The construction of the railway line started on 31 July 1845 when the station was built in Węgliniec (at the time under the German name Kohlfurt), attracting a large number of railway employees into what used to be a small village.

A single-track railway line was finished by 26 August 1847, and on 1 September, the opening ceremonies were held.

At this time, railway employees made up the majority of the village's population.

[2] The 2 km long section between Zgorzelec and Görlitz station was electrified in 1923, with the electric traction in operation since 1 September 1923.

On 24 November 2017, the Polish infrastructure operator PKP PLK signed a contract for the electrification of the Węgliniec–Zgorzelec railway.