Leipzig's S-Bahn: Simplified or slowed down? The interim year 2026!

Leipzig's S-Bahn: Simplified or slowed down? The interim year 2026!

Leipzig, Deutschland - On June 24, 2025, the special-purpose association for the local transport area Leipzig (ZVNL) presented the new timetables for the Leipzig S-Bahn in the interim year 2026. This transition year comes into force due to fundamental changes in the line network of the S-Bahn Central Germany, which will be effective from December 14, 2025. The adjustments are necessary to prepare the S-Bahn for the upcoming transport contract MDSB2025PLUS, which begins on December 13, 2026. With the new timetables, passengers have both improvements and depressing changes in the house, which are already causing a conversation. The Leipziger Internet management .

One of the most striking changes is the deletion of the S10, which affects the connection of Grünau, for example, to the Porsche plant. This district has around 50,000 inhabitants and is an important job location for companies such as DHL, BMW and Porsche. The previous travel times from Grünau to these companies - up to 1 hour and 20 minutes - are not exactly optimized by deleting the S10. In addition, there are always problems with the S10 timetables, which has rarely worked on schedule since it was taken up.

increase in waiting times

The interim year also brings important changes for evening traffic. From 8 p.m., passengers on four S-Bahn lines have to expect a doubling of the waiting times: instead of every 30 minutes, they only run every hour. This affects over 100,000 commuters who regularly use the S-Bahn offers. This is also reported by the mdr . The reason for these adjustments are price increases in energy and vehicles as well as a financing gap of 10 to 15 million euros, which must be covered either by savings or state subsidies.

Despite the negative developments, some areas should also benefit from this. Night traffic is reduced to a 60-minute cycle for the S4 and S3, but the overall offer remains relatively dense due to the overlay of five lines in the evening. The goal? Leipzig wants to remain a “city of short distances” and increase the share of foot, bicycle and public transport to 70 percent by 2025.

connection to the airport

For travelers, the connection to Leipzig/Halle Airport is particularly interested. Here the S-Bahn lines S 5 and S 5X, the Halle, Leipzig, Altenburg and Zwickau connect with the airport. The journey time from Leipzig main station is only 12 minutes. The trains offer a clock of 30 minutes in the main traffic times and hour connections outside. Here, too, care is made to accessibility, so that the check-in area is easily accessible via elevators and escalators, such as the S-Bahn central Germany

The new timetables are a complex challenge for residents and commuters in and around Leipzig. The hope remains that the interim year will not be regarded as a permanent measure, but will serve as a preliminary stage for better and more stable connections in the future. The next stage of the development of the S-Bahn network will significantly influence the quality of the connection.