The number of potentially dangerous level crossings without barriers is decreasing in the south-east - but varies greatly depending on the federal state. While Deutsche Bahn (DB) still listed 519 such crossings for Saxony-Anhalt in 2019, there were still 497 in 2023. In Saxony too, DB reduced the number of barrier-free crossings from 543 to 494. By contrast, there was significantly less change in Thuringia: Of the 394 such crossings listed by DB in 2019, there was just one less four years later.
However, some conversion projects are nearing completion or are in the planning stage: in Thuringia, for example, a new railroad overpass in Hohenebra (Kyffhäuserkreis) on the Erfurt - Nordhausen line is soon to be completed. In Saxony, too, a railroad overpass between Leipzig and Dresden in Glaubitz (Meißen district) will soon be ready for use. There are also plans to close level crossings in Saxony-Anhalt, such as Barleben and Wolmirstedt (both in the Börde district), and replace them with underpasses or overpasses.
