Hildesheim loop
title: "Hildesheim loop" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["railway-lines-in-lower-saxony", "high-speed-railway-lines-in-germany", "railway-lines-opened-in-1991", "1991-establishments-in-germany", "buildings-and-structures-in-hildesheim"] topic_path: "geography/germany" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hildesheim_loop" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::data[format=table title="Infobox rail line"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Hildesheim loop |
| native_name | Hildesheimer Schleife |
| native_name_lang | de |
| routenumber | 1774 |
| linelength_km | 3.7 |
| gauge | |
| electrification | 15 kV/16.7 Hz AC overhead catenary |
| speed | 130 km/h (maximum) |
| tracks | 1 |
| locale | Lower Saxony, Germany |
| {{Routemap | inline |
| ABZgl~~{{BSsplit | line |
| ABZg+l~~{{BSsplit | line |
| :: |
| name = Hildesheim loop
| native_name = Hildesheimer Schleife
| native_name_lang = de
| routenumber =1774
| linelength_km=3.7
| gauge =
| electrification = 15 kV/16.7 Hz AC overhead catenary
| speed = 130 km/h (maximum)
| tracks= 1
| locale=Lower Saxony, Germany
| map =
STR~~ Hannover–Würzburg HSL ~~ from Göttingen
ABZgl~~~~Sorsum junctionto Hanover
SBRÜCKEB1
ABZg+l~~~~Himmelsthür junctionfrom Nordstemmen
STR~~ ~~Lehrte–Nordstemmen line
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
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/61/Hildesheimer_Schleife_ICE1_North.jpg" caption="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
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d7/Hildesheimer_Schleife_ICE1_South.jpg" caption="An ICE running south on the single track loop line"] ::
References
- (2009). "Eisenbahnatlas Deutschland (German railway atlas)". Schweers + Wall.
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::