Along the 19th-century railway line running from Legnica through Żagań and Żary to the Polish-German border, international trains have not operated for years. The electrification of the railway meant that the most important line between Wrocław and Berlin steadily lost importance over the decades.
Berlin? Four hours from Wrocław
Currently, several trains a day run from Żary and Żagań both toward Legnica (and onward to Wrocław) and to Zielona Góra, the capital of Lubusz Voivodeship. According to highly advanced discussions, the number of train pairs is to increase, and extending the connection to Cottbus in Germany’s Brandenburg will significantly bring Wrocław and Berlin closer together.
– The state carrier, Intercity, has significantly improved its offer, and it is now possible to travel from Wrocław to Berlin on as many as four pairs of connections. From December 2026, thanks to the efforts of local governments, we will connect the capitals of Lower Silesia and Germany with seven additional connections; with transfers, the travel time will be similar – says Paweł Gancarz, Marshal of Lower Silesia.
Four Intercity trains currently run from the capital of Lower Silesia to the capital of Germany. They travel via Legnica, Zielona Góra and Rzepin to Frankfurt (Oder), and from there to Berlin Hbf, the city’s main station. At least seven pairs operated by Koleje Dolnośląskie via a different route will be added to the four Intercity pairs. From Legnica, via Żagań and Żary, passengers will reach Cottbus, from where a train to the German capital departs every half hour.
While Intercity trains on the Wrocław–Berlin route achieve a travel time of 4 hours and 14 minutes (the Wawel train from Przemyśl to Berlin), the time spent on regional trains – Koleje Dolnośląskie from Wrocław to Legnica and from Legnica to Cottbus, and Deutsche Bahn from Cottbus to Berlin – will be approximately 4 hours and 30 minutes.
– Throughout Europe, railways are experiencing a renaissance, but connections at national borders still become a railway boundary that is impossible to cross. In Lower Silesia, we are trying to break this deadlock, and the Legnica–Cottbus connection will be another cross-border link. It is worth recalling that Koleje Dolnośląskie already take us to several other towns in Germany and the Czech Republic – says Michał Rado, Deputy Marshal of Lower Silesia, responsible, among other things, for railways.
In addition, some Intercity services are currently operated by replacement transport between Frankfurt and Berlin, as the German infrastructure manager plans numerous works on this section in the coming months.
Lusatia with a railway hit!
These connections will represent a qualitative leap for rail travel for Lusatia’s residents: the towns of Żary and Żagań will gain regular services coordinated at stations in Legnica and Cottbus with trains heading to Wrocław and Berlin.
– We are restoring the historic railway corridor running through Żagań and Żary between Wrocław and Berlin. Lubusz Voivodeship, Lower Silesia Voivodeship and the federal state of Brandenburg want, through trilateral cooperation, to provide their residents with predictable and efficient cross-border transport. We are finalizing the details of the agreement so that the new connections from Żagań and Żary to Wrocław and Berlin can launch with the new 2026/2027 railway timetable – says Sebastian Ciemnoczołowski, Marshal of Lubusz Voivodeship.
For residents of Lubusz Voivodeship, however, the most important aspect is the qualitative change. Public transport through Żagań and Żary has required a stable, predictable offer for years. Involving Koleje Dolnośląskie, known for their very high reliability, is a concrete step toward improving everyday transport. I am pleased that, for the benefit of our residents and passengers, we are managing to develop such a solution.
In recent years, Intercity has stopped operating services through Żary and Żagań – a pair of trains operated by the national carrier from Hrubieszów in the Lublin region to Zielona Góra via Żagań and Żary ceased running at the end of 2025.
Seven pairs of trains will run between Cottbus and Legnica. Two additional pairs will operate on the Żary–Żagań–Legnica route to provide convenient travel during the morning and afternoon peak periods.
Cross-border connections are one of the railway’s main challenges in the European community. When rail accessibility is analyzed, “blank spots” most often appear at national borders. Nevertheless, Lower Silesia operates at the intersection of three countries, at three border crossings with the Czech Republic and two with Germany. Now the connection to Forst will be extended to Cottbus, a city of nearly 100,000 inhabitants.
– We operate in four voivodeships and three countries. As part of our cooperation with Saxony, we already operate services along the Wrocław–Dresden transport corridor, and now, from December, we will also open the Wrocław–Berlin corridor in regional traffic with the State of Brandenburg, where Koleje Dolnośląskie will operate services on the Wrocław–Legnica–Cottbus section – says Damian Stawikowski, President of Koleje Dolnośląskie.
The connection will be possible thanks to cooperation among three entities: the State of Brandenburg, Lubusz Voivodeship and Lower Silesia Voivodeship. The final elements of the agreement still need to be settled, which will happen in the coming months.
Koleje Dolnośląskie – the operator that will run these services – is a carrier with annual passenger turnover exceeding 25 million. It operates Poland’s fastest regional connections and has a fleet of nearly 100 vehicles. Lower Silesian trains reach four voivodeships in the country.
Lower Silesia, in turn, is a voivodeship where 250,000 residents have regained access to railways in recent years. The voivodeship government is rebuilding railway lines using its own funds; altogether, trains on tracks belonging to the voivodeship cover routes totaling 300 km.