Narrow-gauge railways in Saxony: operations suspended until the end of November due to maintenance!

Narrow-gauge railways in Saxony: operations suspended until the end of November due to maintenance!

A quiet time is approaching for the narrow-gauge railways in Saxony, which will stop operating for several weeks from Monday, November 5th. The reason for this measure is necessary maintenance work on routes and vehicles as well as preparation for winter. After all, November is in the low season, when demand on these tourist routes is traditionally low. The following railways are affected: the Lößnitzgrundbahn between Radebeul and Moritzburg, the Weißeritztalbahn from Freital via Dippoldiswalde to the Kurort Kipsdorf, the Fichtelbergbahn between Cranzahl and Oberwiesenthal and the Zittau narrow-gauge railway MDR reports.

The decision to lockdown does not come without challenges. Financial savings by the Saxon state government have a direct impact on the timetable of the Saxon Steam Railway Company (SDG). Funding for narrow-gauge railways was cut by ten percent. This means that since September the last trains on the Lößnitzgrund and Weißeritztalbahn have only run on weekends and will run on selected days from November 3rd. VVO spokesman Christian Schlemper emphasizes that one million euros may seem small for the Free State, but it has significant consequences for the narrow-gauge railways. Thousands of wooden sleepers along the narrow-gauge network are due for replacement, which is financially secured for this year. However, only absolutely necessary maintenance work may be carried out in the coming year, which could result in potential closures, as tag24 informs.

Operations manager sees cultural assets in danger

Mirko Froß, SDG operations manager, emphasizes the importance of the narrow-gauge railways as a cultural asset and rules out the sale of the vehicles. All locomotives and wagons currently have valid TÜV certificates. However, vehicles must be returned when their MOT expires. One perspective is that without secure maintenance measures, the future of the railways and thus also of Saxony's cultural history is in jeopardy.

The coming weeks will show how the temporary pause in operations will affect the narrow-gauge railways. The hope remains that the necessary funds for the maintenance and promotion of cultural heritage will continue to be secured in the future so that these picturesque railways do not disappear from our landscape. Let's stay tuned to see what the situation looks like next year and whether the traditional trains can continue to steam through the Saxon countryside.