Hildesheim loop

Hildesheim loop
Overview
Native name	Hildesheimer Schleife
Locale	Lower Saxony, Germany
Service
Route number	1774
Technical
Line length	3.7 km (2.3 mi)
Number of tracks	1
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	15 kV/16.7 Hz AC overhead catenary
Operating speed	130 km/h (81 mph) (maximum)
Route map Hannover–Würzburg HSL from Göttingen 29.5 0.0 Sorsum junction to Hanover B1 3.5 45.4 Himmelsthür junction from Nordstemmen Lehrte–Nordstemmen line Source: German railway atlas

The Hildesheim loop (German: Hildesheimer Schleife), also known as the Sorsum curve or the Hildesheim curve, is a 3.7 km long German passenger railway. It is single-track and electrified throughout. The line was opened in 1991.

Route

An ICE train running south off the loop on to the HSL

The southern end of the line branches off the Hanover–Würzburg high-speed line at Sorsum junction, 29.5 km south of Hanover. The loop leaves running northeast from the HSL, which is running to the northwest. At Himmelsthür junction, 4.7 km west of Hildesheim, it connects with the double-track line from Hanover and Nordstemmen to Hildesheim, which runs east–west, at the 45.4 km mark. There is a down grade towards Hildesheim.

The line connects the high-speed line with Hildesheim station, conveying Intercity-Express trains running between Frankfurt am Main and Berlin. ICE trains run from Hildesheim to Brunswick and the Weddel loop to Wolfsburg and Berlin via the Hanover–Berlin high-speed line. During the day, trains run hourly both ways on the loop.

References

An ICE running south on the single track loop line