It runs from Węgliniec (formerly Kohlfurt) via Niesky, Hoyerswerda, Falkenberg (Elster) and Wittenberg to Roßlau (Elbe).

The construction of new routes by the BAE, along with the growth of competing railway networks, forced constant adjustments to rail services to respond to changing demand .

The Upper Lusatian Railway Company (Oberlausitzer Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft) opened the line between Kohlfurt and Falkenberg on 1 June 1874.

On 20 April 1945, there was an air raid on Piesteritz station, which blew up several wagons and also caused significant damage to a nitrogen plant.

The explosion was so powerful that the wheels and axles of a tank wagon were hurled 500 metres to the present federal highway 187.

As part of this project, the modernisation of the railway stations of Roßlau, Coswig, Wittenberg-Piesteritz and Wittenberg-West is planned during the next few years.

[4] The Klitten–Hoyerswerda section has been blocked since 12 December 2010, while the Lausitzer und Mitteldeutsche Bergbau-Verwaltungsgesellschaft (Lusatian and Central German Mining Administration Company, LMBV) re-inforces the eastern embankment of the Silbersee (Silver Lake) in the area around Lohsa station.

During the stabilisation work there is an increased risk, so that the line, which runs directly along the eastern shore, cannot currently be used.

[3] Because of the ever increasing volumes of freight traffic, the full doubling and electrification of the line was agreed on the section between the Polish border and Knappenrode in December 2001.

A synchronous converter has been under construction in Lohsa and a transformer in Ruhland for the traction power supply since the spring of 2013.

The Federal Railway Authority gave planning approval for the Horka freight yard–German/Polish border section in August 2013.

Currently, this route is served by DB Regio Regionalbahn trains running between Dessau and Falkenberg.

In the peak hour additional services run on the line between Dessau Hbf and Lutherstadt Wittenberg and serve only some of the stations.

Since the timetable change in December 2011, some services end in Lutherstadt Wittenberg or Annaburg due to low demand.

In addition, the line is being developed to play an important role in international freight services to Poland.