Transport Minister Hüskens presents timetable for 2026 in Halle/S.

Today, Saxony-Anhalt's State Minister for Infrastructure and Digital Affairs, Dr Lydia Hüskens, presented the changes to regional transport that are scheduled to take effect with the new timetable in Halle/Saale. She was joined by Peter Panitz, Managing Director of NASA GmbH, and Frank Bretzger from DB Regio Südost.

“The timetable change this coming Sunday will bring a whole host of improvements for passengers. However, it is also clear that construction work will continue in many places for some time to come, causing disruptions on certain routes,” said Minister Hüskens in Halle today. 'Since the 2010s, the state has continuously expanded S-Bahn connections and improved services for passengers. Following Lutherstadt Eisleben and Querfurt, we can now integrate the Naumburg–Leipzig connection into the S-Bahn network.'

According to the minister, the Central German S-Bahn network will continue to expand gradually. This will provide more direct journey opportunities, e.g. from the Halle/Saale urban area to Leipzig, as well as two S8 services per hour between Halle/Saale and Bitterfeld, and additional services between Bitterfeld and Dessau-Roßlau from Monday to Friday. The regional connection will also improve noticeably, as new vehicles with greater capacity will be in service between Halle/Saale and Leipzig from late 2026. Regional trains between Halle/Saale and Bernburg will be faster as stops can be omitted thanks to the increased frequency of the S-Bahn.

The future continuous half-hourly connection between Halle-Trotha and Leipzig will greatly benefit passengers. “This will finally establish Halle as the second S-Bahn hub, offering connections in all directions. The new stopping positions of the S5 and S5X will also enable faster transfers to buses and trams,” says Frank Bretzger, DB Regio Südost's Head of Transport Contract Management for Central Germany and Saxony-Anhalt.

From December 14th, Halle/Saale will benefit from improved connections to the long-distance transport network. However, the introduction of additional long-distance trains may affect the predictability and reliability of suburban and regional services. 'The expansion of long-distance transport is a positive sign for Saxony-Anhalt. But this means there is less space on the tracks, so some suburban trains will have to switch to less favourable timetables or have theirs changed. This makes it all the more important that the infrastructure upgrades planned under the Deutschlandtakt schedule are implemented as quickly as possible,' said the Transport Minister. "A reliable infrastructure is key to the attractiveness of the federal state. The German Unity Transport Project on the Berlin–Halle–Erfurt–Bamberg high-speed line is an excellent example of this. However, it is necessary to follow suit across the board,’ she added.

The aim of all those involved is to further develop the regional rail and bus network, providing reliable public transport services in all regions of Saxony-Anhalt. This has been taken into account in the new timetable changes.

Other important changes to the timetable include:

• The RB33 service to the northern part of Stendal and Osterburg is being expanded. From May 2026, there will be an hourly service between Stendal and Wittenberge at weekends.
• There will be hourly services on the Halle–Kassel connection, but the line will be closed for several months for infrastructure upgrades.
• Service restrictions will be in place on the RE15 and RE16 services between Halle/Leipzig, Naumburg, Erfurt/Jena and Saalfeld from mid-March to early July 2026 due to construction work.
• Rail replacement services will operate on the S3 between Schkeuditz and Leipzig from mid-July to early October 2026 due to construction work.