Germany:	North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...

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The Oberhausen-Osterfeld Süd-Hamm railway, also called the Hamm-Osterfeld line , is a 76-kilometre long double-track electrified main line railway at the northern edge of the Ruhr

Ruhr

The Ruhr is a medium-size river in western Germany , a right tributary of the Rhine.-Description:The source of the Ruhr is near the town of Winterberg in the mountainous Sauerland region, at an elevation of approximately 2,200 feet...

 in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia

North Rhine-Westphalia

North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...

.

It has a continuous level route with no tunnels. Its eastern and central sections are now only used for freight, while its western section is also for passenger operations.

The main operator, 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...

 (formerly Deutsche Bundesbahn

Deutsche Bundesbahn

The Deutsche Bundesbahn or DB was formed as the state railway of the newly established Federal Republic of Germany on September 7, 1949 as a successor of the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft '...

), has always referred to this line as the Nordstrecke ("northern line"). It was the northernmost route of the former railway division

Railway divisions in Germany

In Germany and Austria, the running of railway services for a railway administration or the regional network of a large railway company was devolved to railway divisions, variously known as Eisenbahndirektionen , Bundesbahndirektionen or Reichsbahndirektionen ...

 of Essen

Essen

- Origin of the name :In German-speaking countries, the name of the city Essen often causes confusion as to its origins, because it is commonly known as the German infinitive of the verb for the act of eating, and/or the German noun for food. Although scholars still dispute the interpretation of...

.

History

The line was built to relieve the existing network of railways in the Ruhr region, which was at the limit of its capacity, especially for freight traffic. The line was opened on 1 May 1905. It served primarily as a direct connection between the two major marshalling yards of Hamm and Osterfeld Süd to allow long-distance freight trains to avoid the Ruhr and to enable new coal mines to be connected to the railway network. The second track was added 1912.

The passenger services were always planned to be thin, despite there being several major cities along the route, as the line was mainly intended for freight traffic. It never carried long-distance passenger services. The entire line was electrified in 1967. Passenger services on the section between Hamm and Gelsenkirchen-Buer Nord

Gelsenkirchen-Buer Nord station

Gelsenkirchen-Buer Nord station is located in the city of Gelsenkirchen in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is on the Wuppertal-Vohwinkel–Essen-Überruhr line...

 were discontinued on 29 May 1983. The track is occasionally used, however, between Hamm and Horstmar junction as a detour route for passenger trains on the main Dortmund–Hamm line.

A single-track line (line 2252) was built in 1968 from Gelsenkirchen-Buer Nord station to Lippe junction on the Wanne-Eickel–Hamburg railway

Wanne-Eickel–Hamburg railway

The Wanne-Eickel–Hamburg railway is the shortest railway link between the Ruhr and the Hamburg Metropolitan Region and hence one of the most important railway lines in northwest Germany...

 and passenger services have operated on it from Bottrop

Bottrop Hauptbahnhof

Bottrop Hauptbahnof is a railway station in Bottrop, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the Oberhausen-Osterfeld Süd – Hamm railway and Essen–Bottrop railway and is served by RE, RB and S-Bahn services operated by DB and NordWestBahn.-History :...

 since 1969. Since 24 May 1998, these passenger services have operated as Rhine-Ruhr S-Bahn  line S 9.

Route

The line begins at Hamm station and the junction of the former tracks from the passenger station and the freight tracks at the western end of Hamm marshalling yard. At Herringen junction a connecting track from Hamm marshalling yard joins from the west. Shortly afterwards is Pelkum station where the colliery railway from RAG-Bergwerk Ost ends. The line to Oberaden station consists of two main tracks with four sets of points for passing. At Horstmar junction there is a single-track line connecting to Preußen station. In Lünen

Lünen

Lünen or Luenen is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located north of Dortmund along the Lippe River. It is the largest town of the Unna district, and part of the green Münster area....

 Süd there is still a disused freight yard with a hump and further west a loading facility for several industrial companies and a single-track line connecting line to Lünen Hauptbahnhof

Lünen Hauptbahnhof

Lünen station is located north of central Lünen on the outskirts of Nordlünen in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia.-Significance:Lünen station is an important station for regional trains in the district of Unna. Only regional trains operate here...

.
Waltrop

Waltrop

Waltrop is a town in the district of Recklinghausen, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated on the Datteln-Hamm Canal, approx. 15 km east of Recklinghausen and 15 km north-west of Dortmund.-Division of the town:...

 station has been completely closed. In Recklinghausen Ost there is an abandoned marshalling yard. There are single-track connecting curves from the east to Recklinghausen Hauptbahnhof and Recklinghausen Süd, which were built in 1905 with the line. At Blumenthal junction, there is a single-track line from Recklinghausen Hbf to connecting with the line in the west. In Westerholt there is a transfer station to Zechen- und Hafenbahn der Ruhrkohle AG (Mines and Port Railway of Ruhr Coal Company).

At Gelsenkirchen-Buer Nord station the line is joins a single-track line built in 1968 running from Lippe junction to the Wanne-Eickel–Hamburg line. The junction is designed to allow for duplication towards Haltern

Haltern am See station

Haltern am See station is a station in the town of Haltern am See in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia on Wanne-Eickel–Hamburg railway from Wanne-Eickel to Hamburg. It is the northern terminus of Rhine-Ruhr S-Bahn line S 9....

. The S-Bahn station at Haltern was opened in 1998 and replaced the stop at the old station building.

The Gladbeck West station

Gladbeck West station

Gladbeck West station is located in the German city of Gladbeck in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is on the Oberhausen-Osterfeld Süd–Hamm line and is classified by Deutsche Bahn as a category 4 station....

 today is now a junction station served by the S-Bahn and the regional services towards Dorsten on the connecting line to Gladbeck-Zweckel on the Winterswijk–Gelsenkirchen-Bismarck railway. North of the tracks is a freight loading facility with a now decommissioned hump for the Zechen- und Hafenbahn der Ruhrkohle AG.

Bottrop Hauptbahnhof

Bottrop Hauptbahnhof

Bottrop Hauptbahnof is a railway station in Bottrop, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the Oberhausen-Osterfeld Süd – Hamm railway and Essen–Bottrop railway and is served by RE, RB and S-Bahn services operated by DB and NordWestBahn.-History :...

 has been rebuilt several times since its inception. In the area of the freight yard, the line met the Emscher Valley Railway from Welver to Sterkrade of the former Royal Westphalian Railway Company

Royal Westphalian Railway Company

The Royal Westphalian Railway , was a German rail company established in 1848 with funding from the Prussian government, which later became part of the Prussian State Railways...

, which was opened in 1879 and was closed in this area in 1968 and was dismantled by 1983, although part of the line operated as a colliery railway. The Hauptbahnhof freight yard still contains a (now abandoned) marshalling yard and a railway sleeper plant. Near the station the single track line to Essen-Dellwig Ost and the mostly double track line via Gerschede and Essen Frintrop (old) junctions to Oberhausen West branch off. The line continues towards Oberhausen-Osterfeld Süd station as a two-track freight line and a separate single-track passenger line.

At the end of the line is located Oberhausen-Osterfeld Süd station, including one of the largest railway yards of the region, whose importance for passengers is, however, marginal. In Ostkopf the line joins the Emscher Valley Railway from Dortmund to Duisburg-Ruhrort, the one built by the former Cologne-Minden Railway Company

Cologne-Minden Railway Company

The Cologne-Minden Railway Company was along with the Bergisch-Märkische Railway Company and the Rhenish Railway Company one of the railway companies that in the mid-19th century built the first railways in the Ruhr and large parts of today's North Rhine-Westphalia.-Founding :The founding of the...

. Its western end connects over a two-track freight rail line to Oberhausen West and over a two-track freight and passenger line to Grafenbusch junction, where it connects over a single-track freight line to Oberhausen-Sterkrade via the Holland line, Oberhausen–Wesel–Emmerich–Arnhem

Arnhem railway station

Arnhem is a railway station located in Arnhem, the Netherlands. The station was opened on 14 May 1845 and is located on the Rhijnspoorweg , the Arnhem–Leeuwarden railway and the Arnhem–Nijmegen railway...

, and a single-track passenger line (line 2272) to Oberhausen Hauptbahnhof.

Current operations

Today the following passenger services use part of the line.

Line	Route
	Haltern Haltern am See station Haltern am See station is a station in the town of Haltern am See in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia on Wanne-Eickel–Hamburg railway from Wanne-Eickel to Hamburg. It is the northern terminus of Rhine-Ruhr S-Bahn line S 9.... – Lippe junction – Gelsenkirchen-Buer Nord Gelsenkirchen-Buer Nord station Gelsenkirchen-Buer Nord station is located in the city of Gelsenkirchen in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is on the Wuppertal-Vohwinkel–Essen-Überruhr line... – Bottrop Hbf Bottrop Hauptbahnhof Bottrop Hauptbahnof is a railway station in Bottrop, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the Oberhausen-Osterfeld Süd – Hamm railway and Essen–Bottrop railway and is served by RE, RB and S-Bahn services operated by DB and NordWestBahn.-History :... – Essen-Dellwig Ost – Wuppertal Hbf
	Borken – Gladbeck West Gladbeck West station Gladbeck West station is located in the German city of Gladbeck in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is on the Oberhausen-Osterfeld Süd–Hamm line and is classified by Deutsche Bahn as a category 4 station.... – Bottrop – Essen-Dellwig Ost – Essen Hbf Essen Hauptbahnhof is the Hauptbahnhof for the city of Essen in western Germany. It is situated south of the old town centre, next to the A 40 motorway.It was opened in 1862 by the Bergisch-Märkische Eisenbahn...
	Dorsten – Gladbeck West – Oberhausen-Osterfeld Süd – Oberhausen Hbf
bold: Hamm-Osterfeld line – normal: adjacent tracks– italics: other lines

There are no longer any passenger service between Gelsenkirchen-Buer Nord and Oberhausen, so passengers on this route are forced to change in Gladbeck West or Bottrop.

Rail freight on the Hamm-Osterfeld route, although declining, is still important on its entire length.