Hannöversche Südbahn
After the Hanoverian Southern Railway was extended to Kassel in 1856, it was possible to operate from Harburg through Celle, Lehrte and Hildesheim to Kassel and Frankfurt. This line was mainly used by freight trains; passenger trains went through Hanover. The opening of the Hannover freight rail bypass in 1909 made the Southern Railway available for freight traffic to the south.