Resumption of Train Service Between Liberec and Varnsdorf

Starting December 24, 2025, service will resume on the 089 Liberec–Zittau–Varnsdorf railway line – Seifhennersdorf, and with it, service on lines L7 and RE2 along the entire Liberec–Seifhennersdorf and Liberec–Dresden Hbf routes.

With the end of the closure, a new timetable will take effect, under which trains in all directions will meet in Zittau every full hour, allowing passengers to transfer freely between them. Connections will be faster and transfer times shorter. For example, the journey between Liberec and Varnsdorf via the old station will take about fifty minutes thanks to the modernized track, which is ten minutes faster than before the closure. From Liberec, it will be possible to travel at hourly intervals—either directly or with a transfer in Zittau—toward Varnsdorf, Dresden, Görlitz, and Berlin at a speed comparable to driving.

• On weekdays, priority is given to direct service between Varnsdorf and Liberec for students and commuters; these trains will run more frequently and be more evenly spaced throughout the day.
• On weekends, direct services from Liberec to Varnsdorf and to Dresden will alternate regularly.
• During weekday rush hours, additional service trains between Liberec and Hrádek nad Nisou will continue to be provided, and in the morning, a new service train will be introduced arriving in Liberec at 7:07 a.m. in Liberec, thereby shortening the interval during the morning rush hour between trains arriving at 6:51 and 7:29 a.m.

Construction work at the Hrádek nad Nisou station will continue until April 2026. Passenger access there will therefore be limited from the direction of the bus turnaround via the sidewalk between the tracks and the former station warehouse, and via a temporarily opened underpass without elevators to the island platform. For passengers with limited mobility or those traveling with luggage, strollers, or wheelchairs, the construction company will provide free assistance during train operating hours until the elevators are operational; passengers can request this assistance.

• Contact information for the passenger assistance service at Hrádek n. N. station: tel: +420 606 020 219. Assistance staff are always available directly in the passenger concourse.

A temporary replacement schedule will remain in effect for several selected L7 line services. This is due to a technical malfunction of the DB InfraGO system (impossible to cross at Großschönau station) combined with a shortage of DRE staff to manage traffic to Seifhennersdorf. Therefore, the following deviations from the regular schedule will apply:

1. Until January 18, 2026, two morning services will be adjusted:
   • 20936 – departs from Varnsdorf at 4:36 a.m. to the Varnsdorf piv. Kocour stop; the service will continue to Seifhennersdorf via a replacement bus service,
   • 20903 – departs from Seifhennersdorf station at 5:00 a.m.; from the Varnsdorf piv. Kocour, it will continue as a train departing at 5:08. To compensate for running ahead of the regular schedule, the train will make an 18-minute stop at Zittau station, from which it will continue according to the regular schedule at 5:54,

2. Starting January 19, 2026, it will be possible to eliminate the long stop of train 20903 at Zittau station by adjusting the departure times of the morning services as follows (this adjustment will remain in effect until further notice):
   • 20936/20903 – The replacement bus service between Varnsdorf (Kocour Brewery) and Seifhennersdorf will remain in effect
   • 20901 – departs from the Varnsdorf Old Station stop at 4:14 a.m. (4 minutes earlier); the train will operate on a different schedule all the way to Liberec
   • 20900 – departs from Liberec station at 4:47 a.m. (4 minutes earlier); from Varnsdorf station, it continues according to the regular schedule at 5:42 a.m.
   • 20903 – departs from Varnsdorf station at 5:35 a.m. (3 minutes later); continues from Großschönau station according to the regular schedule at 5:40 a.m.

A trial operation to test punctuality will take place over the next few months, during which, among other things, trains on lines L7 and RE2 will not wait for any delayed connections, with the exception of the last connections. The goal is to verify operational stability and make necessary adjustments in case of problems.

During the trial operation, speed restrictions may occur at the Hrádek nad Nisou station and at the Polish border crossing due to ongoing finishing work, as well as complications arising from the training of all shifts of the carrier’s employees and the management of operations on a completely new line with very high operational demands during the first few weeks. Any shortcomings will be addressed intensively and gradually resolved.