Major Disruption at Cologne Central Station: 12-Hour Closure

Cologne - Attention train travelers: Those planning to travel to or through Cologne Central Station on Sunday, February 23, will encounter significant disruptions. The station will be closed to long-distance trains for a total of twelve hours, starting from 4:25 PM until 4:25 AM the following day.

The closure is due to essential construction work being carried out by Deutsche Bahn. During this period, long-distance trains will be redirected and will not stop at the main station, instead halting at Cologne Messe/Deutz. International ICE trains from Amsterdam and Brussels will serve Cologne-Ehrenfeld as an alternative stop.

While S-Bahn services will continue to operate as scheduled, some regional train services will experience partial cancellations, detours, and stops being omitted. However, Regional Express Line 25 will run normally.

Here's a breakdown of the affected services:

• ICE-Sprinter Line Bonn-Cologne-Berlin: All trains on this route will be canceled.
• ICE Line Cologne-Düsseldorf/Wuppertal-Hamm-Hannover-Berlin: Services will only operate between Düsseldorf or Wuppertal and Berlin.
• ICE Line Cologne-Wuppertal-Bielefeld-Hannover-Berlin: Trains will run solely between Hannover and Berlin, with stops at Cologne Hbf, Wuppertal Hbf, Hagen Hbf, and Bielefeld Hbf canceled.
• ICE Line Aachen-Cologne-Essen-Hannover-Berlin: Services will only operate between Essen and Berlin, omitting stops in Aachen Hbf, Düren Hbf, Cologne Hbf, Düsseldorf Hbf, and Duisburg Hbf.
• Cologne-Düsseldorf-Eastern Germany/North Sea Coast: Trains will only run to and from Düsseldorf, with no stops at Cologne Central Station.
• IC Line Cologne-Düsseldorf-Münster-Norddeich Mole: There will be no stops at Cologne Central Station.
• ICE Connections to/from Frankfurt: Most of the trains will bypass Cologne, with a stop at Cologne Messe/Deutz instead.
• ICE Line Munich-Mannheim-Frankfurt Airport-Cologne-Dortmund-Hamburg: These services will be redirected within Cologne, not stopping at the main station.
• ICE Line Frankfurt-Siegburg-Cologne: Trains will only run between Frankfurt and Siegburg/Bonn.
• Long-distance trains to/from Bonn/Koblenz/Mainz: Services will be redirected between Koblenz and Cologne, omitting stops in Andernach, Remagen, Bonn Hbf, and Cologne Hbf, with replacement stops at Cologne Messe/Deutz and Bonn-Beuel, resulting in a longer travel time of approximately 15 minutes.

The construction work involves the installation of new cable channels, shafts, and track crossings, which will enable the utilization of tracks in both directions in the future. The total cost of these improvements is estimated at around 22 million euros.