Arendseebahn / „Arendsee-Express“

Railway line number 6901 from Salzwedel to Geestgottberg via Arendsee

Eine Übersetzung von / Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

When looking at a railway map in the area of the Altmark, the former railway junction Arendsee is immediately noticeable -
Until the 1970s, it was still possible to travel in three directions: with connections to the „Amerika-Linie“ in Salzwedel, the Stendal railway junction and the industrial town of Wittenberge.

The tourist resort of Arendsee is also known for the largest (natural) body of water in Saxony-Anhalt, as well as being a regional centre. Nevertheless, since 2004 there are no more passenger trains on the "Arendsee-Express" route between Salzwedel and Geestgottberg or Wittenberge. The former local railway to Stendal was already discontinued in 1978 and dismantled in the 1980s at the latest.
An already completed planned rail connection to Schmarsau to the "LSE"-Trasse (Lüchow-Schmarsauer-Eisenbahn) line was also no longer possible.

There are hardly any anecdotes known about the operating time, this is also due to the relatively short operating time. There is a report from the fifties about Riebau station, where many people came to escape across the "green border" to Germany. Even today there are still remains of a fence between Riebau and Mechau, which was additionally erected in 1961 to protect the border. A small observation hut for track control in the station Binde-Kaulitz is also still preserved.
The former GDR border, which was only a few kilometres away, also brought about the demise of the Riebau district of Jahrsau, which was forcibly resettled in the 1970s.

Although concrete plans for this 42 km long route had been made long before the First World War, it was ultimately completed far too late. The district town Salzwedel reached the steel band already in 1870 and already in 1891 the railway junction was extended in northern direction to Dannenberg as the "Jeetzeltalbahn", and from 1899 with the further lines of the "Altmärkischen Kleinbahn" to Beetzendorf the railway junction was extended in southern direction.
The first construction work in the direction of Arendsee was not carried out until around 1910, but came to a standstill during the war. So the torso remained unused in the landscape for years until finally in 1922 the opening was possible.

The year of construction can also be seen in the beautiful station buildings, which were erected at all operating points, with the exception of the stop in Kläden, primarily for the hoped - for freight traffic. Unfortunately, the expectations in freight traffic were rather not fulfilled and the remote location of most of the stations is also unsuitable for a reopening today.
All station buildings are still preserved, but the station Groß Garz, for example, shares the same fate as the former manor/castle of the village, which is ruinous and will soon disappear. Unfortunately, the station Ritze is also a ruin and will become a desert if it is not restored soon. The small bus shelter at the stop Kläden (district Osterburg) was already flattened during the reunification.
The travel time for the whole route was high with > 70 minutes and until the end of the 1990s with only five train rides per day a small offer. Also the changeover to new railcars (of the Siemens class 642) and regular service was only carried out in the last years of operation.

Nevertheless, at least a reactivation for the passenger traffic on the Salzwedel - Arendsee route could be possible, since the former crossing station Arendsee is located directly in the village. Especially together with the route of the former "Drömlingbahn" to Oebisfelde, which is still under construction, a popular connection to the Wolfsburg area would be opened up.
Currently, the DRE (Deutsche Regional Eisenbahn) is working extensively on the line as a leaseholder and may reactivate it in the next few years. The large bridge over the Alandriver near Kläden, for example, was renovated in 2019. The necessary track rehabilitation is currently being carried out, and a gap in the track near Harpe, which was caused by theft, is also being replaced.
The freight traffic that has been discontinued since 1995 is also being examined, although there are very few potential customers for connecting trains on the line in this very rural region. These include, for example, a concrete factory or the industrial estate in Mechau or Arendsee, Mechau district.

Already in 2002, when the weekday rail traffic had already been replaced by buses, the association Bündnis - "Die Bahn bleibt e.V." (www.streckenerhalt-altmarkt.de - website no longer active since 2017), registered on 29 January 2003, was founded in Salzwedel. The plan was to save the entire Altmark area. With many actions the few members managed to save the tracks of the Arendseebahn to the present time.
So even after the cessation of weekend traffic in 2004, several special trips followed until the line was closed. Also in the years after the technical closure, the association organized numerous information events or vegetation clearance work on the line.

In February 2020, after a longer break, there was another meeting in Arendsee, together with many members of the regional association of the railway customer association (DBV - Bahnkundenverband) ergo of the DBV Altmark/Wendland. More guests than expected followed the local call and a concentration on the Arendseebahn with the change of name to "Arendseebahn-Verein" is planned. In addition, the club should organise rail traffic on the line again as soon as possible, either with the help of other clubs and active encouragement of politicians.

Now the railway line has again become the focus of attention for local residents, as the times of low public transport demand as in the early 2000s are over. At that time, around 2002, there was a whole wave of thirteen railway lines in Saxony-Anhalt that were converted to buses. Certainly, the railway is still a mass transport means, which can only be operated economically with many passengers. But a decent local traffic would also attract much more passengers in today's time, especially since a fast onward journey from Salzwedel or Wittenberge is now possible.