Attention commuters: Cologne Central Station becomes a problem area!

Attention commuters: Cologne Central Station becomes a problem area!

From Friday evening, May 2, 2025, Cologne Central Station will become a problem area for commuters and rail travelers from 9 p.m. to Monday, May 19, 5 a.m. This announced the Deutsche Bahn, which will significantly impair the train connections with the commissioning of a new electronic signal box (ESTW). Regional transport in particular will be affected by the diversions and the use of replacement buses. The ICE sprinter from Bonn to Berlin also fails during this time.

One of the largest closures in the Cologne area is imminent: the rail traffic between Cologne and Koblenz on the left side of the Rhine is completely shut down. In contrast, the railway line on the other side of the Rhine remains open. Routes to Euskirchen and Aachen are also affected and it is expected for the restrictions with a total duration of about two and a half weeks.

effects on traffic

The Cologne Central Station, which is the most visited train station in North Rhine-Westphalia with 180,000 travelers every day, has to prepare for a massive volume of traffic. In order to intercept the effects of the blocking, over 100 buses are used as rail replacement traffic. These buses will cover around 700,000 kilometers during the block. The start and destinations of the replacement traffic include Cologne Central Station, Messe/Deutz, Hansaring, Horrem (Kerpen), Euskirchen and Bonn Central Station. In addition, buses continue from Bonn to Koblenz and the Ahrtal.

The regional express lines, regional train lines and several S-Bahn connections are also severely affected. Deutsche Bahn has announced that during the first four days, additional service staff at crucial stations such as Cologne Central Station and Cologne Messe/Deutz, to help the traveler. Timetable changes should be announced two weeks before the start of construction in the online information systems and on the platforms.

technical improvement and investments

The upcoming commissioning of the new electronic signal box "Left Rhein" on May 19, 2025 is part of a comprehensive modernization strategy. In the past five years, 400 kilometers of cable have been laid and 200 new signals have been installed. From May 2, 2025, the final phase of the project begins, the technology tests and the connection to the existing network begins. Deutsche Bahn is investing a total of 360 million euros in these new signal boxes in Cologne.

The technical improvements should in future enable more flexible and less fault -prone train traffic in the Cologne railway node. The control center in Cologne will control train traffic between Cologne and Bonn, while train traffic taxes are trained on a simulation system. Another signal box at Cologne Central Station is to be completed by the end of 2025, which is intended to further increase the performance of the station.

The upcoming work will bring a certain noise development despite modern work equipment. Nevertheless, it is important that the last work and the technology test of the new signal box are carried out on time in order to ensure effective distant and local transport for the future. For more information on the changes and conversions, travelers can do the Facts sheet view.

Overall, the period from May 2 to 19, 2025 announces a challenging time for commuters and rail travelers, but this should be seen in the context of long-term improvement in regional and long-distance transport. According to ksta.de , the entire bus traffic used will be necessary to interfere with the impairments by working.

Deutsche Bahn and its partners are trying to make the conversion process as smoothly as possible and ask the travelers to find out about their connections at an early stage