Dispute over Cologne tunnel project: Majority in the Council for the expansion!
Dispute over Cologne tunnel project: Majority in the Council for the expansion!
On April 23, 2025, the city of Cologne faces an important challenge: the construction of the east-west axis, a highly complex traffic project, requires cooperation with the NRW Ministry of Transport and the GO.Rheinland transport association. The planned funding application could cover up to 85 percent of the estimated costs of around one billion euros. This is of central importance, since the city of Cologne is unable to fund the project alone, such as WDR reports.
The discussion about the east-west axis is controversial in the Cologne Council. At the request of the CDU, SPD and FDP factions, the decision for planning was expanded to take into account both underground and above -ground lines at Heumarkt. While some parties, such as the Greens, express concerns about the time planning and consider a citizens' request to terminate the tunnel project, advocates argue that the expansion of the underground route does not matter.
technical and social challenges
The technical challenges of the east-west axis are considerable. The route capacity allowed only one clock of 2 minutes per direction in the inner city area. This leads to a conflict with crossing road users such as pedestrians and cyclists. At traffic lights on the Neumarkt and Heumarkt, there is a clear disadvantage: The city railways cross the pedestrian crossing on average every 60 seconds, while pedestrians need up to 59 seconds for crossing. According to ostwestachse.koeln , a full area of the light rail could make a permanent crossing between other road users almost impossible.
The traffic planning is also shown by simulations. These showed medium loss times of 42 to 51 seconds for the city railways between Neumarkt and Heumarkt. Regulations that prescribe maximum waiting times can cause traffic jams and other delays. An expansion of the capacity on the east-west route could only be realized by using long trains.
Integrative solutions for the future
Against the background of the project, new concepts of urban mobility are of crucial importance. As part of the “Integrated Urban Development and Mobility Planning (ISM)” project, which is funded by the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure, it is examined how space structures and traffic can be combined in order to reduce environmental loads. A successful implementation could bring significant advantages for the urban quality of life, equal opportunities and diversity in urban areas, as explained.The coming months will show whether the city of Cologne can master the financial and infrastructural hurdles in order to take a step into an improved future of urban mobility by building the east-west axis. The Cologne Council will continue to be under pressure to find the right balance between progress and the needs of the citizens.
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