Schwelm/Gevelsberg/Ennepetal. Now things are getting really tough for commuters and train travelers between Hagen, Düsseldorf and Cologne. All routes will be closed.
A mega construction site by Deutsche Bahn is turning train traffic in North Rhine-Westphalia upside down for a month. Massive damage to many kilometers of tracks will affect train traffic between Hagen and Cologne on one route and between Hagen and Düsseldorf on the other route. An epicenter of the damage is in Gevelsberg, Ennepetal and Schwelm. From the S-Bahn to the ICE, no train will run normally anymore.
Deutsche Bahn will be carrying out extensive work from this Wednesday, October 25th to Sunday, November 26th. The construction teams are on the move on several sections to get the heavily used routes back into shape. There lays a very big chunk between Hagen and Schwelm. Because this is the only place where the DB exchanges more than 5,000 sleepers over a length of 3.1 kilometers out of. “The reason is a manufacturer defect,” as the railway reports – so there is no wear or external influence at this point. “Until the sleepers are replaced, the trains will run at lower speeds over the affected areas,” the railway makes it clear that this production error will have an immediate impact on train traffic.
The S-Bahn at Gevelsberg main station will also be canceled.
Photo: Carmen Thomaschewski / WP
Join in further construction sites on the routes, because the railway is improving the superstructure – i.e. rails, sleepers and ballast – over a total length of around seven kilometers: in the area of Wuppertal main station, in Wuppertal-Vohwinkel and in Leichlingen. “As rail traffic has increased in recent years, there is a great need for improvements. In addition, heavy rain events in recent years have put enormous strain on the infrastructure due to Wuppertal’s valley location, most recently during the floods in 2021. We have repeatedly carried out many smaller repairs at night,” explains Jürgen Ptaszyk, head of maintenance at DB Netz in the Düsseldorf area. “Now we have to really get on track to get our technology in order for a longer period of time.”
The bottom line is that in addition to the Ennepe-Ruhr district, Deutsche Bahn is bundling 14 measures in this area during the construction month on one of the main routes in the state, working through ten kilometers of track, replacing a further 2,000 sleepers and moving around 2,500 tons of ballast.
The railway seems to be fully aware of the significance of its twelve million euro intervention in the everyday lives of the many commuters who work in the Rhine metropolises. “We know that we demand a lot from travelers”says Ptaszyk. “But the work is absolutely necessaryto keep the route fit for the coming years. We therefore ask for your understanding.”
And, the railway emphasizes: “Despite the use of the most modern work equipment, construction noise unfortunately cannot be avoided. “We ask the residents for their understanding.”
Effects on train traffic in detail
From Wednesday, October 25th from 9 p.m. to Saturday, November 4th at 5 a.mthe S-Bahn tracks are closed. This leads to the following timetable changes in local and regional transport:
S 7 (VIAS): Partial failure between Wuppertal Hbf and Wuppertal-Oberbarmen. The lines S8 and S9 (DB Regio) are canceled between Wuppertal-Vohwinkel and Wuppertal-Oberbarmen. The lines S28 (Regiobahn) and RE 49 (DB Regio) are canceled between Wuppertal-Vohwinkel and Wuppertal Hbf. Replacement rail services will be set up between Wuppertal-Vohwinkel and Wuppertal main station, with every second bus running to Wuppertal-Oberbarmen.
Additionally are from Wednesday, October 25th (9 p.m.) to Saturday, November 6th (5 a.m.)the following lines affected: The RE 7 (National Express) is canceled between Opladen and Solingen. Alternatively, travelers can use the RB 48. This line RB 48 However, (National Express) is canceled between Opladen and Solingen between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. on some days. “Buses will run as a replacement,” promises Deutsche Bahn.
From Monday, November 6th at 5 a.m. to Monday, November 13th at 5 a.m, the long-distance tracks are then closed. This leads to the following changes: The line RE 4 (National Express) is completely canceled between Wuppertal-Vohwinkel and Hagen main station. S-Bahn trains continue to run between Wuppertal-Vohwinkel and Hagen Hbf.
The line RE 13 (Eurobahn) is canceled between Wuppertal-Vohwinkel and Hagen Hbf. S-Bahn trains continue to run between Wuppertal-Vohwinkel and Hagen Hbf. The line RE 7 will be redirected between Cologne-Mülheim and Wuppertal-Vohwinkel via Leverkusen Mitte. However, the stops between Wuppertal-Vohwinkel and Hagen Hbf are completely eliminated. The line RB 48 is canceled between Cologne Messe/Deutz and Wuppertal-Oberbarmen.
No regional trains will stop at Ennepetal/Gevelsberg station and numerous long-distance trains that travel on this route, including the ICE, will also be canceled.
Photo: Hartmut Breyer / WP Ennepetal
The following express buses run: 1. Köln Messe/Deutz – Wuppertal-Vohwinkel (bus with all stops), 2. Köln Messe/Deutz – Opladen – Leichlingen – Solingen – Wuppertal-Vohwinkel (fast bus), 3. Köln Messe/Deutz – Solingen – Wuppertal Hbf ( Express bus) 4. Cologne Messe/Deutz – Hagen Hbf (without intermediate stops)
From Wednesday November 15th to Sunday November 26th, night closures eventually take place. The S-Bahn lines S 8 and S 9 are affected. The S 8 runs on the regular route with different travel times. The S 9 is completely canceled at night between Velbert-Langenberg and Wuppertal main station. From November 15th to 26th, the lines will also operate differently at night.
Also disruptions in long-distance rail traffic
Also long-distance traffic with IC and ICE is massively affected, from Stuttgart to Dresden and from Munich via Frankfurt to Berlin. Because: From Wednesday, October 25th, midnight, to Monday, November 13th, 5am, not a single long-distance train stops at the stations in Hagen, Wuppertal and Solingen. Long-distance trains that are scheduled to travel from Cologne via Wuppertal to Berlin will then be rerouted via the Ruhr line. The sprinter trains from Bonn via Cologne to Berlin, however, have been completely eliminated along the entire route.
Trains on the Wuppertal – Cologne-Rhine/Main – Frankfurt to Munich route will be rerouted from Dortmund via Düsseldorf to Cologne. Long-distance trains from Wuppertal to southern Germany are completely eliminated between Dortmund and Cologne, as are the Stuttgart – Bonn – Cologne – Dortmund – Hanover – Leipzig – Dresden line. The regular service is only available southwards from Cologne.
The timetable changes are contained in Deutsche Bahn’s online information systems and are announced via notices on the platforms. Plus they are under bauinfos.deutschebahn.com/nrwavailable via the “DB Bauwork” app and at zuginfo.nrw.
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More articles from this category can be found here: Ennepetal / Gevelsberg / Schwelm
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