Main-Weser Railway

One of Germany’s first trunk railways, opened in stages between 1849 and 1852 through Gießen and Marburg; its 160 km/h ceiling is only reachable on the southern half.

One of the first railways in Germany, opened between 1849 and 1852 and named after the company that built it and worked it until 1880. It runs from Frankfurt am Main through Gießen to Kassel, and the Main-Weser-Express still covers the 199 km in a little over two hours.

Stations

1. 0 kmFrankfurt (Main) Hbf +8
2. 2 kmFrankfurt Galluswarte
3. 8 kmFrankfurt Eschersheim
4. 10 kmFrankfurt Frankfurter Berg
5. 12 kmFrankfurt-Berkersheim
6. 15 kmBad Vilbel Süd
7. Show 25 more stations

   1. 16 kmBad Vilbel
   2. 18 kmDortelweil
   3. 23 kmOkarben
   4. 27 kmNieder-Wöllstadt
   5. 30 kmBruchenbrücken
   6. 34 kmFriedberg (Hess)
   7. 45 kmOstheim (b Butzbach)
   8. 48 kmButzbach
   9. 66 kmGießen
   10. 74 kmLollar
   11. 84 kmNiederwalgern
   12. 87 kmNiederweimar
   13. 92 kmMarburg Süd
   14. 95 kmMarburg
   15. 99 kmCölbe
   16. 105 kmAnzefahr
   17. 110 kmKirchhain (Bz Kassel)
   18. 117 kmStadtallendorf
   19. 128 kmNeustadt (Kr Marburg)
   20. 132 kmSchwalmstadt-Wiera
   21. 137 kmTreysa
   22. 145 kmSchlierbach (Kr Schwalm-Eder)
   23. 150 kmZimmersrode
   24. 156 kmBorken (Hess)
   25. 160 kmSinglis
8. 165 kmWabern (Bz Kassel)
9. 176 kmFelsberg-Altenbrunslar
10. 185 kmBaunatal-Guntershausen
11. 195 kmKassel-Wilhelmshöhe +5
12. 199 kmKassel Central

The stations on this line, as Wikidata lists them, in order along the line as drawn here, with the distance along it. Not every train stops at every station. A +N after a station: N other routes on this map stop or end there, and the map draws it as a station where lines meet.

Along the way

• Frankfurt am Main
• Gießen
• The watershed between Main and Weser
• Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe

How this line was checked

• Line drawn from OpenStreetMap relation 2535006: the same nodes OpenStreetMap holds for this railway, thinned to within under 25 m of them
• Checked against OpenStreetMap: the whole line lies on real track, a median 5 m from it
• Checked against the running timetable via ÖBB Scotty: our line sits under 100 m from the shape of RE 30
• Wikipedia has an article for this line
• See for yourself: open this line on the map with OpenStreetMap's own railway drawn underneath it

Questions and answers

How long is the Main-Weser Railway?

The Main-Weser Railway runs 199 km from Frankfurt to Kassel.

How long does the Main-Weser Railway take?

The fastest scheduled journey is ≈ 2 h 16 min for the 199 km. That is an average of 88 km/h end to end. The line's top service speed is 160 km/h.

Who runs the Main-Weser Railway?

DB Regio, with RE 30, Main-Weser-Express.

How old is the Main-Weser Railway?

The line has been in service since 1852. That is the year the atlas dates it from: for a modern brand running over an older railway, it is the railway's date, not the brand's.

How often does the Main-Weser Railway run?

34 direct trains on a weekday (counted on 2 September 2026).

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