 Shortly afterwards, on 13 September, a regular passenger service began between Berlin and Cottbus.By late 1867 the Berlin-Görlitz line was complete and the route, which passed through the countryside of the Spreewald and the Lower Lusatia and the towns of Königs Wusterhausen, Lübben and Lübbenau, officially opened on 31 December 1867.Although founded by a private company, owned by industrialist and "rail king" Bethel Henry Strousberg, the service was nationalised on 28 March 1882.