Editing Erfurt (section)

=== Transport ===
[[File:Thuringia Erfurt Hbf asv2020-07 img1.jpg|thumb|[[Erfurt Hauptbahnhof]], Erfurt's main railway station.]]

==== By rail ====
The [[Intercity-Express|ICE]] railway network puts Erfurt 1{{frac|1|2}} hours from [[Berlin]], 2{{frac|1|2}} hours from [[Frankfurt]], 2 hours from [[Dresden]], and 45 minutes from [[Leipzig]]. In 2017, the ICE line to [[Munich]] opened, making the trip to [[Erfurt Hauptbahnhof|Erfurt main station]] only 2{{frac|1|2}} hours.

There are regional trains from Erfurt to [[Weimar]], [[Jena]], [[Gotha]], [[Eisenach]], [[Bad Langensalza]], [[Magdeburg]], [[Nordhausen, Thuringia|Nordhausen]], [[Göttingen]], [[Mühlhausen]], [[Würzburg]], [[Meiningen]], [[Ilmenau]], [[Arnstadt]], and [[Gera]].{{Citation needed|date=September 2023}}

In freight transport there is an [[intermodal freight transport|intermodal]] terminal in the district of Vieselbach ''({{lang|de|Güterverkehrszentrum, GVZ}})'' with connections to rail and the autobahn.<ref>[https://www.erfurt.de/ef/de/wirtschaft/gewerbestandorte/gebiete/108906.html Gewerbegebiet: Güterverkehrszentrum Erfurt (GVZ)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240225223429/https://www.erfurt.de/ef/de/wirtschaft/gewerbestandorte/gebiete/108906.html |date=25 February 2024 }}. Retrieved 25 February 2024</ref>

==== By road ====
The two [[Autobahn]]en crossing each other nearby at ''Erfurter Kreuz'' are the [[Bundesautobahn 4]] ([[Frankfurt]]–[[Dresden]]) and the [[Bundesautobahn 71]] ([[Schweinfurt]]–[[Sangerhausen]]). Together with the east tangent both motorways form a circle road around the city and lead the interregional traffic around the centre. Whereas the A 4 was built in the 1930s, the A 71 came into being after the reunification in the 1990s and 2000s. In addition to both motorways there are two [[Bundesstraße]]n: the [[Bundesstraße 7]] connects Erfurt parallel to A 4 with [[Gotha]] in the west and [[Weimar]] in the east. The [[Bundesstraße 4]] is a connection between Erfurt and [[Nordhausen, Thuringia|Nordhausen]] in the north. Its southern part to [[Coburg]] was annulled when A 71 was finished (in this section, the A 71 now effectively serves as B 4). Within the circle road, B 7 and B 4 are also annulled, so that the city government has to pay for maintenance instead of the German federal government. The access to the city is restricted as ''{{lang|de|[[Low-emission zone|Umweltzone]]}}'' since 2012 for some vehicles. Large parts of the inner city are a pedestrian area which can not be reached by car (except for residents).{{Citation needed|date=September 2023}}

==== By light rail and bus ====
[[File:Erfurt Straßenbahn Schlösserstr.JPG|thumb|Light rail tram near Anger square.]]
The Erfurt public transport system is marked by the area-wide {{lang|de|[[Erfurt Stadtbahn]]}} ([[light rail]]) network, established as a tram system in 1883, upgraded to a light rail (''{{lang|de|Stadtbahn}}'') system in 1997,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.stadtwerke-erfurt.de/pb/site/swegruppe/node/140107/Lde/index.html |title=Ausbau der Erfurter Straßenbahn zur Stadtbahn |publisher=Essener Verkehrs-Aktiengesellschaft (EVAG) |language=de |trans-title=Expansion of Erfurt tram to light rail |access-date=2013-10-20 |archive-date=30 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161230161952/https://www.stadtwerke-erfurt.de/pb/site/swegruppe/node/140107/Lde/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and continually expanded and upgraded through the 2000s. Today, there are six ''Stadtbahn'' lines running every ten minutes on every light rail route.{{Citation needed|date=September 2023}}

Additionally, Erfurt operates a bus system, which connects the sparsely populated outer districts of the region to the city center. Both systems are organized by ''SWE EVAG'', a transit company owned by the city administration. The public service, managed by SWE/EVAG, is guaranteed by buses and trams in service from morning until late evening, with a night service starting from midnight until 4AM.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Getting around Erfurt |url=https://kanoa.org.uk/erfurt/getting-around-erfurt/ |access-date=2025-03-02 |website=Kanoa UK |language=en-US}}</ref>

==== By airplane ====
[[Erfurt-Weimar Airport]] lies {{cvt|3|km|0}} west of the city centre. It is linked to the central train station via Stadtbahn (tram). It was significantly extended in the 1990s, with flights mostly to Mediterranean holiday destinations and to London during the peak Christmas market tourist season. Connections to longer haul flights are easily accessible via [[Frankfurt Airport]], which can be reached in 2 hours via a direct train from Frankfurt Airport to Erfurt, and from [[Leipzig Halle Airport|Leipzig/Halle Airport]], which can be reached within half an hour.{{Citation needed|date=September 2023}}

==== By bike ====
{{Unreferenced section|date=September 2023}}
Biking is becoming increasingly popular since construction of high quality cycle tracks began in the 1990s. There are cycle lanes for general commuting within Erfurt city.{{Citation needed|date=September 2023}}

Long-distance trails, such as the ''Gera track'' and the ''{{lang|de|Radweg Thüringer Städtekette}}'' (Thuringian cities trail), connect points of tourist interest. The former runs along the [[Gera (river)|Gera]] river valley from the [[Thuringian Forest]] to the river [[Unstrut]]; the latter follows the medieval [[Via Regia]] from [[Eisenach]] to [[Altenburg]] via [[Gotha]], Erfurt, [[Weimar]], and [[Jena]].{{Citation needed|date=September 2023}}

The [[Rennsteig Cycle Way]] was opened in 2000. This designated high-grade hiking and bike trail runs along the ridge of the Thuringian Central Uplands. The bike trail, about {{cvt|200|km|0}} long, occasionally departs from the course of the historic Rennsteig hiking trail, which dates back to the 1300s, to avoid steep inclines. It is therefore about {{cvt|30|km|0}} longer than the hiking trail.{{Citation needed|date=September 2023}}

The Rennsteig is connected to the [[E3 European long distance path]], which goes from the Atlantic coast of Spain to the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria, and the [[E6 European long distance path]], running from Arctic Finland to Turkey.{{Citation needed|date=September 2023}}