Michendorf–Großbeeren railway

Michendorf–Saarmund–(Großbeeren)
Line between Michendorf and Saarmund
Overview
Locale	Brandenburg
Line number	6117 Michendorf–Saarmund 6126 Saarmund–Genshagener Heide 6127 Genshagener Heide–Großbeeren
Technical
Line length	20.3 km (12.6 mi)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	15 kV/16.7 Hz AC overhead catenary
Route map  Operating points and lines  from Bad Belzig 0.0 Michendorf to Berlin from Golm 7.8 Saarmund 12.5 Ahrensdorf (Kr. Zossen) 14.2 Ludwigsfelde-Struveshof former IFA works siding 16.2 Genshagener Heide (passenger station until 2012) from Halle to Berlin-Schönefeld 20.3 Großbeeren to Großbeeren freight centre and to Berlin

The Michendorf–Großbeeren railway is an electrified main line railway in the German state of Brandenburg south of Berlin. It went into operation in 1926 and was originally a section of the Brandenburg Bypass Railway, which was built to remove freight traffic from the railways through Berlin. The section between Saarmund and Genshagener Heide has been included in the Berlin Outer Ring since the 1950s.

The double-track line begins in Michendorf station, where it separates there from the Berlin-Blankenheim railway. The line runs to the east. In Saarmund it joins the also double-track line of the Berlin Outer Ring from Golm. Beyond Genshagener Heide station and the crossing of the Anhalt railway opened in 1926, the Michendorf–Großbeeren railway separates from the Outer Ring and runs to the north as a single track on the eastern side of the Anhalt line. Originally the line connected in Großbeeren station to the Anhalt line. Since its reconstruction in 2006, it has only connected to the Großbeeren intermodal freight centre (Güterverkehrszentrum, GVZ) and the Teltow freight yard. A direct connection to Berlin no longer exists. Traffic between the Outer Ring and the Anhalt line in the Berlin area has since been operated over a new connection curve to the west of the Anhalt line.

As a result of the inclusion of the Saarmund–Genshagener Heide section in the Outer Ring, the identification number (VzG) used by DB Netz for the track between Saarmund and Genshagener Heide (6126) is one used for a longer section of the Outer Ring, but the chainage used on this section is part of the original chainage for the line between Michendorf and Großbeeren.

At the end of the 19th century there were plans for the construction of a bypass railway around Berlin to relieve the congested lines in the city of freight for strategic military reasons. Between 1902 and 1908, the western section of the bypass between Treuenbrietzen, Beelitz, Potsdam Wildpark, Wustermark and Nauen went into operation. In 1915, another section of the bypass railway to the north of Berlin, the Nauen–Oranienburg railway, was opened. From the beginning, there were various plans for the extension of the bypass railway to the south of Berlin. Their implementation was initially prevented by the outbreak of the First World War. In 1923/1924 the large marshalling yard at Seddin was opened. It increased the need for the southern bypass railway. Initially a separate line was opened between Seddin and Michendorf next to the Berlin-Blankenheim railway. On 1 December 1926, the bypass railway was opened from Michendorf to the Anhalt railway at Großbeeren.