Cologne's railway connection for Widdersdorf: A failure that is accusing!

Cologne's railway connection for Widdersdorf: A failure that is accusing!

Köln-Widdersdorf, Deutschland - in Widdersdorf is the patience of the residents: at the end. Since 2007, the first families in the district have been waiting in vain for a connection to the Cologne Verkehrsbetriebs (KVB). Today, on June 23, 2025, it becomes clear once again that the expansion of the light rail line 4, which is to connect Widdersdorf with Niederaußem, has stalled. Mayor Henriette Reker recently referred to the missing rail connection as a "unexcused failure", which further fueled the unrest in the community.

The project includes a cactilation extension from Cologne-Bocklemünd via Widdersdorf and Pulheim-Brauweiler to Bergheim-Niederaußem. The advantages are clearly obvious: transfer -related, close -home connections to Cologne, which impress with higher speed and better quality of promotion. As the experiences from similar projects in Brühl, Frechen, Hürth and Wesseling show, such direct light rail connections can significantly increase the proportion of public transport (public transport) in overall traffic. This is particularly important if you look at the aim of the city of Cologne, who wants to move more people to switch to the train, stadt-koeln.de

political responsibility and feasibility study

The city of Cologne, however, is not able to continue to run the project in terms of personnel and financially. Instead, the Rhein-Erft district should take over the lead, even if there is no experience with light rail routes there so far. This is regarded as a late and problematic solution, especially since Cologne should be entitled to sovereignty over such decisive projects. The doubts of the Widdersdorfer on an upcoming train connection are noticeable and many are wondering whether the project is ever realized.

The next crucial stage is to create a feasibility study, which should take into account the suggestions from a preliminary study and the results of the citizen participation. Political decisions for this study have already been made and the commission is expected to be made in 2024. The processing time for the feasibility study is estimated at about two to three years, so that the Widdersdorfer will probably have to wait a while for clarity.

expansion of the light rail network as the key to the turn of the mobility

as from agglomerationprogram.de , the expansion of the light rail network is a prerequisite for a successful mobility turn. Currently there are several specific projects in the planning that should not only improve city traffic, but also connections to the surrounding area. A higher offer in public transport could increase the attractiveness of local public transport as a whole and help to make more Cologne residents: switch to bus and train inside.

The residents: Inside in Widdersdorf, hoping for progress that finally enable a future -proof, reliable traffic connection. The urgency is noticeable and it is to be hoped that the political will will be available to master this challenge.