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Heat horror in Cologne: This is how passengers suffer on KVB trains!
Cologne's KVB provides information about air-conditioned light rail systems and challenges in the heat. Current data and processes for better travel.
Heat horror in Cologne: This is how passengers suffer on KVB trains!
Today, July 1, 2025, it will be really hot again in Cologne! The Cologne Transport Company (KVB) recently published a list of which light rail vehicles are equipped with air conditioning. However, many urban transport passengers often experience an unpleasant journey when outside temperatures are above 25 degrees. The 2200 and 2300 series lanes in particular not only have no cool breeze, but are also notorious for their hot temperatures and the associated “sauna lane” experiences. The KVB also mentions unpleasant smells and sticky seats as common problems in hot weather mobil.express.de.
Did you know that the KVB has a total of 299 buses in use and 225 of them are air-conditioned? That corresponds to around 75 percent. But it can also become uncomfortably warm in the buses when the outside temperature is high, as the air conditioning systems are affected by the regular opening of the doors. On average, the doors open every two minutes and let the heat in, which makes cooling even more difficult blog.kvb-koeln.de.
Which trains have air conditioning?
The KVB service teams have equipped the 2400, K4500, 5100, 5200 and 5300 series, i.e. around 47 percent of the light rail vehicles, with air conditioning, but this is not enough to effectively reduce the temperatures. As a rule, the tracks can only reduce the internal temperature by three to six degrees. The high number of visitors, caused by the numerous stops, also causes problems for the air conditioning systems mobil.express.de.
- Bahnen mit Klimaanlage:
- Serie 2400
- Serie K4500
- Serie 5100
- Serie 5200
- Serie 5300
- Bahnen ohne Klimaanlage:
- Serie 2200
- Serie 2300
- Serie K4000
KVB plans to replace the older 2200 and 2300 series with new, air-conditioned models over the next five to ten years. However, retrofitting the air conditioning systems in these older trains is not possible for structural reasons - another point that should give passengers pause blog.kvb-koeln.de.
Pandemic of heat: what to do in extreme temperatures?
The outcry from passengers is unmistakable on social media: Why aren't the air conditioning turned on? In fact, the air conditioning systems in operational vehicles are activated when they are present. With the older models, passengers only have to open the windows, which doesn't really help in a city like Cologne, where fresh air is often in short supply due to a lack of green spaces. Add to that the mixing of hot air with the cooling attempts of the air conditioning systems, and the journey quickly becomes a sweaty endurance test for everyone involved blog.rnv-online.de.
KVB has already taken important steps in recent years to improve the experience for its passengers. The 2400 series light rail vehicles were completely renovated and equipped with modern air conditioning systems. The 5300 series high-floor railways also use a recirculation system that saves energy. But given the current weather situation, there is still a lot of room for improvement, as the air conditioning systems are also heavily burdened by frequent opening of the doors and the heat given off by passengers blog.kvb-koeln.de.
The KVB is therefore faced with the challenge of keeping passengers happy even when temperatures are below zero in winter and tropical temperatures in summer. Ultimately, everyone wants a cool spot on the way to work or for leisure activities - and not just in an air-conditioned car, but also in the trains and buses that transport tens of thousands of Cologne residents every day.