photo: Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Public domain/DB class 10 / ICE for Trainset
German railways have come a long way since their humble beginnings in 1835, when the first train ran on a 6 km track between Nuremberg and Fürth, to today’s modern high-speed lines spanning over 1,700 km. How does this remarkable progress reflect on the current challenges and future plans?
The German railways' history began in 1871 when, after years of effort by Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, Germany was unified. However, this followed a period of railway development in the individual states that would later form a unified Germany. The development of railways in these states began at different times and progressed at varying speeds. The most significant progress was in Prussia, which maintained a dominant position among the states.
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The first steps for railways on the territory of what would become Germany were taken in 1835, around the same time as in neighboring countries. That year, the first railway line was opened, a mere 6 km long, connecting Nuremberg to Fürth, with passengers transported by a train pulled by the British-made Adler locomotive. Additional kilometers followed quickly. In 1838, the Berlin-Potsdam line was opened 23 km away. These railways were privately owned. The first state-owned railway on what would become German territory was built between Braunschweig and Wolfenbüttel, owned by the Duchy of Brunswick, also in 1838. More lines followed.
Initially, these railways were built with foreign assistance, especially from the British. Over time, however, the German states became self-sufficient in this regard. The first railway built exclusively for steam operation was between Leipzig and Dresden, completed in 1839. This 120 km line included the first tunnel on future German territory. The first railway to cross the borders of the German Confederation connected Cologne to the Belgian port of Antwerp. By 1842, the length of railway lines on the future German territory exceeded 1,000 km.
By the end of 1846, the Prussian capital was connected by rail to the most important port in the German Confederation, Hamburg. This 286 km line became possibly the most significant railway line within the Confederation. In addition to building networks between major cities, connecting to the railway networks of neighboring countries was also a major focus.
Just as 1871 was a key year for all of Germany, it was also crucial for its railways. After the victory over France, the German Empire was proclaimed, setting a new course for German railways. Until then, the various German states had different preferences—some left railway construction to private initiatives, others built exclusively state-owned networks, and some combined both approaches. Reich Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, recognizing the strategic and military importance of the railways, pushed for state-led development of the railway network in the new nation.
Private railway companies were nationalized, and their lines were purchased. By 1880, Germany had 9,400 locomotives, and in terms of passenger and freight turnover, it surpassed its main economic rival, France. Most railway lines were operated by the railways of the individual federal states, known as Länderbahn. The First World War dealt a severe blow to the German railways, exhausting them just as it did the entire country.
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This was compounded by the collapse of many federal railways, leading to the merger of the last seven federal railways in 1920 into a new company, the Deutsche Reichsbahn (German Imperial Railways). These were privatized in 1924 as part of the Dawes Plan, which aimed to revitalize the struggling German economy.
Despite difficult times, the German railway industry managed to keep pace with the world. A testament to this was the world speed record achieved by the 05 002 locomotive, the first ever to exceed 200 km/h, clocking in at 200.4 km/h. This record stood for two years until it was surpassed by the Mallard locomotive at 203 km/h. The shortage of cars after the First World War also led to the standardization of new cars across Germany.
Before the Second World War, German railways experienced a boom, as the Nazi regime saw great potential in them. The railways were used for military purposes, propaganda, and one of the most heinous ideas ever conceived— the Holocaust. Railways became the primary means of transporting people to ghettos, concentration camps, and extermination camps. However, the railways paid a heavy price during the war, with the Allies persistently bombing them, particularly the transport hubs, leaving nearly all of them damaged.
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After the war, Germany was divided into four occupation zones: British, American, French, and Soviet. The first three merged to form the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) in 1949, while the Soviet zone remained separate and became the German Democratic Republic (GDR) the same year.
In both new countries, state railway companies were established. In the GDR, the Deutsche Reichsbahn (DR) was created, while in the FRG, the Deutsche Bundesbahn (DB) operated the trains. Rail connections between the two countries were severely limited. While the DR was an integral part of the centrally planned economy, the DB had to compete with the automobile industry, which became a significant competitor to railways in most countries in the second half of the 20th century. This competition, however, led to significant improvements in speed and comfort, setting the railways in the FRG far ahead of their eastern counterpart.
The last years of the 20th century were marked by the reunification of Germany and increased railway speeds. In 1991, new high-speed lines were opened, including the Hannover-Fulda-Würzburg (280 km/h) and Mannheim-Stuttgart (250 km/h) lines, along with new ICE 1 train sets. The ailing East German DR was gradually merged with the prosperous West German DB, culminating in the creation of Deutsche Bahn (DB) on January 1, 1994. The subsidiary DB Netz was established to manage infrastructure, while DB Schenker emerged as a global leader in logistics.
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Today, Germany boasts approximately 1,700 km of high-speed rail lines served by InterCity-Express (ICE) units. The ICE program has produced four generations of units, with the latest, ICE 4, reaching speeds of 250 km/h for 7-car units and 265 km/h for 12-car units. Most high-speed lines are built for 300 km/h, with the remainder designed for 250 km/h. Germany is currently constructing several high-speed lines, such as Karlsruhe-Basel and the so-called Vogelfluglinie, which has several segments and aims to connect Germany with Denmark. Several other high-speed lines are planned, including those between Frankfurt and Mannheim, Hanover and Bielefeld, and Nuremberg and Würzburg. However, Germany also faces significant challenges with extensive repairs on railway lines, with delays, service interruptions, and train cancellations resulting from neglected maintenance in previous years. The German railway still has a long way to go.
Source: DB Museum; Holocaust Encyclopedia; Britannica