Railways
The Leipzig/Halle business region has a well-developed railway network for passengers and cargo with its central hub at Leipzig Central Station. Every day, this huge railway terminus welcomes over 100,000 passengers and visitors.
German Unity Transport Projects approach grand finale
In December 2017, just in time for the new annual timetable, the biggest and most expensive VDE German Unity Transport Project will finally go into operation in its entirety. Investment in VDE 8 now totals about 10 billion euros. The route comprises the upgraded Leipzig-Berlin stretch of track (in operation since 2006), the newly laid section between Leipzig and Erfurt (in use since 2015), and the newly built section Erfurt-Ebensfeld (-Nuremberg) beneath the Thuringian Forest, the final part of the entire route from Berlin to Munich via Leipzig, Erfurt and Nuremberg. With an Intercity-Express travel time between Leipzig and Berlin of a little over an hour now daily reality for more than a decade, the journey time of just over three hours between Leipzig and Munich from December 2017 will set an entirely new standard. The shorter travel time and new changing possibilities will have a beneficial impact on Deutsche Bahn's entire highspeed network and also international travel.
One focal point of all the activities along the route of VDE 8 has always been Leipzig Central Station, which was rebuilt from top to bottom over a period of years while remaining open. The extension of the central platforms to accommodate the longest Intercity-Express trains with a length of 400 metres has been followed by the complete rerouting of high-speed tracks for arrivals and departures beginning in 2016. One aspect less visible for passengers yet all the more important given ever-faster train speeds is the installation of modern signalling equipment to ensure maximum safety. A substantial part of the entire rail traffic on the new high-speed line is now controlled from Deutschen Bahn's operations centre in Leipzig.
Source: Leipzig Means Business 2017
City-centre tunnel: Backbone of rail services in central Germany
Five of the six lines of the local railway network covering central Germany pass through the tunnel beneath central Leipzig. A five-minute cycle is provided in peak travel times on services in the tunnel with its four stations, making changing between lines quick and convenient. The rail network linking up large parts of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia was rebooted in late 2013 and now transports an average of 60,000 passengers per day. Right from the start, the most popular routes were the two lines connecting the cities of Leipzig and Halle which alone serve about 20,000 passengers daily.
Train travel time (Intercity-Express) to other cities
Route | Time |
---|---|
Leipzig - Berlin | 1:15 hours |
Leipzig - Dresden | 1:04 hours |
Leipzig - Hamburg | 3:06 hours |
Leipzig - Frankfurt/Main | 3:08 hours |
Leipzig - Rostock | 4:08 hours |
Leipzig - Munich | 3:15 hours |
Leipzig - Cologne | 4:36 hours |
Leipzig - Prague | 3:35 hours |
Leipzig - Warsaw | 8:45 hours |
Leipzig - Paris | 7:21 hours |
Leipzig - Vienna | 8:21 hours |