The Hanoverian Southern Railway (German: Hannöversche Südbahn) is a historical term but it is still a common name for the line between Hanover and Kassel.

This line was built by the Royal Hanoverian State Railways and was therefore also intended to connect the trading centre of Münden with the capital of the Kingdom of Hanover.

The route to Göttingen ran relatively easily through the Leine Valley, although it bypassed the major brewing city of Einbeck.

The rest of the section was served from Münden for 10 to 15 years as a freight siding, which was followed by the closure and partial degradation of the track.

In response to the ever-increasing traffic of the route in the 1960s, it was provided with new interlocking technology and additional passing tracks and upgraded infrastructure.

As a result of its terminal station layout, Kassel was left out of the IC network, with trains taking the Göttingen–Bebra route.

Approximate hourly regional trains run on the Southern Railway on the Hamburg–Uelzen–Hanover-Göttingen route, operated by Metronom.