Trains on Cologne-Wuppertal-Hagen line disrupted until July

Rail renovation works on the line between Cologne, Wuppertal and Hagen mean trains will be disrupted until July 10, 2026. Here’s what passengers need to know:

DB to begin work on Cologne-Wuppertal-Hagen line

On February 6, Deutsche Bahn will begin rail renovation works on the tracks connecting Cologne, Wuppertal and Hagen. Renovation works are expected to be completed on July 10, 2026.

During a third of the construction period, the line will be entirely closed to train traffic. As a result, the following regional trains and S-Bahn services will run as replacement buses: RE 4, RE 7, RE 13, RB 48, RE 49, S 7, S 8, S 9, S 28 and S 68.

Long-distance trains that normally use the line will not run or be diverted. Trains between Cologne and Dortmund will be diverted via Düsseldorf and Essen. There will be ICE connections from Cologne Hauptbahnhof to Berlin every hour, but trains will be diverted via Düsseldorf, Duisburg, Essen and Bochum and the journey will be 20 to 30 minutes longer.

IC trains connecting Stuttgart, Mainz, Cologne, Hanover, Magdeburg and Dresden will only run between Stuttgart and Cologne and between Dortmund and Dresden.

Passengers should brace for more disruptions

During the construction works, Deutsche Bahn will renovate around 80 kilometres of platform along the line, 28 switches and around 30 kilometres of overhead lines. Construction workers will also build around four kilometres of noise protection barriers.

“The aim of the five-month construction phase is to make the heavily used railway line more reliable and efficient in the long term,” Deutsche Bahn wrote in an announcement, “This should significantly reduce disruptions and the associated delays.”

Recently-appointed Deutsche Bahn CEO Evelyn Palla has told passengers that the company is knuckling down on renovating the track network in order to improve delays in the long term, but more delays should be expected in the short term as a result.

The number of construction sites across the track network will increase from 26.000 to 28.000 in 2026. Only in 2027 are passengers likely to start seeing punctuality and general service improvements.