Faster trains planned between Berlin and Görlitz

Trains on the Berlin-Cottbus-Weißwasser-Görlitz line are to run faster in future. To this end, the Cottbus-Weißwasser-Görlitz section is to be upgraded to a double track and electrified. Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) and DB CEO Richard Lutz have signed an agreement on the planning for this expansion project and a number of others. This was announced by the Federal Ministry of Transport and Deutsche Bahn. No details were given on the time frame for the electrification of the line between Berlin and Görlitz.

"Structural change in the context of climate protection requires concrete offers and prospects for the regions most affected by change," said Wissing. "The German government is therefore supporting structural change in the former coal-mining regions with up to 40 billion euros."

Railway Chairman: An important contribution to structural change

DB Chairman Lutz added that the electrification and double-track expansion of the Cottbus-Görlitz line, as well as the other expansion projects being planned, are an important contribution to successful structural change.

The signing of the agreement also marks the start of planning for the 44-kilometer northern section of the Leipzig-Chemnitz line between Bad Lausick and Geithain. This section is also to be electrified and double-tracked. Preparations for the planning have started, and planning steps such as surveying, environmental studies and routing are to follow next.