Criticism of the train timetable: Elbe-Elster fears massive restrictions!

Criticism of the train timetable: Elbe-Elster fears massive restrictions!

The Elbe-Elster district is facing a massive upheaval in local public transport, which could soon affect the region's commuters and students. Planned from December 2025, District Administrator Christian Jaschinski criticizes the upcoming changes to the rail timetable and warns of drastic restrictions for travelers who rely on the connections.

A central point of the planned restructuring is the cancellation of the direct IC connection between Doberlug-Kirchhain and BER Airport. Only five pairs of regional trains will be offered between Berlin and Elsterwerda on working days. These steps backwards are causing dissatisfaction: The direct connection between Finsterwalde and Berlin will also be canceled, which could particularly affect students at the high school centers in the district.

Consequences of the timetable changes

The new timetables also involve drastic cuts in the evening and morning hours on the Falkenberg-Cottbus and Elsterwerda-Senftenberg routes. “The local transport tariff will no longer apply in the Intercity between Elsterwerda and Berlin, which will make commuting more expensive for many,” said Jaschinski. He fears that these changes will not only reduce the number of connections, but also result in longer routes and higher costs for residents in the district. In the worst case, the entire local public transport system could falter.

Jaschinski had already sent his concerns in writing to the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Berlin-Brandenburg Transport Association in June, but received no response. Next Monday, the district council is scheduled to vote on support for Jaschinski - an agenda item that was set at short notice and is intended to support the preservation of rail and public transport connections.

New timetable in the Elbe-Elster-Land

But it's not just the railway that is under scrutiny. A new timetable for the Elbe-Elster-Land came into force on September 1, 2025. These changes were particularly noticeable in the south and west of the district. With the introduction of the Elbe-Elster Südwest transport concept, all on-demand transport will in future be combined under the new brand name “RufBus Elbe-Elster”. The former “Call Line Bus” is now also run under this name and is easy to recognize in the timetables.

The PlusBus 520, which runs every hour on weekdays between 5 a.m. and 8 p.m., will remain in place and also offers connection options on weekends and public holidays - an important relief for commuters in the region. The route between Bad Liebenwerda and Elsterwerda is also being restructured, so that new stops such as “Dixon Drive” in Herzberg (Elster) have been added to the timetable.

Dissatisfaction with local transport

In a broader context, a current survey shows that over 80% of Germans have not noticed any improvements in bus and train services. For almost a third of those surveyed, the timing of local transport is a major problem. Many people feel poorly connected, particularly in the federal states of Saxony-Anhalt, Lower Saxony and Brandenburg. For many people, the timing of connections is more important than the distance to the next stop or train station. These study results make it clear that local public transport often does not meet passengers' expectations and urgently needs to be improved in order to increase satisfaction.

The developments in the Elbe-Elster district should therefore be observed with a critical eye, as they not only influence the mobility of citizens, but also signal that there is more need than ever for a high-performance and reliable public transport system.