€306m Geithain–Chemnitz electrification project in planning

The roughly 37 km southern section of the Leipzig–Chemnitz line between Geithain and Chemnitz (via Lunzenau, Rochlitz and Burgstädt) is to be fully double-tracked and electrified, except for two smaller bridge sections. Costs are put at around EUR 306 million, funded through Germany's coal-region investment act (InvKG); per press reports from June 2026 (dpa), implementation is now planned for 2032-2035, later than the completion originally targeted for 2029. The project aims to cut travel times and provide a more climate-friendly rail link for the central German lignite mining region. Update (15 Jan 2026): Saxony and DB signed a EUR 9.24 million financing agreement at the end of 2025 for the design and approval planning between Geithain and Chemnitz (federal government 42, state 58 per cent). The scope has grown to include extra points in the Chemnitz hub, an 11 km power supply line and an additional 6 km electrified section. DB plans to file the documents with the Federal Railway Authority in autumn 2026, with public display from 2027. At the third rail talks on 13 January 2026 it gave no start or completion date (City of Chemnitz: aim of the early 2030s). (LOK Report, 15 Jan 2026)