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The Dessau–Köthen railway connects the cities of Dessau-Roßlau

Dessau-Roßlau

' is an independent city and urban district in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is situated at the confluence of the rivers Elbe and Mulde. The town was formed by merger of the independent city of Dessau with the town of Roßlau in the course of the Kreisreform Sachsen-Anhalt on 1 July 2007...

 and Köthen in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt

Saxony-Anhalt

Saxony-Anhalt is a landlocked state of Germany. Its capital is Magdeburg and it is surrounded by the German states of Lower Saxony, Brandenburg, Saxony, and Thuringia.Saxony-Anhalt covers an area of...

. It is one of the oldest lines in Germany and forms the western end of the main line of the Berlin-Anhalt Railway Company . The only passenger services to use the line are regional services.

History

The Dessau–Köthen line opened on 1 September 1840 as the first section of the Anhalt Railway

Anhalt Railway

The Anhalt railway , most commonly referred to as the Berlin-Halle railway , is a twin-track, electrified main line found in the German city-state of Berlin, and the states of Brandenburg and Sachsen-Anhalt...

. On 10 September 1841 the line was completed to Berlin. Regular long-distance services ran between Berlin and Köthen. Two daily services ran between Dessau and Köthen. With the opening of direct Dessau–Leipzig and Wittenberg–Halle lines

Anhalt Railway

The Anhalt railway , most commonly referred to as the Berlin-Halle railway , is a twin-track, electrified main line found in the German city-state of Berlin, and the states of Brandenburg and Sachsen-Anhalt...

 in 1859, the Dessau–Köthen increasingly lost its importance. The line lost almost all of its freight traffic with the opening of the nearby Canon Railway in 1879.

In 1870/71 the BAE and the Magdeburg-Halberstadt Railway Company

Magdeburg-Halberstadt Railway Company

The Magdeburg-Halberstadt Railway Company was a railway in Prussia. It was nationalized in 1879.-History :The Magdeburg-Halberstadt Railway Company received a concession on 14 January 1842 from the Prussian government to build the 58 km long railway line from Magdeburg–Oschersleben–Halberstadt...

 (MHE) opened a new Köthen station in Georgstraße. In 1863, the MHE had acquired the Köthen–Bernburg line, which had opened in 1846. The Magdeburg-Leipzig Railway continued to use its separate station in Köthen. In 1916 a new central railway station was opened in Köthen for all lines, slightly to the east of the 1870/71 station, requiring only limited rebuilding of trackwork. During this period most of the level crossings in Köthen were replaced by bridges. At this time water tower to the east of the station, which is still preserved, was built. In the 1880s the route was nationalised and transferred to the Prussian State Railways

Prussian state railways

The term Prussian state railways encompasses those railway organisations that were owned or managed by the State of Prussia...

.

As part of reparations

War reparations

War reparations are payments intended to cover damage or injury during a war. Generally, the term war reparations refers to money or goods changing hands, rather than such property transfers as the annexation of land.- History :...

 to the Soviet Union

Soviet Union

The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

 as a result of World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, the second track of the Dessau-Köthen line was removed and, in contrast to the lines to Bernburg, Magdeburg and Leipzig, was never rebuilt. The Deutsche Reichsbahn  (the former East German Railways) sought in 1992 to rebuild the second track and to electrify the line along with the Bernburg line, because of their significance for freight traffic. However, even the freight traffic faded away during the post-Communist period

Die Wende

marks the complete process of the change from socialism and planned economy to market economy and capitalism in East Germany around the years 1989 and 1990. It encompasses several processes and events which later have become synonymous with the overall process...

. So the plans for electrification and duplication have been abandoned. Overall, the route has been modernised since the Deutsche Reichsbahn was merged into Deutsche Bahn

Deutsche Bahn

Deutsche Bahn AG is the German national railway company, a private joint stock company . Headquartered in Berlin, it came into existence in 1994 as the successor to the former state railways of Germany, the Deutsche Bundesbahn of West Germany and the Deutsche Reichsbahn of East Germany...

 in 1994 only sparingly, so that most of the old mechanical interlocking

Interlocking

In railway signalling, an interlocking is an arrangement of signal apparatus that prevents conflicting movements through an arrangement of tracks such as junctions or crossings. The signalling appliances and tracks are sometimes collectively referred to as an interlocking plant...

 technology still exists.

Route

The route begins in Dessau Hauptbahnhof, which has Regionalbahn

RegionalBahn

The Regionalbahn is a type of local passenger train in Germany.-Service:Regionalbahn trains usually call at all stations on a given line, with the exception of RB trains within S-Bahn networks, these may only call at selected stations...

 connections with Magdeburg

Magdeburg Hauptbahnhof

is the main railway station in the city of Magdeburg in the northern part of the German state of Saxony-Anhalt.-Importance :The station is the main station of Magdeburg and along with Halle Hauptbahnhof the centre of long-distance rail transport in Saxony-Anhalt...

, Wittenberg

Wittenberg

Wittenberg, officially Lutherstadt Wittenberg, is a city in Germany in the Bundesland Saxony-Anhalt, on the river Elbe. It has a population of about 50,000....

, Halle ( Saale)

Halle (Saale) Hauptbahnhof

Halle Hauptbahnhof is the main railway station in the city of Halle in southern part of the German state of Saxony-Anhalt...

 and Leipzig

Leipzig Hauptbahnhof

is, at 83,460 m², Europe's largest railway station when measured by floor area. It has 24 platforms housed in six iron trainsheds; a multi-level concourse with towering stone arches; and a 293 metre-long facade...

, as well as a Regional-Express service to Berlin

Berlin Hauptbahnhof

' , is the main railway station in Berlin, Germany. It began full operation two days after a ceremonial opening on 26 May 2006. It is located on the site of the historic Lehrter Bahnhof, and until it opened as a main line station, it was a stop on the Berlin S-Bahn suburban railway temporarily...

. Regionalbahn trains operate from platform 6. After a few metres, the line separates from the mainline to Bitterfeld. In Dessau it passes over a level crossings at Kühnauer Straße and Brauereistraße. In this section, there are several, mostly unused, industrial sidings. Further on, the line passes under Hermann-Köhl-Straße and a siding to the former Polysius AG

Polysius AG

Polysius AG is a German company and subsidiary company of ThyssenKrupp Technologies, that manufactures cement plants and builds cement mills, cement kilns, cement factory automation systems and ore grinding facilities...

 factory. The line reaches Alten district. On the right is the airfield of the former Junkers

Junkers

Junkers Flugzeug- und Motorenwerke AG , more commonly Junkers, was a major German aircraft manufacturer. It produced some of the world's most innovative and best-known airplanes over the course of its fifty-plus year history in Dessau, Germany. It was founded there in 1895 by Hugo Junkers,...

 factory. Shortly after passing over a level crossing of the Hünefeldstrasse is Alten station. Further on an industrial and commercial centre has been built on part of the former Junkers site, but without sidings. After a few kilometres of running through open countryside, the line reaches Mosigkau station and shortly later crosses Erich-Weinert-Strasse. The next station is at Elsnigk

Elsnigk

Elsnigk is a village and a former municipality in the district of Anhalt-Bitterfeld, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 January 2010, it is part of the municipality Osternienburger Land....

, which is now much too big for its small patronage. The line then goes onto the rolling plain around Köthen. Running partly on embankments, the line reaches Osternienburg

Osternienburg

Osternienburg is a village and a former municipality in the district of Anhalt-Bitterfeld, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 January 2010, it is part of the municipality Osternienburger Land. It is situated approx. 6 km northeast of Köthen , and 15 km west of Dessau-Rosslau....

 station in the locality of Sibbesdorf. Shortly before Köthen the line crosses Highway 187a to Aken

Aken (Elbe)

Aken is a town in the district of Anhalt-Bitterfeld in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. The town is located at the left bank of the Elbe river.- Geography :...

 on one of the few modernised level crossings. A little later, the line from Aken converges from the north, but continues on its own parallel track to Köthen. Shortly before Köthen, both tracks runs below Elsdorfer Weg, as well as, somewhat later, the Magdeburg–Halle (Saale) main line. The line now turns to the south on the eastern side of the Magdeburg–Halle line, passing in Köthen over the streets of Dessauer Straße, Friedrichstrasse and Friedrich-Ebert-Straße and finally reaching Köthen station. Trains stop at the platforms 1, 2 and 3. There are connections to Intercity

Inter-city rail

Inter-city rail services are express passenger train services that cover longer distances than commuter or regional trains.There is no precise definition of inter-city rail. Its meaning may vary from country to country...

 trains towards Leipzig and Magdeburg (continuing to Oldenburg

Oldenburg

Oldenburg is an independent city in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the western part of the state between the cities of Bremen and Groningen, Netherlands, at the Hunte river. It has a population of 160,279 which makes it the fourth biggest city in Lower Saxony after Hanover, Braunschweig...

 or Cologne

Cologne

Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...

), as well as regional trains to Halle and Magdeburg.

Operations

Trains on the line have been operated since 2004 by the Elbe-Saale-Bahn, a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn

Deutsche Bahn

Deutsche Bahn AG is the German national railway company, a private joint stock company . Headquartered in Berlin, it came into existence in 1994 as the successor to the former state railways of Germany, the Deutsche Bundesbahn of West Germany and the Deutsche Reichsbahn of East Germany...

, since winning a tender to operate the Altmark-Börde-Anhalt network, with class 642 diesel multiple unit

Diesel multiple unit

A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.-Design:...

s (Siemens Desiro Classic) running as Regionalbahn

RegionalBahn

The Regionalbahn is a type of local passenger train in Germany.-Service:Regionalbahn trains usually call at all stations on a given line, with the exception of RB trains within S-Bahn networks, these may only call at selected stations...

 services hourly. The trains continue on the Bernburg line to Aschersleben

Aschersleben

Aschersleben is a town in the Salzlandkreis district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated approx. 22 km east of Quedlinburg, and 45 km northwest of Halle .-Pre-20th century:...

. The line has a small amount of freight traffic.