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Railway farewell for Naumburg and Weißenfels: IC trains soon to be history?
Deutsche Bahn is planning to reduce IC connections in Burgenlandkreis from December 2025, which raises concerns about connectivity.
Railway farewell for Naumburg and Weißenfels: IC trains soon to be history?
The planned reduction of the intercity service in the Burgenland district is causing unrest and displeasure among local politicians. From December 2025, Deutsche Bahn wants to drastically reduce the number of IC trains on the route from Leipzig to Nuremberg and Karlsruhe. Instead of the current five, there will only be two pairs of trains, which would almost completely isolate the cities of Naumburg and Weißenfels from long-distance traffic MDR reports.
District Administrator Götz Ulrich expresses sharp criticism of this decision and accuses the railway of not only disregarding national agreements, but also ignoring regional needs. “We shouldn’t just offer commercially oriented connections,” emphasizes Ulrich and calls for cross-financing in order to maintain less popular routes. Ultimately, the importance of these connections for the region should not be underestimated.
Reasons for the reduction
The railway justifies its cuts with inadequate utilization, which is currently only 10 percent. The Deutschland Ticket, which is not recognized on long-distance transport, also plays a role because it could have reduced demand for IC trains. There are now fast regional trains between Naumburg and Leipzig that only take slightly longer to complete the route, which further reduces the attractiveness of the IC connections.
The passionate debate about the future of long-distance transport is not only evident in Burgenlandkreis. In Thuringia, too, especially in cities like Gera and Jena, the possibility of cancellations in the IC network is causing worried faces. The mayors and district administrators there have spoken out in a joint statement and are calling for better connections, which are essential for the economic development of their cities. They see it as serious that Gera only has one IC connection, which is threatened Railway blog post reported.
Public pressure on Deutsche Bahn
The political representatives in the region are appealing to Deutsche Bahn to rethink its plans. The important central-Germany connection could be significantly affected by the cancellations. In addition, the sharply increasing route prices charged by the railway infrastructure company could further influence the decision to reduce. Thuringia's Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow is demanding that 100 billion euros be invested in modernizing the railway in order to compensate for the financial losses caused by corona.
The protests are not only taking place at a political level, passengers are also reflecting on their rights and options when traveling by train. You can do a good deal with the BahnCard 25, which in various versions also offers a 25 percent discount on ticket prices for people under 27, such as bahn.de informed. A loyal passenger base could perhaps help to increase pressure on the railway and ensure service quality in the long term.
The discussion remains exciting. A rethink among those responsible may be necessary in order not only to serve exposed routes, but also not to leave rural regions behind. Ultimately, the mobility mix contributes to economic and social stability in the affected areas.