In 1944/45, it was used as a diversion route when railways and bridges over the Saale in the Merseburg area were damaged in the war, but it subsequently lost its already limited passenger traffic.

Passenger services ran on the new line from Weißenfels via Großkorbetha, Leuna-Werke, Merseburg, Buna-Werke and Halle-Neustadt to Halle-Nietleben.

Passenger services were abandoned at the timetable change on 9 December 2007, but the last trains had run two days earlier.

Münden railway) until shortly before the S-Bahn halt of Halle Zscherbener Straße, on which only a few freight trains operated in 2010 (carrying bulk material for track maintenance to Nietleben station, where it was stored), was closed in 2011.

[2] The Federal Railway Authority (Eisenbahn-Bundesamt) approved DB Netz’s application to close the line with effect from 31 August 2011.