Title: Cologne Central Station: Massive construction work brings train traffic to a standstill

The upcoming construction work at Cologne Central Station is a significant challenge for commuters and travelers in the Rhineland. These extensive work, which include the commissioning of a new electronic signal box, begin on Friday evening, May 2, and last until Monday, May 19th. During this period, almost all of the train traffic is redirected or replaced by buses, which is particularly concerned with regional traffic.

construction work leads to the complete setting of rail traffic between Cologne and Koblenz on the left side of the Rhine. The route remains in operation on the right side of the Rhine, but the train connections to Euskirchen and Aachen are also affected. The closure extends for about two and a half weeks and burdens the main train station, which counts around 180,000 travelers every day. Marcel Winter, Managing Director of "GO.Rheinland", emphasizes the challenges for passengers during this time.

In order to compensate for the failure of the regional trains, over 100 buses are used in rail replacement. This service affects six lines of the regional express, six regional train lines and various S-Bahn connections. The bus fleet is expected to cover a distance of around 700,000 kilometers during the construction phase. The start and destination points of the replacement traffic include the Cologne Central Station, the train stations Messe/Deutz and Hansaring as well as stations in Kerpen, Euskirchen and Bonn.

The construction work enables the last steps to complete the implementation of the new "Left Rhein" signal box and to check the technology comprehensively. Another signal box is planned for the late 2025 in long -term planning. Overall, the costs for both measures amount to 360 million euros. In the future, these investments should lead to a more flexible and trouble -free handling of train traffic in the railway node in Cologne and thus improve travel quality for commuters.

The construction work at Cologne Central Station makes it clear how important comprehensive modernizations are for the efficiency of rail transport. Commuters and travelers have to adjust to restrictions during the transition period, but can hope for improving the situation after the modernization has been completed.