Deutsche Bahn has started building a new signal box at Cologne's main station, suspending long-distance and regional trains for ten days until November 24. A last-minute software error delays the system's launch to spring, requiring a second, shorter closure next year. North Rhine-Westphalia transport minister Oliver Krischer has sharply criticized the railway for the planning failures.
At Cologne's main train station, one of Germany's most important rail hubs, Deutsche Bahn has initiated construction for a new electronic signal box. Starting immediately and until the morning of November 24, no long-distance or regional trains may enter or depart. Travelers can reach the metropolis's station only via S-Bahn or U-Bahn.
However, the planned works during this ten-day closure cannot be fully implemented. A software error in the new signal box was discovered at short notice, postponing its commissioning to spring. "What we can already tell passengers: The second closure will be shorter," said Matthias Gramer, regional director at Bahn subsidiary InfraGo.
The top priority now is to quickly resolve the software issue. NRW Transport Minister Oliver Krischer (Greens) issued sharp criticism: "This is naturally a piece from the madhouse, one can't say it any other way. And it's a mystery to me how something like this can happen at DB." He criticized that, despite a long lead time, the decision came only two days in advance: "We've been planning this for a long time. And then I learn two days before: April Fool's – the software can't be installed because it doesn't work."
The railway emphasized that the error was unforeseeable. Over 50 new signal boxes are commissioned in Germany each year, and the problems at Cologne's main station are deeply regretted. The current closure will still be used to prepare signals, switches, and overhead lines. Next year, the removal of old signals will follow, which should proceed more quickly. Hundreds of thousands of travelers are affected by the disruptions.