Progress of Electrification in Germany.

Rapid progress continues to be made by the German railways in the development of electrification. Germany now has nearly 1,500 miles of electrified track open to traffic, mostly on the single-phase alternating-current system, with 15 kv. at the overhead equipment, and at 16 2-3 cycles. This system is also favoured by Austria, Switzerland, Sweden and Norway, thereby encouraging through running.

Recent important German electrifications cover the Munich-AugsburgStuttgart routes, and the Stuttgart suburban routes. The Augsburg-Nurnberg line has also been converted to electricity, and this electrification is shortly to be extended, via Halle, and via Leipzig, to Berlin. The effect of this will be to afford through electric working between Munich and Berlin, and incidentally to link up with electrified lines via Innsbruck, cities as far south as Naples and Rome. In addition to passenger electrifications, large stretches of German track devoted to freight haulage have been converted to electricity, and this has enabled freight train loads and speeds to be considerably increased.

page 30