|
The new main railway station, the »Colonaden«, is
far from the dark image of railway stations of the past, and presents
itself as a modern service and shopping centre with diverse snack bars
for gourmets. |
Following three years of renovation, Cologne's main railway station has been sparkling with a new gleam since spring 2000; it is now brighter, more spacious, and more modern. Where for decades, in the »heart« of the railway station, lines of baggage rolled and parcelled goods were stored, there is now a shopping mall which invites passengers to stay a while with its diverse range of cafés and restaurants.
With its historic steel and glass construction, Cologne's main railway station is far and away the most important rail junction in Europe. Each day, more than 1,300 trains link Cologne with the rest of Germany and abroad, including 14 high-speed links with the »Thalys« via Brussels to Paris, London and Amsterdam. Four times a day, the luxury train »Metropolitan« travels to Hamburg. Almost 150 other ICE, IC and EC trains stop in Cologne.
Since August 2002, a new high speed railway connection between Cologne and Frankfurt shortens the travel time for both cities to only one hour.
An underground railway station at the Cologne/ Bonn airport was completed in 2004. In addition to the ICE, regional express trains and S-trains stop there, too.
Rail transport of goods is also to be found in Cologne. The largest inland railway container and transhipment station is »Bahnhof Eifeltor«. Here, well over 300 wagons are loaded daily. In Gremberg also, an average of 5000 goods wagons are shunted per day. In total, 6 million tonnes of freight pass through Cologne by rail annually.
|
 Further information |
| Die Bahn (German Railways) |
| Portal of the ministry of transport in Nordrhine Westphalia with 1.300 internet links for car drivers, public transport, cyclists, ... |
| stadtinfokoeln - Mobility in the Metropolitan area of Cologne |
|
