Editing Leipzig (section)

==Transport==

Founded at the crossing of [[Via Regia]] and [[Via Imperii]], Leipzig has been a major interchange of inter-European traffic and commerce since medieval times. After the [[Reunification of Germany]], immense efforts to restore and expand the traffic network have been undertaken and left the city area with an excellent infrastructure.

===Railways===

[[File:Bahnhof Leipzig von Panorama Tower 2013.jpg|thumb|right|Leipzig Hauptbahnhof is the main hub of the tram and railway network and the world's largest railway station by floor area.]]
[[File:Leipziger Bahnhof (228148125).jpeg|thumb|right|Inside Leipzig Hauptbahnhof]]
Opened in 1915, [[Leipzig Hauptbahnhof]] (lit. ''main station'') is the largest overhead railway station in Europe in terms of its built-up area. At the same time, it is an important supra-regional junction in the [[Intercity-Express]] (ICE) and [[Intercity (Deutsche Bahn)|Intercity]] network of the {{lang|de|[[Deutsche Bahn]]|italic=no}} as well as a connection point for [[S-Bahn]] and regional traffic in the Halle/Leipzig area.

In Leipzig the Intercity Express routes (Hamburg–)Berlin–Leipzig–Nuremberg–Munich and Dresden–Leipzig–Erfurt–Frankfurt am Main–(Wiesbaden/Saarbrücken) intersect. Leipzig is also the starting point for the intercity lines Leipzig-Halle (Saale)–Magdeburg–Hannover–Dortmund–Köln and –Bremen–Oldenburg(–Norddeich Mole). Both lines complement each other at hourly intervals and also stop at Leipzig/Halle Airport. The only international connection is the daily EuroCity Leipzig-Prague.

Most major and medium-sized towns in Saxony and southern Saxony-Anhalt can be reached without changing trains. There are also direct connections via regional express lines to Falkenberg/Elster-Cottbus, Hoyerswerda and Dessau-Magdeburg as well as Chemnitz. Neighbouring Halle (Saale) can be reached via three S-Bahn lines, two of which run via Leipzig/Halle Airport. The surrounding area of Leipzig is served by numerous regional and S-Bahn lines.

The city's railway connections are currently being greatly improved by major construction projects, particularly within the framework of the German Unity transport projects. The line to Berlin has been extended and has been passable at {{Convert|200|km/h|mph|abbr=on}} since 2006. On 13 December 2015, the high-speed line from Leipzig to Erfurt, designed for {{Convert|300|km/h|mph|abbr=on}}, was put into operation. Its continuation to Nuremberg followed in December 2017. This integration into the high-speed network considerably reduced the journey times of the ICE from Leipzig to Nuremberg, Munich and Frankfurt am Main. The Leipzig-Dresden railway line, which was the first German long-distance railway to go into operation in 1839, is also undergoing expansion for 200&nbsp;km/h. The most important construction project in regional transport was the four-kilometer-long [[City-Tunnel (Leipzig)|city tunnel]], which went into operation in December 2013 as the main line of the [[S-Bahn Mitteldeutschland]].

There are freight stations in the districts of Wahren and Engelsdorf. In addition, a freight traffic centre has been set up near the Schkeuditzer Kreuz junction for goods handling between road and rail, as well as a freight station on the site of the DHL hub at Leipzig/Halle Airport.

===Suburban trains===

{{see also|S-Bahn Mitteldeutschland}}
[[File:S-Bahn Mitteldeutschland. Talent 2,008,Station Leipzig Wilhelm-Leuschner-Platz.jpg|thumb|right|A new train of the S-Bahn Mitteldeutschland at [[Leipzig Wilhelm-Leuschner-Platz station]], August 2016]]
Leipzig is the core of the S-Bahn Mitteldeutschland line network. Together with the tram, six of the ten lines form the backbone of local public transport and an important link to the region and the neighbouring Halle. The main line of the S-Bahn consists of the underground S-Bahn stations Hauptbahnhof, Markt, Wilhelm-Leuschner-Platz and [[Bayerischer Bahnhof]] leading through the City Tunnel as well as the above-ground station Leipzig MDR. There are a total of 30 S-Bahn stations in the Leipzig city area. Endpoints of the S-Bahn lines include Wurzen, Zwickau, Dessau, and Lutherstadt Wittenberg. Two lines run to Halle, one of them via Leipzig/Halle Airport.

With the timetable change in December 2004, the networks of Leipzig and Halle were combined to form the Leipzig-Halle S-Bahn. However, this network only served as a transitional solution and was replaced by the S-Bahn Mitteldeutschland on 15 December 2013. At the same time, the main line tunnel, marketed as the Leipzig City Tunnel, went into operation. The tunnel, which is almost four kilometres long, crosses the entire city centre from the main railway station to the Bavarian railway station. The S-Bahn stations are up to 22 metres underground. This construction was the first to create a continuous north–south axis, which had not existed until now due to the north-facing terminus station. The connection to the south of the city and the federal state will thus be greatly improved.

===Tramway and buses===

{{see also|Trams in Leipzig}}
[[File:J39 342 Listplatz, ET 1002.jpg|thumb|right|Tram at Friedrich-List-Platz]]
The [[Leipziger Verkehrsbetriebe]], existing since 1 January 1917, operate a total of 15 tram lines and 47 bus lines in the city.

The total length of the tram network is {{cvt|146|km}}, making it the largest in Saxony ahead of [[Dresdner Verkehrsbetriebe|Dresden]] ({{cvt|134.4|km}}) and the second largest in Germany after [[Trams in Berlin|Berlin]] ({{cvt|196|km}}).

The longest line in the Leipzig network is line 11, which connects Schkeuditz with Markkleeberg over 22 kilometres and is the only tram line in Leipzig to run in three tariff zones of the Central German Transport Association.

Night bus lines N1 to N9 and the night tram N17 operate in the night traffic. On Saturdays, Sundays and holidays the tram line N10 and the bus line N60 also operate. The central transfer point between the bus and tram lines as well as to the S-Bahn is Leipzig Central Station.

===Bicycle===

Like most German cities, Leipzig has a traffic layout designed to be [[bicycle-friendly]]. There is an extensive cycle network. In most of the one-way central streets, cyclists are explicitly allowed to cycle both ways. A few cycle paths have been built or declared since 1990. According to the data from the 2021/22 [[traffic count]], [[the Saxons' Bridge]] has the highest traffic occupancy with over 15,000 cyclists per day in cycling in Leipzig.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Am Willy-Brandt-Platz und auf der Sachsenbrücke ist am meisten los |journal=[[Leipziger Volkszeitung]] |last=Puppe |first=Matthias |language=de |issue=257 |volume=130 |pages=18 |date=2023-11-04 |url=https://www.lvz.de/lokales/leipzig/strassenverkehr-in-leipzig-in-diesen-strassen-gibt-es-die-meisten-pkw-lkw-und-fahrraeder-ABPZZKUEXBG3PFSURQFQR7PJ5U.html |access-date=6 November 2023 |archive-date=5 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231105153731/https://www.lvz.de/lokales/leipzig/strassenverkehr-in-leipzig-in-diesen-strassen-gibt-es-die-meisten-pkw-lkw-und-fahrraeder-ABPZZKUEXBG3PFSURQFQR7PJ5U.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Since 2004 there is a [[bicycle-sharing system]]. Bikes can be borrowed and returned via smartphone app or by telephone. Since 2018, the system has enabled flexible borrowing and returning of bicycles in the inner city; in this zone, bicycles can be handed in and borrowed from almost any street corner. Outside these zones, there are stations where the bikes are waiting. The current locations of the bikes can be seen via the app. There are cooperation offers with the Leipzig public transport companies and car sharing in order to offer as complete a mobility chain as possible.

===Road===

[[File:Karte Mitteldeutsche Schleife.png|thumb|Leipzig's road network]]

Several federal motorways pass by Leipzig: the [[Bundesautobahn 14|A 14]] in the north, the [[Bundesautobahn 9|A 9]] in the west, and the [[Bundesautobahn 38|A 38]] in the south. The three motorways form a triangular partial ring of the double ring Mitteldeutsche Schleife around Halle and Leipzig. To the south towards Chemnitz, the [[Bundesautobahn 72|A 72]] is also partly under construction.

The [[Bundesstraße|federal roads]] [[Bundesstraße 2|B 2]], [[Bundesstraße 6|B 6]], [[Bundesstraße 87|B 87]], [[Bundesstraße 181|B 181]], and [[Bundesstraße 184|B 184]] lead through the city area.

The ring road (Innenstadtring), which corresponds to the course of the old city fortification, surrounds the city centre of Leipzig, which today is largely traffic-calmed.

Leipzig has a dense network of [[carsharing]] stations. Additionally, since 2018 there is also a stationless car sharing system in Leipzig. Here the cars can be parked and booked anywhere in the inner city without having to define a specific car or period in advance. Finding and booking is done via a smartphone app.

Leipzig is one of the few cities in Germany with [[vehicle for hire]] services that can be booked via a [[mobile app]]. In contrast to taxicab services, the start and destination must be defined beforehand and other passengers can be taken along at the same time if they share a route.

===Long-distance buses===
In March 2018, the [[Leipzig Long-Distance Bus Terminal]] opened a few steps outside of the Hauptbahnhof building on its east side.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.leipzig.de/newsarchiv/news/leipzigs%20neues%20fernbus-terminal%20am%20hauptbahnhof%20ist%20er%C3%B6ffnet |title=Leipzigs neues Fernbus-Terminal am Hauptbahnhof ist eröffnet |trans-title=Leipzig's new long-distance bus terminal at the main train station has opened.|access-date=2025-03-20 |website=leipzig.de |editor=City of Leipzig |date=22 March 2018 |language=de}}</ref>

In addition to a large number of national lines, several international lines also serve Leipzig. The cities of Bregenz, Budapest, Milan, Prague, Sofia and Zurich, among others, can be reached without having to change trains. Around 30,000 journeys and 1.5&nbsp;million passengers a year are expected at the new bus station.

Some lines also use Leipzig/Halle Airport, located at the A 9/A 14 motorway junction, and [[Leipziger Messe]] for a stop. Passengers can take the S-Bahn from there to the city centre.

===Air===
[[File:Leipzig-Halle Airport Check-in.jpg|thumb|Leipzig/Halle Airport, hub of DHL]]

[[Leipzig/Halle Airport]] is the international commercial airport of the region. It is located at the Schkeuditzer Kreuz junction northwest of Leipzig, halfway between the two major cities. The easternmost section of the new Erfurt-Leipzig/Halle line under construction gave the airport a long-distance railway station, which was also integrated into the ICE network when the railway line was completed in 2015.

Passenger flights are operated to and from the major German hub airports, European metropolises and holiday destinations, especially to the Mediterranean region and North Africa. The airport is of international importance in the cargo sector. In Germany, it ranks second behind Frankfurt am Main, fifth in Europe and 26th worldwide (as of 2011). [[DHL]] uses the airport as its central European hub. It is also the home base of the freight airlines [[Aerologic]] and [[European Air Transport Leipzig]].

The former military airport near [[Altenburg]], Thuringia, called [[Leipzig–Altenburg Airport|Leipzig-Altenburg Airport]], about a half-hour drive from Leipzig, was served by [[Ryanair]] until 2010.

===Water===

[[File:Leipzig - Elsterflutbett + Palmengartenwehr 01 ies.jpg|thumb|Boats at the [[White Elster|Elsterflutbett]]]]
In the first half of the 20th century, the construction of the [[Elster-Saale canal]], [[White Elster]], and [[Saale]] was started in Leipzig in order to connect to the network of waterways. The outbreak of the Second World War stopped most of the work, though some may have continued through the use of [[forced labor]]. The [[Lindenauer port]] was almost completed but not yet connected to the Elster-Saale and [[Karl Heine Canal]] respectively. The Leipzig rivers (White Elster, [[Neue Luppe|New Luppe]], [[Pleiße]], and [[Parthe]]) in the city have largely artificial river beds and are supplemented by some channels. These waterways are suitable only for small leisure boat traffic.

Through the renovation and reconstruction of existing [[mill race]]s and watercourses in the south of the city and flooded disused [[open cast mines]], the city's navigable water network is being expanded. A link between Karl Heine Canal and the disused Lindenauer port was opened in 2015. Still more work was scheduled to complete the Elster-Saale canal. Such a move would allow small boats to reach the [[Elbe]] from Leipzig. The intended completion date has been postponed because of an unacceptable cost-benefit ratio.

<gallery>
File:Leipzig NGT12-LEI Waldplatz defekt.jpg|Tram of [[Leipziger Verkehrsbetriebe]]
File:Leipzig Georg-Schumann-Strasse.jpg|Tramsystem at the Georg-Schumann-Straße
File:S-Bahnhof Leipzig Markt.jpg|[[Leipzig City Tunnel]], part of Leipzig's new [[S-Bahn]] network
File:S-Bahn Mitteldeutschland. Talent 2,027, Innenansicht Sitze.jpg|Inside the S-Bahn train
</gallery>