Oldenburg–Leer railway
{{Short description|Railway line in Germany}}
{{Infobox rail line
| name = Oldenburg–Leer railway
| routenumber =390
| linelength_km= 55
| gauge = {{Track gauge|sg|allk=on}}
| electrification =15 kV/16.7 Hz AC overhead catenary
| speed = {{convert|120|km/h|mph|1|abbr=on}} (maximum)
| locale = Lower Saxony, Germany
| image = DB 1520 railway map.png
| image_width = 300px
| map =
{{Routemap|inline=1 |title =no |footnote=Source: German railway atlas{{cite book|title=Eisenbahnatlas Deutschland (German railway atlas) |publisher= Schweers + Wall | year= 2009 |isbn= 978-3-89494-139-0}}|map=
STR~~ ~~from Bremen and from Osnabrück
BHF~~0~~Oldenburg (Oldb) Hbf
ABZg+l~~ ~~from Osnabrück
eABZg+r~~ ~~former line to Brake
S+BHF~~0~~Oldenburg (Oldb) Hbf
eBS2+l\BS2+r~~ ~~old course of line (until 1966)
exSTR\hSTRae~~ ~~Pferdemarkt bridge
exBUE\hSTRae~~ ~~Rosenstraße
exBUE\hSTRae~~ ~~Heiligengeiststraße
exBUE\hSTRae~~ ~~Georgstraße
exBUE\hSTRae~~ ~~Peterstraße/Ziegelhofstraße
exHST\hSTRae~~0.9~~Ziegelhofstrasse
eBS2l\BS2r
ABZgr~~1.2~~Line to Wilhelmshaven
SBRÜCKE~~2~~A 28
eBST~~3~~Logemann~~(siding)
SHST~~3~~Oldenburg-Wechloy
eHST~~3.4~~Wechloy
eBHF~~6~~Bloh
DST~~10.8~~Kayhauserfeld
eABZg+l~~ ~~from Edewechterdamm
S+BHF~~15.2~~Bad Zwischenahn
ABZg+r~~ ~~from Westerstede
BHF~~23.2~~Westerstede-Ocholt
ABZgl~~ ~~to Sedelsberg
eBHF~~29.5~~Apen
BHF~~32.2~~Augustfehn
DST~~39.6~~Stickhausen-Felde
eBHF~~42.8~~Filsum
DST~~47.9~~Nortmoor
BST~~49.9~~Stadt Leer~~(siding)
ABZg+r~~ ~~from Emden
BHF~~55.0~~Leer
STR~~ ~~to Rheine and Groningen
}}
}}
The Oldenburg–Leer railway is a {{convert|55|km|abbr=on}} single-track electrified main line in the north-west of the German state of Lower Saxony.{{Cite web |last=Lower Saxony Ministry for Industry, Works and Transport |publisher=Lower Saxony Parliament |url=http://www.landtag.niedersachsen.de/Drucksachen/Drucksachen_16_2500/0001-0500/16-0422.pdf#page=19 |title=Zustand und Zukunft des Bahnverkehrs in Niedersachsen |format=PDF |page=19 |date=2 September 2008 |accessdate=25 September 2008 |language=German |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719065541/http://www.landtag.niedersachsen.de/Drucksachen/Drucksachen_16_2500/0001-0500/16-0422.pdf#page=19 |archive-date=19 July 2011 |url-status=dead }} It connects the Emsland line near Leer with the city of Oldenburg. Thus, it serves traffic from the direction of Hanover and Bremen to the port of Emden, the Emsland and western East Frisia, including the islands of Borkum, Juist and Norderney, which are important tourist destinations. Together with the Leer–Groningen line, it also has international significance.
The line was opened on 15 June 1869 by the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg State Railways and is one of the oldest railways in Germany. During 1992 it was electrified, which made expensive and time-consuming locomotive changes in Oldenburg unnecessary for the route to East Frisia.
In the 2013 timetable, daily InterCity services connect Leipzig or Berlin and Hanover with Emden and Norddeich Mole. Together with Regional-Express services, trains operate approximately hourly. Since mid-December 2010, an hourly service has been operated on the Oldenburg–Bad Zwischenahn route by the Bremen S-Bahn.
The Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan makes provision for the duplication of the line in the long term to improve freight links with ports, but no work has progress has been made on this proposal.