It was considered that a projected connection from Moldova (German: Moldau) via Freiberg and Nossen to Riesa would create an attractive route for the transport of Bohemian coal to Prussia.

During the time of East Germany, rail traffic shifted to run mainly north–south.

Then it runs straight to the Zeithainer Rohrwerk (Zeithain pipe factory) factory stop, the former storage areas of the rail track construction organisation of Deutsche Reichsbahn in Wülknitz and a further 900 metres to the baroque manor house and the castle chapel in Tiefenau over before crossing the Große Röder while running next to federal highway 169.

From Gröditz, it runs jointly with the parallel Elsterwerda-Grödel barge canal through the conservation area of Röderaue before it meets the line from Dresden near Kotschka.

The two lines run parallel across the Pulsnitz and the Black Elster rivers before it reaches Elsterwerda station.