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Cologne Central Station to Close for 10 Days as Germany Accelerates Rail Upgrades

The 14–24 November shutdown enables the cutover to a digital interlocking at the Cologne node.

Overview

  • From 21:00 on 14 November to 24 November, no long‑distance or regional trains will call at Cologne Central Station, with a complete halt for all services only overnight 19–20 November.
  • S‑Bahn lines in Cologne run largely as normal, and DB plans to restore the regular timetable by 05:00 on 24 November after testing the new system.
  • Long‑distance services are rerouted to Köln Messe/Deutz or Köln‑Ehrenfeld or bypass the city, and about a dozen regional lines are diverted with some night replacement buses.
  • Berlin has separate closures: the U2 is suspended between Theodor‑Heuss‑Platz and Ruhleben until 30 November with buses, and tram line 21 will be split from 22 November with replacement buses bridging the gap.
  • Further works include a Gera–Greiz shutdown from late 16 November to 12 December with RE3/RB4 bused, and Munich faces mid‑November overnight S‑Bahn outages plus reduced late‑night U1/U2 frequency through March 2026, as regional operators report record demand driven by the Deutschlandticket.