Criticism of the timetable change: fewer trains, higher costs for Elbe-Elster!

Criticism of the timetable change: fewer trains, higher costs for Elbe-Elster!

Deutsche Bahn's plans for the timetable change in December are causing massive concern in the Elbe-Elster district. District Administrator Christian Jaschinski commented on the upcoming changes and highlighted the fears that commuters, students and travelers would be severely restricted. The intended cuts in train services could have far-reaching consequences for citizens' mobility, such as rbb24 reported.

The planned measures include the cancellation of the direct IC connection between Doberlug-Kirchhain and BER Airport. In the future, only five pairs of regional trains will be scheduled between Berlin and Elsterwerda on weekdays. The direct connection between Finsterwalde and Berlin will be completely discontinued. The threatened cuts in the evening and morning hours on the Falkenberg-Cottbus and Elsterwerda-Senftenberg routes, which are of crucial importance for students in the high school centers in the district, are particularly problematic.

Criticism and demands

“Fewer connections, longer distances and higher costs – things cannot stay like this,” demands Jaschinski. The changes to the timetable will not only affect Deutsche Bahn connections, but will also have a serious impact on local public transport in the district. The local transport tariff that applies between Elsterwerda and Berlin will be eliminated, which would make commuting more expensive. Jaschinski had already written to the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Berlin-Brandenburg Transport Association in June, but these inquiries remained unanswered.

The agenda of the district council, which meets on Monday, now includes a vote on possible support for Jaschinski. The point was made at short notice, which underlines the urgency of the situation.

Public transport in Elster

At least in the meantime, Elster (Elbe) train station offers real-time information about train connections. Current data on departures, arrivals and even information about track changes are available via platforms such as Train station departure available. This proves to be an important tool for travelers to always stay up to date.

The Elster (Elbe) train station is a central hub in Saxony-Anhalt's local transport network and offers both local and long-distance transport. But the editorial concerns of surrounding cities and communities are justified: public mobility is more important than ever these days. According to the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV), around 26 million passengers use buses and trains every day, which shows how crucial local public transport is for the German population vdv.de.

With the planned changes, Deutsche Bahn is not only disrupting citizens' individual travel plans, but is also endangering the entire public transport system in the Elbe-Elster district. It remains to be seen what measures the district council will decide to represent the concerns of the population.