Rollbahn

The Rollbahn is a main line railway connecting Wanne-Eickel to Hamburg via Münster and Bremen originally built by the Cöln-Mindener Eisenbahn as part of a greater connection between Hamburg and Paris. As it is the shortest railway connection between the Ruhr valley and Hamburg, it is one of the most important railway lines in Germany.

The first section (between Wanne and Münster) was opened on January 1 1870, with an extension to Osnabrück on September 1. The Elbe crossing between Hamburg and the (then-Hanoverian) Harburg became operational on December 1, 1872.Further parts of the line opened between Osnabrück and Hemelingen on May 15, 1873, and between Hemelingen and Bremen on August 16, 1873. The final gap between Hamburg and Bremen was closed on June 1, 1874. In 1879, ownership of the line was transferred to the state.

After Hamburg Hauptbahnhof opened in 1906, the terminating point of the line was connected to the new station on September 29, 1907. A second track was added to the Wanne — Osnabrück section until 1908, and to the remaining length of the line soon thereafter. In the 1960s, the line was electrified.

Links

* [http://www.eisenbahntunnel-portal.de/lb/inhalt/tunnelportale/2200.html Pictures of tunnel]