Overview
- Long-distance and regional trains returned to Cologne Central Station from 5 a.m. Monday after a ten-day closure.
- During the shutdown, a replacement timetable brought widespread diversions and cancellations, with only S-Bahn services reaching the main station.
- A software error prevented the new signal box from entering service, and Deutsche Bahn says a second closure will occur in spring 2026 with no exact date yet.
- The company says 120 specialists worked around the clock, renewing switches and overhead lines and replacing rails as part of an extensive construction package.
- Further major works are scheduled in 2026, including a five-month closure of the Cologne–Wuppertal–Hagen line from 6 February and right-rhine upgrades from July to December that will reroute many trains.