Overview
- A faulty electronic stellwerk (signal box) in Wuppertal‑Vohwinkel first halted S‑Bahn and regional trains on June 18, producing roughly two weeks of near‑complete suspension between Düsseldorf and Wuppertal.
- When Vohwinkel was returned to service on July 2, fresh signalling faults at Schwelm and Wuppertal‑Oberbarmen put signals to red and again stopped traffic until technicians restored operation around 14:00 that day.
- On July 3 a defective track point (Weiche) between Wuppertal‑Oberbarmen and Hagen caused another section to be impassable, triggering further cancellations, long diversions and urgent deployment of replacement buses.
- Federal reviews show many local stellwerke are in poor condition and failures have hit both older installations and newer electronic systems, which has prompted sharp criticism from Wuppertal’s mayor and local officials.
- Longer term disruption will persist because a 65 km Generalsanierung on the Wuppertal–Köln corridor remains in force until about July 10 and major Rhine‑Main renewal works start July 10, meaning commuters will face staged closures and heavy Ersatzverkehr through the summer.