Cologne: Train traffic resumed after bomb defusal!

Cologne: Train traffic resumed after bomb defusal!

A comprehensive security policy event was successfully completed in Cologne today: the defusing of several aerial bombs from the Second World War in the Deutz district. The city of Cologne was able to announce a return to normality in the evening after the closures were lifted. Train traffic over the Hohenzollern Bridge is starting again after the first trains were able to enter Messe/Deutz station again as scheduled from 7:30 p.m. In particular, train travelers who rely on connections like the RB 25 can be happy about the restoration of traffic, even if there could still be isolated restrictions during the evening, like Deutsche Bahn reported.

There could also be minor disruptions to train traffic early on Thursday morning. Despite the positive news that train services have resumed, travelers should check bahn.de or DB Navigator before their departure in order to be well prepared. On the previous days, the Cologne Messe/Deutz train station was evacuated and the Hohenzollern Bridge was closed to train traffic to ensure the safety of citizens. The evacuation radius that was set around the site where the bombs were found was originally set at 1,000 meters and affected large areas in the Deutz district where the bombs were discovered.

The background to the defusing

The bomb disposal was the largest operation of its kind in Cologne since the end of the Second World War. In total, around 20,000 people as well as rail and car traffic were affected by the measures. The ammunition finds included two American 20-pound bombs and a ten-pound bomb, which were located in the area of ​​the Deutzer shipyard. In order to be able to carry out the defusing safely, a consistent concept was developed and the security services checked all streets in the evacuation area from 1:30 p.m., as oberberg-aktuell reported.

What is particularly noteworthy is that on Wednesday at 8 a.m. train traffic at the Köln Messe/Deutz station was completely stopped, although the trains drove over the Hohenzollern Bridge into the main station. This led to diversions and delays because Cologne Central Station itself was not part of the exclusion zone, but the station area and its connections were directly affected. The DB was therefore prepared to manage possible diversions and train cancellations in order to provide passengers with the best possible information.

A look ahead

The return to normality is now within reach and Deutsche Bahn assumes that train services will run normally again in the evening. Nevertheless, there will remain a certain amount of uncertainty in the coming hours and on Thursday morning, for which rail passengers ask for your understanding. As a traveler in Cologne, it is advisable to keep an eye on both the local news and the latest rail reports. The city of Cologne has once again proven that it has a good hand in crisis situations to ensure the safety of residents and travelers.