Between the northern tunnel entrance of Kalbach (50° 24′ 22″N, 9° 39′3″E) and the southern end at Mottgers (50° 18′35″N, 9° 39′47″E) it crosses the Landrücken range which forms the Rhein-Weser drainage divide dividing the river basins of the Fulda and Main.

It surpassed the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Tunnel near Cochem as the longest railway tunnel in Germany.

Outside the north portal of the tunnel, at 380m altitude is the summit of the Hanover-Würzburg high-speed rail line.

On April 26, 2008, ICE train 885 was on its way from Hamburg to Munich with 170 people on board.

The train derailed at 215 kilometres per hour (134 mph) inside the tunnel.