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Rush-Hour Signal Box Failure Halts S6, Stranding Commuters Between Essen and Düsseldorf

The breakdown highlighted persistent reliability issues on a route presented as the key detour during the Kaiserberg works.

Overview

  • A faulty signal box in Düsseldorf-Rath stopped S6 services during the evening peak, leaving riders stuck at Kettwig and Werden.
  • On-board announcements shifted from a promised through-service to an early turnback, reflecting uncertain guidance from staff.
  • Travelers weighed costly rideshares or used replacement buses, while others detoured via Wuppertal-Vohwinkel on the S9 and RE4, turning a 45-minute trip into roughly three hours.
  • On paper the line runs every 20 minutes in about 42 minutes, yet recent days brought overcrowding, cancellations and short turns since its December restart.
  • Separate construction at the Kaiserberg interchange through February 6 has already rerouted traffic, with SEV via Mülheim/Duisburg and added S1 trains offering alternatives that remain crowded and delay-prone.