Chemnitz (dpa/sn) - There is a change in rail traffic in the Ore Mountains: In June 2024, the City-Bahn Chemnitz will take over the routes of the Ore Mountain Railway. The DB subsidiary has not submitted a final offer for the further operation of the connections from Chemnitz to Olbernhau and Cranzahl and from Zwickau to Johanngeorgenstadt, said the managing director of the Mittelsachsen transport association, Mathias Korda, on Thursday. According to the information, the trains are used by around 4,000 people on weekdays.
According to Managing Director Friedbert Straube, the City-Bahn will have to purchase eight new trains for the future service. In addition, a takeover offer is to be made to the current employees of the Erzgebirge railway. The conditions are comparable. He assumes that many of them want to stay in the region and work there. There will be no compromises in the quality of the offer for passengers, assured Straube.
The change on the routes should also be used for innovations. According to Korda, it is planned to send trains between Leipzig and Chemnitz to Annaberg-Buchholz in the Ore Mountains in the off-peak times. This results in a direct connection to the trade fair city for the passengers. The use of modern battery trains is under discussion.
The new contract with the City-Bahn is initially valid until the end of 2030. It covers around 1.9 million timetable kilometers per year. The exact order volume was not quantified in euros. No comment was initially available from Deutsche Bahn.
