It linked the stations of Ochsenzoll in Hamburg-Langenhorn with Ulzburg Süd in the district of Segeberg in Schleswig-Holstein.

The proposal for an Alster Northern Railway was put forward by the civil engineer Heinrich Lönnies ("The Lion of Norderstedt") to implement the axis concept that the Hamburg architect and urban designer Fritz Schumacher had introduced in the 1920s.

In Ochsenzoll there was neither a connection to the now closed Deutsche Bundesbahn freight railway to Ohlsdorf nor to the U-Bahn tracks.

It was initially (until 1967) operated with new battery electric multiple units from MaK and from 1956 with MAN railbuses.

The few passing places on the single track line were fitted at that time with relapse switches, so that a low-cost train control system could be carried out with little manpower.

AKN continues to operate traffic on the A 2 line with diesel-electric two-car multiple units (LHB VTA), with four DMUs being the property of VGN.