APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2009/06/16: CIA-RDP01-00707R00020011022-9
C. Railroads (C)
The German State Railways (DR) dominates East Germany's transportation system. From Berlin, the hub of the network, routes radiate to all parts of East Germany and to each of the adjoining countries; the other major rail centers are Magdeburg, Leipzig, and, to a lesser degree, Dresden. The lines of greatest strategic importance are those extending westward from Poland through East Germany to West Germany and those extending southward from the Baltic ports of Rostock, Sassnitz, Wismar, and Stralsund into Czechoslovakia and West Germany. East Germany has several international rail connections—all standard gage—with West Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Poland. Connections with Scandinavia are maintained via Baltic Sea train ferries operating from Warnemuende to Gedser, Denmark, and from Sassnitz to Trelleborg, Sweden. The only direct connection between West Germany and West Berlin is through Potsdam on the Braunschweig (West Germany)-Magdeburg-Potsdam line. The Berlin Outer Ring bypasses West Berlin and facilitates transfer of East German rail traffic between radial lines in the Berlin area.
In March 1972 the rail network totaled 9,010 route miles and consisted of 8,810 miles (96%) of standard gage and 200 miles (3%) of meter and narrow gages. Standard-gage double- and multiple-track lines totaled about 1,610 miles, and there were 860 miles of standard-gage electrified lines.
All major cities, industrial areas, mining regions, and major airfields and ports are served by at least one line. The rail net is most dense in the industrialized southwest and least dense in the north. The rail pattern has not been greatly influenced by terrain, and there are no extensive areas to which rail access has been denied because of terrain features.
The operational capability of the DR is barely adequate for normal requirements, and increased agricultural demands in the spring and fall create problems in equipment distribution. Combined with other commercial and military requirements, these demands result in freight-car shortages.
Regardless of its deficiencies, the rail network still provides the principal means of long-haul freight movement and occupies a central position in the Northern European transit-traffic picture. Although much of the rail traffic moves between East Germany and the Soviet Union and other Communist countries, there is considerable through traffic that traverses East Germany in movements between Scandinavia and countries of Western Europe.
Recent efficiency moves by the DR resulted in dismantling unproductive lines and closing many freight depots. There were measures taken to concentrate freight traffic to key lines and depots. Other major projects in progress include additional automation of line and yard operations to implement further on automated traffic-control system; replacing remaining steam locomotives; continued reconstruction of major lines to meet Soviet clearance specifications; continued double tracking of main lines; installing heavier rail; and increased use of container trains.
East Germany became the first Eastern European Communist country to curtail its electrification program in favor of acquiring Soviet-built diesel locomotives. Because of the extreme financial strain of constructing electrified installations and the ready availability of diesel fuel and diesel locomotives from the U.S.S.R.; further electrification is unlikely except for electrified rapid-transit systems connecting major urban areas.
The rail system has about 11,000 bridges (12 feet and over in length) and 69 tunnels. On main lines the bridges have been strengthened or replaced to permit higher axle loadings, but most bridges on the secondary lines are in only fair condition. The bridges are predominantly of steel, but masonry and concrete are also widely used. The 3,130-foot bridge crossing the Elbe River near Wittenberge is the longest on the system. The most important bridge for west to east traffic, including movement between West Berlin and West Germany, is the 2,200-foot structure crossing the Elbe River just east of Magdeburg. The 10,000-foot Oberhof Tunnel near Zella-Meblis is the longest on the system.
All rails are of the T-section design. The most prevalent rail in use weights 99 pounds per yard and is produced locally. Heavier rails—102 and 131 pounds per yard—are imported from the U.S.S.R. and are being installed on heavily traveled main routes to increase their load-bearing capabilities. Use of the 131-pound rails on main lines was recommended by the Organization for the Cooperation of Socialist Railroads (OSShD).
Wooden ties are still widely used, but prestressed-concrete ties have been adopted as standard for main-line construction.
Crushed rock is generally used as ballast on all standard-gage lines, gravel and cinders are used on all other lines and in yards. The supply of ballast from domestic quarries is adequate, and the quality is generally good.
Axleload limits vary generally from 16.5 to 22 short tons, but a few major lines have limits as high as 25
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APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2009/06/16: CIA-RDP01-00707R00020011022-9
