Leipzig: B 176 shut for giant excavator, extra trams for RB match

A federal road south of Leipzig, the B 176, is closed until Thursday morning while a lignite excavator weighing more than 1,000 tonnes is moved to the Peres mining field. Also today, the Leipzig transport operator is running special tram lines for RB Leipzig’s Champions League match, and two public evening events are taking place in the city.

What happened

According to the Leipziger Internet Zeitung (L-IZ), the Bundesstraße 176 (a federal road) in the Landkreis Leipzig (the rural district around the city) has been fully closed since 6 am today so that large open-cast mining machines can be moved. The closed section runs from the turn-off to Pödelwitz to the small roundabout near Neukieritzsch. The L-IZ reports that the Landratsamt (district council office) expects the closure to last until 6 am on Thursday, 15 October. Diversions are signposted.

Citing the Leipziger Volkszeitung, which spoke to a company spokesperson, the L-IZ says the machine is an Eimerkettenbagger (bucket chain excavator) weighing 1,030 tonnes. It is 83 metres long, 19 metres wide and 21 metres high, and it is heading for the Abbaufeld Peres (Peres mining field). Four drive stations and a conveyor car will travel with it. It will cross the road at no more than six metres per minute.

The mining company MIBRAG carried out a similar move in July 2025. On that occasion, the bucket wheel excavator 1554, a 940-tonne machine measuring 60 by 19 by 18 metres, crossed the B 176 on a layer of gravel laid down to protect the asphalt.

The Tagebau Peres (Peres open-cast mine) lies between Groitzsch and Böhlen, south of Leipzig. Work to open it began in 1963. It was shut down early in 1991 and reopened from 2014 as part of the larger Vereinigtes Schleenhain mine. Around 140 million tonnes of lignite had been extracted by 1991, and a further 120 million tonnes are estimated for the reopened field.

What it means for you

Drivers south of Leipzig: If you commute between Groitzsch, Pödelwitz and Neukieritzsch, follow the signposted diversions until Thursday morning. The L-IZ notes that the closure also affects the morning rush hour.

Spectators: The company spokesperson suggested watching the crossing on Wednesday, 14 October, from about 7 am, when the excavator should reach the B 176. You can approach the closed section from Groitzsch or from Neukieritzsch. The L-IZ says no official viewing areas or visitor car parks have been announced. Keep to the barriers and safety rules, and do not enter the mining site.

Football fans: RB Leipzig play PSV Eindhoven in the Red-Bull-Arena tonight, with kick-off at 9 pm. The Leipziger Verkehrsbetriebe (LVB, Leipzig’s public transport company) are running special services from 6 pm until 23:59:

• Line 51: Paunsdorf Nord to Wahren, via Torgauer Platz, Hauptbahnhof (main station) and Waldplatz. Line 38 does not run while Line 51 is in service.
• Line 54: Hauptbahnhof to the Sportforum Ost stop.
• Line 56: Messegelände (trade fair grounds) via Chausseehaus and the west side of the Hauptbahnhof to Sportforum Süd.

Check your match ticket. If it shows the logos of the LVB and the Mitteldeutscher Verkehrsverbund (MDV, the regional transport network), it is a Kombiticket (combined ticket). It is valid for travel across the whole MDV area, including the Bediengebiet Nord (northern service area), for five hours before and after the match.

Music: The LeipJAZZig-Orkester plays jazz arrangements of Béla Bartók from 19:30 in the Großer Saal (main hall) of the Hochschule für Musik und Theater “Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy” (HMT, the city’s music and drama university), Grassistraße 8. Stephan König wrote the arrangements and leads the 14-piece ensemble. Tickets are available online and at the Abendkasse (box office on the night).

Politics: From 6 pm to 8 pm, Stephan J. Kramer, president of the Thüringer Amt für Verfassungsschutz (Thuringia’s domestic intelligence office), speaks at an event called “Warum die Demokratie schützen?” (“Why protect democracy?”). It takes place in the Aula (assembly hall) of the Schulcampus Stadtteilhaus, Wurzner Straße 70, 04315 Leipzig. Entry is free. According to the Sächsische Landeszentrale für politische Bildung (SLpB, Saxony’s civic education agency), places are still available. You can register on the SLpB website.

What to watch next

The B 176 is due to reopen at 6 am on Thursday, 15 October, and the excavator is expected to cross the road from about 7 am on Wednesday. The L-IZ also reports that a lake is planned on the former mining land once coal extraction ends, and that this has raised concerns about possible harm to the Leipziger Auwald, the city’s floodplain forest.

Source: Leipziger Internet Zeitung