Muldalbahn: Colditz and Rochlitz fight for the return of the trains!

Muldalbahn: Colditz and Rochlitz fight for the return of the trains!

Colditz, Deutschland - The discussion about the reactivation of the disabled Muldalbahn between Colditz and Rochlitz picks up speed. Today, on June 5, 2025, it becomes clear that the regional mayors and the municipalities concerned vehemently advocate the expansion of the railway line. The last train drove 25 years ago, and since then the two cities have suffered from the absence of a quick connection. A recently commissioned expert opinion on the economy of reactivation is shortly before the end, but in the Saxon Household 2025/26 there are no funds planned for rail construction.

Frustration among residents is great. Mayor Robert Zillmann from Colditz sees the S-Bahn connection to Leipzig, which is planned between Grimma and Döbeln from December 2026, as indispensable for the region. His colleague, Rochlitz Mayor Frank Dehne, emphasizes the importance of good rail connections for urban development and warns of increasing costs through the neglect of the infrastructure.

political demands and initiatives

politicians from the Greens are calling for additional financial resources for the reactivation, specifically, they propose an increase of 10 million euros. As part of a broad initiative, Transport Minister Martin Dulig and the traffic policy spokesman for the coalition factions in August 2021 decided to examine several Saxon railway lines for their activation capability in order to create conditions for possible federal grants. These are now comprehensively examined.

like Medienservice.sachsen.de reported, numerous potential analyzes were carried out, which also affect other routes. The costs and the expected use for various routes have been analyzed. For example, the reactivation of the Marienberg-Pockau-Lengefeld route costs around 15 million euros, while for the connection to Beucha-Brandis-Trebsen costs of around 32 million euros can be expected.

challenges for rural regions

The authorities' attention is currently mainly on the Döbeln-Meißen route, for which a planning contract has already been concluded with the Nossen-Riesaer Eisenbahn-Compagnie GmbH. Investment costs of around 1.7 million euros have been approved by the Free State of Saxony for preparatory conservation measures in order to restore the route for rail traffic. The construction work should be completed by 2024.

The development in connection with the Muldentalbahn is part of a larger plan to re -enactivate disabled routes in Saxony, whereby the challenge consists of a lack of demand from the population. This problem is taken up by l-iz.de Potential passenger numbers are not sufficient to justify the high investment costs.

Overall, it is an exciting development that not only affects regional actors, but also involves overarching government planning. The collected thousands of signatures for the reactivation of the Muldental Railway testify to a broad public interest that regional politicians have to bear in the state parliament debates.