Bahn in NRW: Dilapidated network and disruptions are slowing down train traffic throughout Europe

Created: 11/26/2022, 10:04 am

By: Peter Seven

Train traffic from abroad has come to a standstill in North Rhine-Westphalia at the latest.

Cologne in particular becomes a bottleneck.

(Iconic image/archive) © Hauke-Christian Dittrich/dpa

Across Europe by train instead of by plane: a great idea.

But Deutsche Bahn is thwarting the plan, say experts – especially in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Cologne – Fast train connections between the European metropolises could be a real alternative to flying.

However, the rail traffic in Germany is shattering the dream of climate-friendly travel in Europe, reports 24RHEIN.

On the one hand, the infrastructure of the German rail network does not meet international standards, and on the other hand, there are simply too many delays and cancellations on the German railways.

Bahn in NRW: "It will be tightest in Cologne"

North Rhine-Westphalia in particular will become a problem for European rail transport in the medium term, says rail transport expert Volker Stölting from the Technical University (TH) Cologne: "NRW is a real bottleneck." 4700 kilometers of rails are in the most populous federal state, it is the densest rail network in Germany.

Train passengers who want to travel from East to West Europe or vice versa must inevitably pass through NRW.

Seven RE lines alone run from NRW directly to other European countries:

• RE13: Venlo (NL) - Mönchengladbach Hbf - Düsseldorf Hbf - Wuppertal Hbf - Hagen Hbf - Hamm Hbf

• RE18: Maastricht (NL) - Heerlen (NL) - Herzogenrath - Aachen

• RE19: Arnhem (NL) - Emmerich - Wesel - Oberhausen Hbf - Duisburg Hbf - Düsseldorf Hbf

• RE29: Spa-Géronstère (B) - Verviers (B) - Aachen Hbf

• RB51: Enschede (NL) - Gronau - Coesfeld - Lünen - Dortmund Hbf

• RB61: Hengelo (NL) - Bad Bentheim - Rheine - Osnabrück - Herford - Bielefeld Hbf

• RB64: Enschede (NL) - Gronau - Burgsteinfurt - Munster Hbf

There are also numerous ICE trains to Belgium or the Thalys connection to Paris.

And at the NRW border it is stalling enormously.

"It will be tightest in Cologne," says Volker Stölting.

Cologne Central Station is an important hub, many long-distance travelers change trains here.

But above all, construction sites and technical problems along the route repeatedly cause cancellations, traffic jams and delays.

“It will stay that way in the coming years, with numerous tracks having to be repaired and routes expanded across the country,” says Stölting.

Five times more rail disruptions than in the neighboring country

In fact, the railway in North Rhine-Westphalia is particularly prone to disruption, as Lothar Ebbers from the Pro Bahn NRW passenger association knows: "We have five times more technical disruptions here than in the Netherlands, for example." Trains from there or from France via Belgium to the east are on the move regularly get stuck at the border.

Because the rail network is busier than in any other federal state, the wear and tear on points, level crossings and signal boxes is particularly high - but for years it was patched and repaired instead of renewed.

Bahn wants to invest two billion euros: nobody knows whether that will be enough

Political decisions are also to blame, says Ebbers.

“The railway was saved for years and now the partly ailing network has to be renovated in a hurry.

The need for renewal is huge.” The full extent is not even fully known.

Because the railways are very stingy when it comes to publishing specific figures on the state of the network.

“There are no reliable regionalized status reports.

Although it is a public network, Deutsche Bahn records it as a trade secret.” Pro Bahn has long wanted more transparency.

One thing is clear: Deutsche Bahn wants to invest two billion euros in NRW - whether that covers actual needs, nobody outside of Bahn knows.

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But money is only a secondary problem anyway, says Volker Stölting from TH Köln.

"The main routes urgently need to be expanded, we often use two tracks where we would have to use at least four tracks." But the construction companies are completely overwhelmed and there is a lack of skilled workers.

“We have no people, also because there is a generational change.

It was recognized too late,” says Stölting.

Bahn: Lengthy planning law is becoming a problem

Another problem is the lengthy planning law in this country: the obligatory planning approval procedures alone can drag on for years.

The federal government only wants to react more quickly to energy infrastructure projects in the future: Chancellor Olaf Scholz promised at the start of the Hanover Fair in May 2022: "We will speed up the times for administrative, planning and approval processes, at least halve them." Such a promise is also for the rails are absolutely necessary, demands Stölting: "We need a uniform planning law for all federal states."

But even if the railways in North Rhine-Westphalia were to run like clockwork tomorrow, efficient inter-European train traffic would hardly be possible at the moment because of the Deutsche Bahn.

At least that's the conclusion reached by the "Bahn für alle" alliance in a current study.

“The German railway infrastructure is not adapted to international standards.

This is slowing down long-distance travel throughout Europe,” said Carl Wassmuth, spokesman for the alliance.

Platforms are all different heights

In order for international rail traffic to become a real alternative to flying, it must be harmonised.

In other words, the infrastructure – rails, lines, platforms – must be as uniform as possible across Europe.

However, in a ranking that shows the level of harmonization, Germany is only 20th out of 24. According to “Bahn für alle”, there is a lack of electrification of the railway lines, digitization of the train protection technology and the sometimes very different platform heights make barrier-free travel impossible.

The platforms in NRW at most stations are 76 centimeters high.

At some stations it is even 96 centimetres.

However, the European standard is 55 centimetres.

"It's just a patchwork quilt.

If you arrive on a train from abroad, you have to climb a step when you get off," says Wassmuth.

People in wheelchairs or with strollers cannot get on or off without assistance.

"Bahn für alle" therefore demands that the platforms be adapted accordingly when new or repaired stations are built.

"NRW in particular plays an important role, many long-distance routes run through the state," says Waßmuth.

And already another problem is smoldering in the background, the effects of which are now being felt: massive staff shortages.

There are currently many delays on the train in NRW, and not only because of construction sites: the sick leave on the train is so high that it cannot be compensated for and trains are simply canceled.