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Construction chaos in Cologne: railway lines closed for months from 2029!
Deutsche Bahn is planning extensive construction work in Cologne between 2028 and 2029, which will lead to significant traffic disruptions.
Construction chaos in Cologne: railway lines closed for months from 2029!
A lot will happen in Cologne in the coming years, that's for sure. Deutsche Bahn has announced extensive construction work that should be in full swing by 2029 at the latest. The new schedule is already causing a lot of discussion, especially when it comes to the impact on rail traffic. Loud Express The route between Cologne and Aachen will be completely closed for six months, while at the same time four central city center bridges in the cathedral city will be replaced. The affected bridges are the Vogelsanger, Venloer, Zülpicher and Luxemburgstrasse.
This construction work will last a total of 17 months, during which no train traffic will be possible on the section towards Bonn and Eifel. A feared bottleneck in mobility is inevitable, as the two major construction sites “{strange combination of words}” will overlap for six months. The go.Rheinland transport association is alarmed and is calling for diversions to be improved for travelers. This could mean that many commuters have to switch to buses to reach their destination.
What's behind the schedule?
Deutsche Bahn remains on track with the general renovation of highly stressed sections of the route. How DB general renovation confirmed, the revised schedule of DB InfraGO AG was approved by the Federal Ministry of Transport. These adjustments are no coincidence: according to the coalition agreement and within the framework of the special fund for infrastructure and climate neutrality, the new timelines should now be realistically implementable.
The need to keep diversion traffic stable has been taken into account. In the coming years, the number of parallel renovations per year on sensitive routes is to be significantly reduced. From 2026 onwards, there are even plans to reduce route prices for diverting railway companies. This could provide noticeable relief for the affected routes.
Future developments
The planned general renovations will extend until the mid-1930s. The Hamburg-Hannover and Aachen-Cologne routes are planned for 2029. Comprehensive planning that also takes into account interactions with other construction measures is on the agenda. DB InfraGO AG has also already signed up companies for rail replacement services in 2026 and 2027. Another point: discussions about timetables are currently in full swing.
The challenges are obvious and passengers can expect some changes. However, Thomas Prechtl, the President of the Federal Association for Local Rail Transport, is calling for noticeable improvements for travelers while the routes are closed. The goal is clear: better mobility for everyone, despite the necessary construction sites. It remains to be seen whether those responsible will ultimately manage to get a good deal for the railway and passengers.