Disruptions and closures are currently affecting rail traffic in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Following several acute incidents on the rail infrastructure in NRW—such as signal failures and a suicide attempt on the Cologne–Düsseldorf line yesterday (Thursday), which have had a knock-on effect—combined with ongoing line closures due to the installation of electronic signal boxes (until 19 May), particularly around the Cologne hub (Cologne–Venlo, Cologne–Horrem and Cologne–Koblenz), rail services have become significantly disrupted this Friday. This is mainly due to high traffic volumes on the limited diversion routes and the breakdown of services after train driver shifts expired. Some of our trains are also affected.
We are already working closely with our service providers on solutions and are keeping our customers informed with product-specific updates. However, delays cannot be entirely ruled out at this time.
A return to normal operations is not expected before 19 May, once the line closures are gradually lifted. In the weeks and months to follow, further capacity constraints are likely due to ongoing construction and maintenance works along the north–south corridor between Venlo and Weil am Rhein.