After further lines were opened (in 1866 to Annaberg, in 1869 to Dresden and to Hainichen and in 1872 to Leipzig and to Limbach), the station had to be extended again.

In 1880 the coal and freight yard was opened at Kappel and in 1908 another station in the city was added as Chemnitz Süd.

In addition, waiting rooms and offices were burned after a plane was shot down and fell on the building.

From 1974 VEB Stahlbau Dessau began construction of the existing platform hall, which was completed in 1975.

The Dresden–Chemnitz–Zwickau main line ran on the western side of the station's through tracks, as it had before the Second World War.

Chemnitz has had at times national connections, in addition to its significance as a regional transport hub.

An Intercity-Express service ran to Cologne using ICE TD diesel tilting trains.

Sections of off-peak IC trains ran to and from Cologne and Hamburg, continuing to Flensburg.

The metropolitan area of Chemnitz-Zwickau (1.2 million inhabitants) was 16 years the largest region in Germany without any Deutsche Bahn long-distance train services.