The southern end of the line branches off the Hanover–Würzburg high-speed line at Sorsum junction, 29.5 km south of Hanover.
At Himmelsthür junction, 4.7 km west of Hildesheim, it connects with the double-track line from Hanover and Nordstemmen to Hildesheim, which runs east–west, at the 45.4 km mark.
The line connects the high-speed line with Hildesheim station, conveying Intercity-Express trains running between Frankfurt am Main and Berlin.
ICE trains run from Hildesheim to Brunswick and the Weddel loop to Wolfsburg and Berlin via the Hanover–Berlin high-speed line.
During the day, trains run hourly both ways on the loop.