The disused middle section from Bad Wildungen to Korbach is called the Ederseebahn (Eder Railway) after the nearby Edersee (Lake Eder), while the section between Korbach and Brilon Wald is called the Uplandbahn (Upland Railway) after the Upland range.

It initially runs upstream in the valley of the Eder through the Schwalm-Eder district to Zennern, after which it crosses Autobahn 49, and continues along federal road 253 via Fritzlar and through the Porta Hassiaca (Hessian Gate) via Ungedanken and Mandern to Wega.

The line continues from the Wega triangular juncture along federal road 253 through the valley of Wilde to the terminal station at Bad Wildungen.

Freight trains on the Wabern–Korbach route were able to bypass Bad Wildungen, using a connecting curve in Wega.

From Bad Wildungen, trains on the line, now known as the Ederseebahn (Edersee Railway), reverse to return to the Wega triangular juncture.

[3] It was originally planned to extend the line to Hemfurth station, but this could not be carried out because the Eder Bridge is also used by road vehicles.

Before Bergheim, the Edersee Railway crosses from the southern to the northern bank of the Eder and then climbs up the valley of the Netze next to federal road 485.

Beyond Korbach (384 m above sea level) the Uplandbahn (Upland Railway), which is still in operation, runs slightly north-west along federal road 251 and climbs significantly until shortly after Usseln (580 to 620 m).

There is another connection to the Alme Valley Railway, which was restored for passenger traffic as far as Brilon Stadt in December 2011.

The line was opened in several sections: Until about 1982, a Heckeneilzug ("hedge express"; a train that runs express in metropolitan areas, but stops at all stations in rural areas) ran between Korbach and Brilon as part of a route from Frankfurt to Bremerhaven (and to Hamburg for a time).

The Waldeck-Frankenberg district and the town of Bad Wildungen support the new direct services with an annual operating subsidy.

The Uplandbahn between Korbach and Brilon Wald is particularly important for the development of the tourist and winter sports location of Willingen in the Waldeck Upland.

The renovation of the four viaducts in Rhena, Bömighausen, Usseln and Willingen enabled the Kurhessenbahn to resume continuous operation.

In the meantime, the Signalisierter Zugleitbetrieb operating procedure (a form of direct traffic control) was authorised and Korbach Hauptbahnhof was equipped with combination signals (Ks-Signalsystem).