In the Second World War, the Alme Valley Railway was more frequently the target of strafing by the Allies from the beginning of 1945.

From 1950 onwards, the line was connected even to the long-distance network via the daily Heckeneilzug (hedgerow) service, running on the Bremen–Paderborn–Büren–Brilon–Frankfurt route.

Regular passenger service between Büren and Brilon was closed on the section on 29 September 1974 due to superstructure defects.

The Heckeneilzug service continued for some years from Brilon Wald via Warburg towards north Germany.

In 1999, the Westphalian Almetalbahn GmbH (WAB) took over the Paderborn–Büren section in an attempt to revive the freight traffic and operate excursions with a historic steam train.

In 2011, the Nahverkehrsverbund (local transport association) Paderborn-Höxter decided not to proceed with this on cost grounds.

The section between Thülen and Büren, which is leased to RWE AG, is used for the transport of transformers between Buren and the Nehden substation.

Its realisation has previously been postponed several times, but at the end of 2008 the Ministry for Construction and Transport of North Rhine-Westphalia agreed to add Brilon Stadt station to its infrastructure financing plan on condition that the Zweckverband SPNV Ruhr-Lippe (association for rail passenger transport of Ruhr-Lippe, ZRL) also funded the line from Brilon Wald to Brilon Stadt.

The ZRL decided on 23 June 2009 to resume scheduled regional services on this section from the timetable change of December 2011.

On Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays trains run to and from Bestwig and Korbach.