Step back in time to 1839. That’s the year the Erste deutsche Ferneisenbahn Leipzig-Dresden was fully opened. This railway marked a pivotal moment. It was the first long-distance railway in Germany powered solely by steam.
The Leipzig-Dresden line was built by the Leipzig-Dresden Railway Company. Twelve businessmen established it in 1835. Carl Gottlieb Tenner, a Leipzig merchant, first suggested connecting Leipzig and Strehla by rail in 1830. Friedrich List, an economist, amplified this idea in 1833. He published plans for a German railway system centered in Leipzig.
After government approval in 1835, the Leipzig-Dresden Railway Company was founded. Shares were quickly bought, raising 1.5 million thalers. English engineers examined routes in October 1835. They favored a northern route via Strehla.
Construction began in 1836. Karl Theodor Kunz managed the project. Strehla refused the railway so the line went south. It crossed the Elbe in Riesa. The company’s capital increased to 6.5 million thalers. The first train crossed the Elbe bridge on April 7, 1839.
The Leipzig-Dresden line opened in stages. Leipzig to Althen opened first in April 1837. The entire route from Leipzig to Dresden opened on April 7, 1839. Travel time was three hours and 40 minutes. A coin was issued showing an English B locomotive.
The Erste deutsche Ferneisenbahn Leipzig-Dresden included the Oberau Tunnel. It was the first standard gauge rail tunnel in continental Europe. Only the Prince William Railway preceded it. Unlike other early railways, the Leipzig-Dresden Railway used only steam.
Work started immediately on a second track. Two-track operations began by October 1, 1840. Trains ran on the left until 1884 following English practice.
In 1876, shareholders sold the Leipzig-Dresden Railway to the Saxon government. The Royal Saxon State Railways then managed it. The development reflects Leipzig’s railway heritage.
The Saxon part of Leipzig Hauptbahnhof opened in 1915. It became the terminus for trains from Dresden.
After World War I, the line came under the Dresden Reichsbahn Directorate. The Oberau Tunnel was opened into a cutting in the 1930s. This change accommodated larger loading gauges.
In 1946, one track was removed as reparations to the Soviet Union. The Coswig to Dresden-Neustadt section was reduced to one track. The second track was rebuilt by 1967.
Electrification occurred in stages in 1969 and 1970. The upgrade to a high-speed line started after German reunification. The German Unity Transport Project No. 9 approved the upgrade in 1991. Travel time between Leipzig and Dresden has been significantly reduced since 1990.
Today the Erste deutsche Ferneisenbahn Leipzig-Dresden stands as a testament. It shows ingenuity and progress. It connects cities and symbolizes Germany’s railway history.