New era in rail transport for northern and western Saxony from 2026

Rail transport in northern and western Saxony is being restructured: From December 2026, the rail transport company Die Länderbahn GmbH will take over routes in this area and invest millions in the expansion. "Travelers from the southwest Saxony region in particular will benefit from this. The rail connection to Leipzig and Halle will be much more comfortable," said Eugen Rubinstein, one of the managing directors, at a presentation in Neumark (Vogtlandkreis).

DB Regio Südost currently operates the routes. From 2026, the private railroad company Länderbahn, which belongs to the Netinera Group, has won the contract for the section for 12 years by lottery.

6.1 million train kilometers per year

According to Robert Aschenbrenner from the project management team, the direct connection from Plauen to Halle-Leipzig Airport would then only take 105 minutes without changing trains. By 2026, the company will purchase 41 battery-powered Siemens Mireo vehicles for the route at a cost of 250 million euros. These will have three sections and 300 seats.

"With free Wi-Fi, barrier-free, modern charging technology for mobile devices and many doors for quick boarding and alighting," says Aschenbrenner, explaining the planned equipment. The aim is to achieve 6.1 million train kilometers per year on the routes. The main maintenance location for the vehicles will be Neumark - the Länderbahn premises will be expanded and buildings extended at a cost of 10 million euros.

350 more employees planned

The connections will run as S-Bahn operations. Länderbahn hopes that the changes will increase the attractiveness for travelers, according to Aschenbrenner. From Plauen and Reichenbach, unlike now, it will once again be possible to travel to Leipzig and Halle every two hours without changing trains, and from Zwickau every hour.

"Trains will then run more frequently. Between Borna, Leipzig and Halle even every thirty minutes," says Aschenbrenner. The Leipzig City Tunnel will also be served. "This will make it possible to get off directly in the city center." Länderbahn is hiring 350 more employees for the period from 2026, adds spokeswoman Katerina Hagen. The majority will be new drivers and service staff. The private rail company currently has 1,000 employees.