trains operated, although it is not known what they carried. In 1920, the first level-crossing barrier system on the line was put in operation at Dissen-Rothenfelde station. The barrier was later considered to be a nuisance as the track was often closed for long periods. From the 1960s the railway had ever stronger competition from the road. Many goods could now be more cheaply and conveniently be transported by truck and many travellers used cars and buses. The utilization of the services of the Haller Willems declined. On 2 June 1984, the passenger services were finally abandoned between Osnabrück and Dissen-Rothenfelde. Freight traffic continued on this section until 31 May 1991, but at the beginning of the 1990s Deutsche Bahn (DB) wanted to abandon freight traffic and to dismantle the track northwest of Dissen-Rothenfelde. This was prevented by a citizens' initiative called the Initiative Haller Willem. DB developed a program to modernise passenger and freight operations on the southeastern section between Dissen-Bad Rothenfelde and Bielefeld. This was eventually implemented by the Ostwestfalen-Lippe region as a decentralised project in support of Expo 2000 in Hanover. The Zweckverband VerkehrsVerbund OstWestfalenLippe (Ostwestfalen-Lippe transport association) took over management of the project. As a result, the line was renovated in 1999/2000 and equipped with the latest technology. The municipalities participated intensively to modernise the station environments and the designation of new residential developments near the line. In order to make the route more attractive for cycling tourism, a nearby cycle path from Osnabrück via Bielefeld to Paderborn was signed as the Teuto-Senne BahnRadRoute (rail-cycling route). Especially on weekends in the summer, a large proportion of passengers travel with bicycles. Cyclists have become an important factor for the preservation of the rail link. After the NordWestBahn (NWB) won the contract for the Ems-Senne-Weser network in Ostwestfalen-Lippe and neighbouring Münsterland, it submitted an attractive offer to the transport association for the operation of services on the Haller Willem. As a result, the NWB has operated it since 15 December 2003. Until 10 June 2005, trains only ran between Bielefeld and Dissen-Bad Rothenfelde. This section is part of DB’s Münster–Ostwestfalen (MOW ) regional network, which is based in Münster. In 1999, Verkehrsgesellschaft Landkreis Osnabrück (transport company district of Osnabrück, VLO) leased the section in Lower Saxon from Deutsche Bahn for 30 years for the symbolic price of €1, with the intention of reactivating it. After a cost-benefit study