Pirna–Coswig railway

With the creation of an S-Bahn network in Dresden from 1973, plans for the reconstruction of the long-distance tracks were intensified.

The subgrade for the reconstruction of the third and fourth track was prepared between 1979 and 1982; this work also included the construction of numerous bridges.

The project had to be postponed in the 1980s because of increasing damage to the Deutsche Reichsbahn network as a result of alkali-damaged sleepers and limited construction capacity.

It now provided for an operationally independent S-Bahn line, which would have connections in only a few places to the mainline tracks.

The platform height was fixed at 55 centimetres above the rail, with enables passengers to access double-deck coaches with low entries as well as Desiro railcars of DB Class 642 without any steps.

The building of new S-Bahn tracks running parallel on the northeastern side also started from Coswig.

The following table shows the services that run on all or part of the completed S-Bahn line between Pirna, Dresden-Neustadt, Radebeul Ost and Coswig (as of summer 2016): Every now and then, some freight trains run at night between Dresden Hauptbahnhof and Pirna on the line to avoid construction sites or breakdowns.

An S-Bahn service at Dresden-Dobritz in 1991, the trackless and overgrown land immediately to the right of the track was occupied by long-distance tracks until 1946
Typical features of an S-Bahn station (Dresden Freiberger Str.)
Dresden Pieschen station during the construction: the old track on the Dresden-Neustadt–Coswig line is still in operation, the long-distance railway tracks are under construction (June 2013).
Completed facilities in Radebeul Ost station , to the left are the S-Bahn tracks with an island platform, to the right are the long-distance tracks (December 2013)
Pirna station, the S-Bahn tracks branches to the right from the Děčín–Dresden-Neustadt main line (2009)
Trains on line S1 in Dresden Hbf (2011)
Regional-Express RE 50 to Leipzig in Dresden Mitte; the Regional-Express trains now use the long-distance tracks