexpectedly long planning process, it was postponed until 1993 in the early 1980s. In May 1982, the newly created Federal Railway Board ( Bundesbahnvorstand ) decided in July 1982 to continue building
19596-411: Was intended for installation. Due to its position as an urban area and transport node, the city of Kassel was a fixed point of the route. The specific route was finally developed in a multi-stage process. In the section between Hanover and Kassel, for example, numerous options were examined in a corridor about 50 kilometres wide. With the new line, Kassel was to be connected to the intercity network for
19738-493: Was listed in Deutsche Bundesbahn's expansion program ( Ausbauprogramm für das Netz ) of 1970, the Aschaffenburg–Würzburg supplementary line ( Ergänzungsstrecke ) was designated as a planned new line. This was to relieve the congested section between Gemünden and Würzburg. The line would cross the Spessart towards Würzburg, initially running approximately parallel and north of Autobahn A 3 to Waldaschaff and cross
19880-480: Was particularly badly affected. With up to 380 trains per day, an operating performance that had not previously been thought possible was achieved. Despite modern signalling systems, operational quality restrictions (particularly in terms of punctuality) were unavoidable. A forecast made in the early 1980s for 1990 estimated that 249 trains per day would run in each direction between Hanover and Göttingen and 250 between Fulda and Flieden. The first preliminary drafts of
20022-434: Was to be upgraded as part of the line. Between Gemünden and Würzburg, the existing line, which was largely passable at 160 km/h, was to be used. A new line to Würzburg was not planned at the time, despite the planned supplementary line between Aschaffenburg and Würzburg. The line would have been 40 kilometres shorter than the existing lines between Hanover and Gemünden. In 1971, a planning order for preliminary planning
20164-502: Was trading with distant Italo-Greek communities. In the 1st Century BC, Bavaria was conquered by the Roman Empire . An imperial military camp was built 60 km north-west of where Munich sits today, under orders of Augustus Caesar , between 8 and 5 BC. The camp later became the town of Augusta Vindelicorum , which would become the capital of the Roman province of Raetia . Another fort
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