The roughly 40 km long Holzbach Valley Railway Altenkirchen – Siershahn was opened on 31st May 1884 by the Prussian state railways for passenger and freight transportation. Ore and clay mines, as well as deliveries of wood, basalt and manufactured ceramic products, soon ensured a lively rise in freight, while passenger transport in the poorly inhabited Westerwald was never really able to take hold. Transport reduced dramatically after the second world war. The demise of ore and clay mining hit the branch lines particularly hard, with the result that, in addition to the ever low numbers of passenger transport, freight transport also very quickly became unprofitable. The end of May 1984 saw the last passenger train, before all transport between Selters and Dierdorf was stopped in 1988. The rail system remained, but deteriorated noticeably. The 1990s even threatened the complete withdrawal from freight cargo with the exception of the Selters train station, where an expanding industrial company ensured a corresponding rise in freight. With the takeover of the track section Altenkirchen – Selters by the Altenkirchen district in 2005, it was finally possible to prevent the decommissioning of the Holzbach Valley Railway to the north of Selters. Since then, it has been used again continuously for freight cargo, before the continuation of the Holzbach Valley Railway was once again called into question in 2017. Since 26th November 2018, LWS Lappwaldbahn Service GmbH has been the owner of the track section Altenkirchen – Selters, which continues to be open for use by all interested railway transport companies. A fundamental upgrade of the infrastructure has been underway since 2021, so that the railway will be led into a secure future. This is an important basic prerequisite for companies in the railway catchment area who are extremely interested in returning to the rails. Use in excursion and tourism transport will also be possible.
