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Cologne train chaos: Central station temporarily closed from November 14th!
Commuters and travelers in Cologne must expect restrictions on rail traffic from November 14, 2025. Construction work at the main station and diversions affect regional and long-distance traffic.
Cologne train chaos: Central station temporarily closed from November 14th!
Preparations for massive construction work at Cologne Central Station are imminent, and commuters in North Rhine-Westphalia should prepare for some changes. From then onNovember 14thThe main station is temporarily cut off from train traffic. These works, which are up toNovember 24thwill continue, include the installation of a new electronic signal box, which is intended to increase the reliability of Cologne's rail traffic. After derwesten.de During the 11 days of construction work, numerous trains will be diverted or canceled altogether.
One of the biggest restrictions will be on the night ofNovember 19th to 20thexpected when the main station is completely closed. However, travelers can register onNovember 11thmake their way to Cologne without any restrictions as the work has not yet started that day. From then onNovember 18thThe lines S12 and S19 are already canceled, while travelers have to switch to S-Bahn, trams or the RB 25 line, as shown on wdr.de reported.
Detours and stop cancellations
The list of trains and railway lines affected is long. The regional express lines RE 1 and RE 5 will be rerouted via Neuss, resulting in canceled stops in several stations, while the RE 6 will have to be rerouted via Leverkusen. There are also diversions for the RE 7 and RE 8, which means a rethink for many commuters. It is particularly important that ICE trains to and from Aachen/Brussels stop in Cologne-Ehrenfeld during the closure and not at the main station. Direct connections from Berlin will be reduced to two hours, which represents a significant change for many travelers.
The most important impacts on regional transport are summarized below:
- RE 1 und RE 5: Umleitung über Neuss, Haltausfälle
- RE 6: Umleitung über Leverkusen, Haltausfälle
- RE 7: Umleitung über Düsseldorf, Haltausfälle
- RE 9: Umleitung über Südbrücke, Haltausfälle
- S12 und S19: Ausfälle ab 18. November
Deutsche Bahn has already warned that further partial failures or diversions may occur during the construction phase. The extensive construction work also means that a replacement rail service will be set up, but only on nights when the station is closed to S-Bahn trains. In the last four years, 176 new signals and 208 kilometers of cable have been laid deutschebahn.com communicates.
Long-term improvements for rail transport
With the new electronic signal box, Deutsche Bahn hopes to achieve a stable and reliable train connection. It is the first of two new signal boxes to go into operation in this region. The commissioning of the second, important signal box is scheduled to take place by the end of 2023. In total, Deutsche Bahn is investing around 360 million euros in modernizing the technology and infrastructure at the Cologne junction.
The aim of these extensive measures is not only to improve the customer experience, but also to restore rail performance. Further work is planned until the end of 2027 to renew and strengthen the infrastructure in the region. With an average of 1,300 trains at Cologne Central Station every day, travelers should continue to be able to use a reliable connection in the future. But until the new systems are fully integrated, passengers will have to adapt to various restrictions during this transition phase.