Overview

• Deutsche Bahn will suspend regional and long-distance operations at Köln Hauptbahnhof from November 14 at 21:00 to November 24 at 05:00 to complete the second stage of an electronic interlocking.
• Many ICE and IC trains will not call at the main station, with alternative stops at Köln Messe/Deutz or Köln-Ehrenfeld and selected services canceled.
• Regional lines face extensive reroutings and partial cancellations, while S‑Bahn services largely continue but pause overnight on November 19–20, with S12 and S19 also suspended overnight on November 18–19.
• Rail replacement buses are planned only on isolated nights, and additional staff will assist passengers at Köln Hbf, Köln Messe/Deutz, Köln West and Köln Süd.
• DB says the upgraded control center enters service around November 24, is part of about €360 million invested in two Cologne-area interlockings, and comes as separate closures hit Munich’s Stammstrecke (October 17–20 and October 31–November 10) and the Würzburg–Treuchtlingen corridor (October–December).