Two-week complete closure on the Düsseldorf-Cologne railway line from Friday

On the Düsseldorf-Cologne railway line, one of the busiest routes in Germany, train traffic will be interrupted for two weeks from Friday due to construction work. According to its own information, Deutsche Bahn is bundling work on tracks, switches and bridges during this period. Long-distance, regional and S-Bahn trains are being rerouted or replaced by buses.

The full closure between Düsseldorf main station and Cologne-Mülheim begins on Friday (August 21st) at 9 p.m. and lasts until Friday, September 4th at 9 p.m. The S-Bahn route between the two stations will then remain closed for another three months until December 4th.

Among other things, the railway is replacing three switches and almost 140 meters of track in the Langenfeld area. Another switch is being replaced in Leverkusen. More than 7.8 kilometers of track are also to be renewed between Leverkusen and Cologne-Mülheim. According to the railway, more than 8,600 sleepers and around 6,500 tons of ballast will be replaced.

Many connections affected

In Düsseldorf, three railway bridges are also being maintained and an S-Bahn platform in Düsseldorf-Benrath is being modernized. This work is scheduled to be completed in the second quarter of 2027.

In local transport, connections on the RE 5 and S 6 lines between Düsseldorf and Cologne-Mülheim will be eliminated during the first construction phase. There are replacement buses for several connections. The RE 1 line is rerouted via Neuss; several stops between Düsseldorf and Cologne are no longer necessary.

There are also diversions in long-distance traffic; even large train stations in Cologne, Düsseldorf, Duisburg, Essen and Bochum cannot be reached. The railway pointed out that the timetables had to be adjusted due to the damaged Wupper Bridge near Opladen. The timetable changes would be gradually incorporated into the information and booking systems.