Celle–Wittingen railway

Route number:

formerly 156, 211f

Line length:

57.95 km

Track gauge:

1435 mm

Maximum speed:

from Celle

0.0

Celle-Nord

37.5 m

2.0

Celle Vorstadt

52.79 m

to Soltau

4.0

Altenhagen

11.6

Gockenholz

13.6

Lachendorf(station until 1999)

Lachendorf Nord(since 1999)

from paper factory

16.0

(0,0)

Beedenbostel

(4.7)

Höfer

(5.6)

Mariaglück

(7.0)

20.4

23.4

25.2

Metzingen

27.6

32.0

34.8

36.8

Repke

39.9

Hankensbüttel oil station

99.45 m

42.6

Hankensbüttel

45.2

Alt Isenhagen

Elbe Lateral Canal

47.1

Wittingen port

47.8

Glüsingen

Gifhorn–Uelzen

from Gifhorn

from Oebisfelde

52.1

Wittingen West

79 m

The Celle–Wittingen railway is a line belonging to the East Hanoverian Railways (Osthannoversche Eisenbahnen or OHE). Because its western portion runs along the River Lachte, it is also known as the Lachte Valley Railway (Lachtetalbahn).

After a considerable effort by the Celle–Wittingen Light Railway Company, founded on 21 June 1902, to have a railway from Celle to Wittingen, they were finally able to build the line and begin operating it on 16 August 1904. From 1905 onwards the company also had an operating agreement with the Celle–Bergen Light Railway to use the section of track from Celle Nord–Celle Vorstadt. On 17 June 1909 a new track in Wittingen was taken into serviceover that crossed the tracks of the Gifhorn–Uelzen railway and ran into the station on the Wittingen-Oebisfelde Light Railway. Trains from Oebisfelde first called here in September. The extension of the Bismark-Gardelegen-Wittingen Light Railway from Diesdorf was also laid into this station on 1 August 1909. On 20 July 1912 the stub line from Beedenbostel to Habighorst was opened to link the planned salt mines of Mariaglück near Höfer and Fallersleben near Habighorst to the network. Initially the desired growth in traffic failed to materialise and it was not until the two pits were amalgamated that demand increased; the transportation of potash developing into the mainstay of the line. Various munition works and a Luftwaffe air base near Dedelstorf generated additional business during the 1930s and in the Second World War.

...
Wikipedia