Deutsche Bahn completes renovation of the Cologne–Wuppertal–Hagen line

The 65 km railway line between Cologne, Wuppertal and Hagen was fully closed for about five months from early February to July 2026 for a general renovation: 81 km of track superstructure, 51 switches and 21 km of overhead line were renewed, 12 stations modernised and 3.6 km of noise barriers added. Work finished on schedule and the line reopened on 10 July 2026; work on some S-Bahn stations continues until the end of 2027. Update (16 Jul 2026): An inspection on 10 July 2026 found a crack in a steel bearing plate on the Wupper bridge in Leverkusen-Opladen, built in 1949; since then one track has been usable at reduced speed and the other at normal speed. After about ten weeks of repairs both tracks are due to be usable again from the end of September 2026, one initially at reduced speed; the full renovation planned for the 2030s is being brought forward, with no date yet. North Rhine-Westphalia transport minister Krischer wrote to federal transport minister Schnieder complaining about the lack of reliability after the five-month closure (LOK Report, 16 Jul 2026).