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Railway closure for two years: Cologne Central Station becomes a travel trap!
From 2028, Cologne Central Station and Cologne Messe/Deutz will be closed for two years. Detours and construction work are affecting traffic.
Railway closure for two years: Cologne Central Station becomes a travel trap!
Commuters from Bonn and the Eifel are facing a major upheaval. From January 2028, Deutsche Bahn is planning extensive construction work at Cologne Central Station, which is scheduled to last until December 2029. During this time, the main station could be cut off from direct connections from these regions for almost two years t-online.de reported. This affects both regional and long-distance trains, which expect to be hit by the affordable connections.
The central measure includes the general renovation of the high-performance corridor between Cologne, Bonn and Mainz, supplemented by the demolition and construction of four historic railway bridges that were once built in 1885 and 1886. These bridges are located between the Cologne-South and Cologne-West train stations and will be replaced by modern structures.
Diversions and alternatives
The situation is becoming tense for commuters. Diversions are planned that will lead via a freight train route to Cologne-Kalk and will extend the journey time by around 25 minutes. Passengers have to change to a temporary stop at Bonner Wall to get to KVB line 17. These additional circumstances are not only viewed critically by those affected. The German Transport Club has already expressed its concerns that commuters from the south-west will be severely disadvantaged. In view of around 280,000 travelers at the main train station every day, accessibility to the center could be massively restricted, especially since the north-south light rail line will also end at Severinstrasse in 2028 due to the collapse of the city archives ksta.de reported.
There will also be further restrictions on train traffic from time to time. Complete closures between Bonn and Cologne are planned from August 23rd to 26th, and long-distance trains will have to take detours between September 6th and October 11th. Bus services will also be expanded to accommodate the affected lines.
Infrastructure modernization
This construction work fits into a larger modernization plan. Deutsche Bahn is investing a whopping 325 million euros in the construction of three new electronic signal boxes in Cologne. These include the signal box at Cologne Central Station as well as the “Linker Rhein” and “Bonn-Bad Godesberg” signal boxes. These investments are intended to increase flexibility and reduce susceptibility to disruption in rail transport, reports deutschebahn.com.
The construction work on the new signal boxes will largely begin during ongoing train operations. The ESTW in Cologne central station in particular works at night to improve traffic safety and quality. These measures are part of the plan to advance the digitalization of rail in Germany.
The coming years will be a real challenge for commuters from Bonn and the Eifel. It remains to be hoped that the necessary adjustments and improved infrastructure measures will actually bring the desired benefits and that travelers will not have to suffer for too long.