Thuringian Railway
Already during the planning of the Thuringian Railway in 1838, a route via Nordhausen was discussed, but it was dropped in favour of the route via Erfurt. Despite considerable pressure from the region, no progress was made until an agreement was reached in 1862 between the Prussian government and the Magdeburg-Leipzig Railway Company ("Magdeburg-Leipziger Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft"), providing for the construction of a line from Halle to Heiligenstadt.