November 12, 2025, 11:52 am | Read time: 5 minutes

The closure has been planned for some time, but now there’s a new reason for the standstill at Cologne Central Station. Originally, the hub of rail traffic in western Germany was to be shut down due to the commissioning of a new signal box. For this, Cologne Central Station was to be closed from 9 p.m. on November 14 to 5 a.m. on November 24. The railway is sticking to this plan, but not to put the new signal box into operation as planned.

Delay Due to Software Error

Experts discovered a software error during the inspection, the railway writes in a recent announcement. This poses “the risk of not being able to reliably perform all necessary tests within the previously planned closure period.” However, these are essential to ensure “safe and reliable rail operations.” The planned closure remains, but instead of commissioning the new switch, the software error will now be fixed, and further work on track technology, switches, and overhead lines will be carried out, as well as preparations for extending the platform.

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Second Closure of Cologne Central Station Planned

In light of the delay, the railway now plans to divide the work into two phases. For travelers, this means another closure of Cologne Central Station, in addition to the one already announced for this week. The timing and duration are currently not set (as of November 12, 2025). Until the new signal box is operational, the railway will use the old signal box.

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What Travelers Need to Know Now

Every day, 1,300 trains with hundreds of thousands of travelers pass through Cologne Central Station. Accordingly, the closure of Cologne Central Station is likely to be significant. But there is at least some good news for the people of Cologne: The S-Bahn service is almost unaffected by the closure. Only on the night of November 19 to 20 will the central station be completely closed for eight hours. Additionally, the S-Bahn lines S 12 and S 19 will be affected on the night of November 18 to 19. Around this, the closure applies to long-distance and regional trains, but not to the S-Bahn. This means that travelers can still take the S-Bahn to the airport as usual.

Many ICE trains will stop at Cologne-Ehrenfeld or Messe/Deutz instead of Cologne Central Station during the ten-day closure. Both are accessible by S-Bahn. However, travelers should check carefully where their chosen connection is diverted to, as some long-distance trains also stop at more distant stations. According to a statement from the railway on October 7, regional traffic is severely restricted, with some rerouting and some trains canceled. The railway suggests S-Bahn and buses as alternatives. A rail replacement service is only planned sporadically.

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Schedule Changes at a Glance According to the Railway:

Long-Distance Traffic

• ICE trains to/from Aachen/Brussels: Trains are rerouted within Cologne and do not stop at Cologne Central Station. Instead, they stop at Cologne-Ehrenfeld.
• ICE trains to/from Amsterdam: Trains do not stop at Cologne Central Station. Instead, they stop at Cologne Messe/Deutz.
• ICE trains to/from Berlin: There are still direct connections every two hours to/from Cologne/Messe Deutz. All other trains are canceled. However, there are hourly transfer connections via Düsseldorf. On November 15, only the transfer connections via Düsseldorf remain due to an extended closure.
• ICE trains to/from Frankfurt via SFS: These trains also run via Cologne Messe/Deutz. Trains that normally only run between Cologne and Frankfurt are canceled.
• ICE/IC trains to/from Bonn/Koblenz/Mainz: These long-distance connections only operate on a reduced scale and mostly no longer stop at the Cologne hub. Some trains stop at Cologne South instead.
• ICE/IC trains to/from Bremen/Hamburg/Norddeich: Direct connections to/from Bremen or Hamburg continue from/to Cologne Messe/Deutz. Direct connections to/from Norddeich only run from/to Düsseldorf or are canceled.
• IC trains to/from Gera/Dresden: Trains only run from/to Dortmund.

Local Traffic

• RE 1 (RRX): Rerouted via Neuss. Stops canceled at Düsseldorf-Benrath, Leverkusen Mitte, Cologne-Mülheim, Cologne Messe/Deutz, Cologne Central Station. Replacement stops: Neuss Central Station, Dormagen. Alternatives: RE 6 (RRX), S-Bahn, KVB.
• RE 5 (RRX): Rerouted via Neuss. Stops canceled at Düsseldorf-Benrath, Leverkusen Mitte, Cologne-Mülheim, Cologne Messe/Deutz, Cologne Central Station. Replacement stops: Neuss Central Station, Dormagen. Additional stops: Sechtem, Roisdorf. Alternatives: RE 6 (RRX), KVB.
• RE 6 (RRX): Rerouted via Leverkusen. Stops canceled at Düsseldorf-Bilk, Neuss Central Station, Dormagen, Cologne Central Station. Replacement stops: Düsseldorf-Benrath, Leverkusen Mitte, Cologne-Mülheim, Cologne Messe/Deutz (lower level). Alternatives: RE 1 (RRX), RE 5 (RRX), S 11.
• RE 7: Rerouted via Düsseldorf. Stops canceled at Solingen Central Station, Opladen, Cologne Messe/Deutz, Cologne Central Station, Dormagen. Replacement stop: Düsseldorf Central Station. Alternatives: RB 48, S-Bahn, KVB.
• RE 8: Partial cancellation Cologne-Ehrenfeld – Linz (Rhein). Alternatives: RB 27, S 12, S 19.
• RE 9: Rerouted via South Bridge. Stops canceled at Cologne Central Station, Cologne Messe/Deutz. Replacement stop: Cologne South. Alternatives: S 12, S 19, KVB.
• RE 22: Partial cancellation Hürth-Kalscheuren – Cologne Messe/Deutz. Alternative: RB 24, KVB.
• RB 24: Partial cancellation Cologne West – Cologne Messe/Deutz. Alternative: KVB.
• RB 26: Partial cancellation Cologne South – Cologne Messe/Deutz. Alternative: KVB.
• RB 27: Rerouted via South Bridge. Stops canceled at Cologne Central Station, Cologne Messe/Deutz. Replacement stop: Cologne South. Alternatives: S 12, S 19, KVB.
• RB 38: Partial cancellation Horrem – Cologne Messe/Deutz. Alternative: S 12, S 19.
• RB 48: Partial cancellation Cologne-Mülheim – Bonn-Mehlem. Alternatives: S 6, S 11, RE 5 (RRX), RB 26, KVB.