Köln Hauptbahnhof

{{short description|Railway station in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany}} {{Infobox station | style = Deutsche Bahn | name = Köln Hbf | symbol = rail | symbol_location = de | symbol2 = s-bahn | symbol3 = stadtbahn | symbol_location2 = rhine-ruhr | symbol_location3 = cologne | image = Koeln Hauptbahnhof Luftaufnahme.jpg | caption = Aerial view in 2010 | type = | platforms = 11 * 9 long distance and regional * 2 S-Bahn * 4 (2 stops) Stadtbahn | accessible = Yes | passengers = 280,000<ref name="db">{{cite web|url=http://www.bahnhof.de/?lang=en#station/19262 |title=Köln Hbf/More Information/Facts & figures |publisher=DB Station&Service|access-date= 23 November 2013}}</ref> | code = {{Deutsche Bahn station codes|code=3320|ds100=KK<ref name=Eisenbahnatlas >{{cite book|title=Eisenbahnatlas Deutschland (German railway atlas) | edition=2009/2010 |publisher= Schweers + Wall | year= 2009 |isbn= 978-3-89494-139-0}}</ref>|ibnr=8000207|category=1<ref name =categories >{{DBCatsURL}}</ref>}} | zone = VRS: 2100<ref>{{cite web |title=VRS-Gemeinschaftstarif |url=https://www.vrs.de/fileadmin/Dateien/Downloadcenter/Tarif/VRS_Gemeinschaftstarif_20042020.pdf |publisher=Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Sieg |access-date=9 May 2020 |page=202 |language=de |date=20 April 2020 |archive-date=11 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200611234728/https://www.vrs.de/fileadmin/Dateien/Downloadcenter/Tarif/VRS_Gemeinschaftstarif_20042020.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> | start = {{Start date and age|1859|12|05|df=y}}<ref name=operations >{{cite web| url= http://nrwbahnarchiv.bplaced.net/kln/KK.htm | title= Köln Hbf operations |work=NRW Rail Archive |publisher= André Joost |access-date=23 November 2013 |language=de}}</ref> | former = 1859-1894 Cöln Centralbahnhof 1894-1919 Cöln Hauptbahnhof | electrified = {{Start date and age|1958|11|17|df=y}}, 15 kV 16 2⁄3 Hz AC system (overhead) | years1 = 1894<ref name=operations/> | events1 = rebuilt | years2 = 1957<ref name=operations/> | events2 = rebuilt | architect = | architectural_style = | address = Innenstadt, Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia | country = Germany | coordinates = {{coord|50|56|33|N|6|57|29|E|region:DE-NW_type:railwaystation|format=dms|display=inline,title}} | elevation =  | owned = Deutsche Bahn | operator = {{Plainlist|1= *DB Netz *DB Station&Service }} | line = * Cologne–Frankfurt high-speed * Cologne–Krefeld * Cologne–Aachen * West Rhine line * Cologne–Duisburg * Cologne–Sieg * Cologne–Wuppertal | website = [https://www.bahnhof.de/en/Koeln-Hbf www.bahnhof.de] | mapframe = yes | mapframe-custom = {{Maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|frame-align=center|frame-width=300|frame-height=180|zoom=12|type=point|marker=rail-underground|marker-colour=#009D58}} | services_collapsible = yes | services = {{Adjacent stations |system1=Eurostar|line1=Eurostar|type1=Paris–Dortmund|left1=Aachen|right1=Düsseldorf |system2=DB Fernverkehr |line2=ICE 1|left2=Bonn|right2=Düsseldorf|to-left2=Passau|to-right2=Hamburg-Altona |line3=ICE 9|left3=Bonn|right3=Berlin-Spandau|to-right3=Berlin Ostbahnhof or Berlin Südkreuz |line4=ICE 10|right4=Düsseldorf |line5=ICE 10|right5=Solingen |line6=ICE 14|left6=Düren|right6=Düsseldorf |line7=ICE 19|left7=Bonn|right7=Wuppertal |line8=ICE 19|left8=Düren|right8=Wuppertal|oneway-left8=yes |line10=ICE 33-Westerland|right10=Düsseldorf|to-right10=Westerland (Sylt) |line12=IC 35|left12=|right12=Düsseldorf|to-right12=Norddeich Mole or Emden Außenhafen |line16=ICE 42|left16=Siegburg/Bonn|right16=Düsseldorf|to-right16=Hamburg-Altona|to-left16=Munich|note-mid16=reverses out |line17=ICE 43|left17=Düsseldorf|right17=Siegburg/Bonn|note-mid17=reverses out|to-left17=Amsterdam Centraal |line18=ICE 43|left18=Düsseldorf|right18=Siegburg/Bonn|to-left18=Hamburg-Altona|note-mid18=reverses out |line21=ICE 45|right21=Köln/Bonn Flughafen |line22=ICE 49|right22=Siegburg/Bonn |line23=IC 51|left23=Düsseldorf|to-left23=Gera |line29=IC 55|left29=Solingen|right29=Bonn |line30=IC 55-Allgäu|left30=Düsseldorf|right30=Bonn |line32=ICE 78|right32=Frankfurt Flughafen|left32=Düsseldorf|note-mid32=reverses out |line33=ICE 79|left33=Aachen|right33=Frankfurt Flughafen |line35=ICE 91|left35=Bonn|right35=Düsseldorf|to-left35=Vienna|to-right35=Dortmund|note-mid35=train route rejoins here |line36=ICE 91|left36=Bonn|right36=Solingen|to-left36=Vienna|to-right36=Dortmund|note-mid36=train route rejoins here |system40=ÖBB |line40=NJ Amsterdam-Zürich|left40=Bonn|right40=Düsseldorf|to-left40=Zürich|to-right40=Amsterdam Centraal |system45=Flixtrain |line45=20|right45=Düsseldorf |line46=30|left46=Aachen|right46=Düsseldorf |system50=DB Regio NRW |line50=RE 8|left50=Köln-Ehrenfeld|right50=Köln Messe/Deutz |line52=RE 9|left52=Köln-Ehrenfeld|right52=Köln Messe/Deutz |line57=RE 12|left57=Köln-West|right57=Köln Messe/Deutz |line58=RE 22|left58=Köln-West|right58=Köln Messe/Deutz |line59=RB 24|left59=Köln-West|right59=Köln Messe/Deutz |line65=RB 25|left65=Köln Hansaring|right65=Köln Messe/Deutz |line66=RB 27|left66=Köln-Ehrenfeld|right66=Köln Messe/Deutz |line67=RB 38|left67=Köln-Ehrenfeld|right67=Köln Messe/Deutz |system70=National Express Germany |line70=RE 1|left70=Köln-Ehrenfeld|right70=Köln Messe/Deutz |line71=RE 5|left71=Köln Süd|right71=Köln Messe/Deutz|to-left71=Koblenz|to-right71=Wesel |line72=RE 6|left72=Dormagen|right72=Cologne/Bonn Airport|to-left72=Minden|to-right72=Cologne/Bonn Airport |line74=RE 7|left74=Dormagen|right74=Köln Messe/Deutz |line79=RB 48|left79=Köln-West|right79=Köln Messe/Deutz |system80=Trans Regio|line80=RB 26|left80=Köln-West|right80=Köln Messe/Deutz |system85=Rhine-Ruhr S-Bahn |line85=S6|left85=Köln Hansaring|right85=Köln Messe/Deutz |system86=Cologne S-Bahn |line86=S11|type86=reverse|left86=Köln Hansaring|right86=Köln Messe/Deutz |line87=S12|left87=Köln Hansaring|right87=Köln Messe/Deutz |line89=S19|left89=Köln Hansaring|right89=Köln Messe/Deutz |system95=Cologne Stadtbahn |line95=5|left95=Appellhofplatz|right95=Rathaus |line96=16|left96=Appellhofplatz|right96=Ebertplatz |line97=18|left97=Appellhofplatz|right97=Ebertplatz }} }} '''Köln Hauptbahnhof''' ({{langx|en|'''Cologne Central Station'''}})<ref>[https://www.cologne-tourism.com/see-experience/poi/cologne-central-station/ ''Cologne Central Station''] at cologne-tourism.com. Retrieved 15 February 2022.</ref> is the central railway station of Cologne, Germany. The station is an important local, national and international transport hub, with many ICE, Eurostar and Intercity trains calling there, as well as regional Regional-Express, RegionalBahn and local S-Bahn trains. EuroNight and Nightjet night services also call at the station. It has frequent connections to Frankfurt by way of the Cologne–Frankfurt high-speed rail line, which starts in southern Cologne. On an average day, about 280,000 travellers frequent the station,<ref name="db"/> making it the fifth busiest station in Germany.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.deutschebahn.com/file/de/2201914/NrI-UHqK9fKym_RWugjkm5znKvg/8136558/data/bahnhofskategorieliste_2015.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2015-09-25 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150224190705/http://www.deutschebahn.com/file/de/2201914/NrI-UHqK9fKym_RWugjkm5znKvg/8136558/data/bahnhofskategorieliste_2015.pdf |archive-date=2015-02-24 }}</ref>

The station is situated next to Cologne Cathedral.

There is another important station in Cologne, the Köln Messe/Deutz station across the river Rhine, just about 400 metres away from Köln Hauptbahnhof. The stations are linked by the Hohenzollern Bridge, a six-track railway bridge with pedestrian and bicycle lanes on each side. Frequent local services connect the two stations.

==History== {{stack| thumb|Köln Hauptbahnhof in 1900 thumb|thumbtime=1|Outside and inside Köln Hauptbahnhof, 2014 thumb|Station forecourt and entrance thumb|The station hall thumb|Inside the main hall at dusk thumb|Night view from Cathedral }} By 1850 there were five stations at Cologne that had been built by different railway companies. On the west bank of the Rhine there were the Bonn-Cologne Railway Company (German, old spelling: ''Bonn-Cölner Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft'', ''BCE''), the Cologne-Krefeld Railway Company (German, old spelling: ''Cöln-Crefelder Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft'', ''CCE'') and the Rhenish Railway Company (German: ''Rheinische Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft'', ''RhE''). On the east bank there were the Bergisch-Märkische Railway Company (German: ''Bergisch-Märkische Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft'', ''BME'') and the Cologne-Minden Railway Company (German, old spelling: ''Cöln-Mindener Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft'', ''CME'').

In 1854 a controversial decision was taken to locate a new rail and road bridge next to the cathedral, following consideration of such proposals as connecting the bridge to an existing freight yard and temporary passenger station on the banks of the Rhine (''Rhine Station'') at the street of Trankgasse, which is to the southeast of the current Hauptbahnhof. It was suggested that carriages could be lowered by lift to the Trankgasse station, but it was quickly realized that the only effective way for connecting the left and right bank line was to create a central station. The city agreed to the proposal in 1857 and made available the ground of the former Botanical garden to the north of the cathedral and on the site of part of the old University of Cologne, suppressed by the French in 1798. The railway track was laid at ground level from the bridge over the Rhine and crossing the street of Eigelstein west of the station at ground level and running through the medieval city wall.

===Original station ===

The original ''Central Station'' (German: ''Centralbahnhof''<ref>{{cite book |title=Jahrbuch für die Amtliche Statistik des Preussischen Staats Volume 3| page=294| year=1883}}</ref>) was built beginning in 1857 to the plans of Hermann Otto Pflaume on behalf of the RhE, which had in the same year acquired the BCE. The station was opened on 5 December 1859 together with the Cathedral Bridge (German: ''Dombrücke'', later the site of the Hohenzollernbrücke). The Central Station was a combined terminus and through station: it included four terminating tracks for the RhE running to the west, while the CME had two through tracks connected to its line on the eastern side of the Rhine by the Cathedral Bridge.

The station quickly reached capacity, but the RhE as operator had only limited interest in developing the station, as this would have mainly benefited competing companies. Serious planning for an enlarged station was therefore only taken after the nationalisation of the railways in Prussia in the 1880s.

===New station===

For the planning of the new central station two options were considered: *Construction of a major railway station in an open area north of Venloer Straße and reclassifying of the original station as a minor station, or *Replacement of the central station with a new building at the same place with an increase in platforms and the construction of two secondary passenger stations (Cologne West and Cologne South) on the urban railway on the model of Berlin Stadtbahn and a rail freight bypass.

While the Prussian government argued for the second option, opinion in Cologne was split. On 9 January 1883, the Cologne City Council decided by one vote, finally, for the second option under a plan by the engineer E. Grüttefien of Berlin. Construction began in 1889. The tracks were raised by {{Convert|6|m|ftin|spell=in}} with half the new space created under the track filled with earth and a new entrance building was built to the design of Georg Frentzen, an architect from Aachen. The foundation stone was laid on 7 May 1892.<ref>{{cite book|author=Peter Fuchs |title=Chronik zur Geschichte der Stadt Köln |volume= 2 |year= 1991 |page= 289 |language=de}}</ref>

In 1894, the large tripartite platform hall was completed. The central hall had a roof span of {{Convert|64|m|ftin}} covering today's platforms 2 to 7, and outside it were two {{Convert|13|m|ftin|adj=on}}-wide aisles for platforms 1 and 8. The {{Convert|255|m|ftin|adj=on}}-long hall included a two-storey waiting room building, with easy access to all platforms. The station included four terminating platforms facing east and four facing west on either side of the waiting rooms, with one through platform on the northeast side and one on the southwest side.

During the restructuring of the rail tracks in the Cologne area in about 1905–1911 (most notable for the construction of the new South Bridge and the four-track Hohenzollern Bridge), the waiting room building was removed and all the platforms were rebuilt as through platforms. Advantage was taken of the previously unused space beneath the tracks.

Only the first and second class waiting rooms in Trankgasse and Johannisstraße (streets) survived World War II and subsequent modifications and are now used as a restaurant and the Alter Wartesaal events centre.

===Reconstruction and new construction=== thumb|Railway roof & Dom For several years after World War II, there was debate as to whether the main station should be rebuilt on the site of the Gereon freight yard—now the site of MediaPark. Therefore, the reconstruction of the main railway station was a slow process and for a decade Cologne station included temporary structures.

The first phase of redevelopment began in 1953 with the demolition of the long building on the western side, replaced by a modern structure incorporating baggage handling facilities and a hotel. The original station building, which had sustained only minor wartime damage and had been temporarily repaired, was demolished in 1955. On 23 September 1957, the new station hall, featuring a shell-shaped roof designed by architects Schmitt and Schneider, was inaugurated. The main station building was constructed on the northern side of the station following the clearance of built-up areas between Maximinenstraße, Domstraße, Hofergasse, and Hermannstraße, along with the relocation of Goldgasse to accommodate the creation of Breslauer Platz as a secondary entrance plaza.

In the course of building the S-Bahn up until 1991, the entire railway line, railway station and the Hohenzollern bridge were supplemented by two independent S-Bahn tracks. First, in 1975 two additional platforms were built (10 and 11) and then the additional tracks were built on the Hohenzollern bridge for the S-Bahn line.

In 2000, a shopping centre was opened at the station's entry level, extending to the area beneath the S-Bahn tracks. Known as the colonnade, it comprises 70 shops and restaurants, encompassing over 11,500 square metres (124,000 sq ft) of retail space and employing approximately 700 people.

=== Planning ===

At a summit of Deutsche Bahn, the federal government and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia on 31 March 2010 in Düsseldorf, it was decided that the station should be extended by 2019 with an S-Bahn platform with two S-Bahn tracks at Breslauer Platz. The estimated cost would amount to €60 million.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.ksta.de/koeln-uebersicht/bahn-zwei-neue-gleise-fuer-den-hauptbahnhof,16341264,12729338.html|title= Zwei neue Gleise für den Hauptbahnhof |newspaper=Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger |date=31 March 2010 |access-date=23 November 2013 |language=de }}</ref>

The platform for track 1 was planned to be extended to provide a secure area for checking passenger and baggage to enable ICE trains to run to London-St Pancras in 2016.<ref name="rp-2011-04-14">{{cite news|url=http://nachrichten.rp-online.de/panorama/sicherheitsschleuse-am-koelner-bahnhof-1.601026 |title= Sicherheitsschleuse am Kölner Bahnhof |newspaper=Rheinische Post |date= 14 April 2011 |access-date=23 November 2013 |language=de }}</ref> This plan was not implemented, the reason given that there were issues approving ICE trains by Belgian and French authorities.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kling |first=Annette |date=2017-03-30 |title=ICE Köln-London weiter auf Eis gelegt |url=https://www1.wdr.de/nachrichten/koeln-ice-london-koeln-zukunftsmusik-100.html |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20180211190054/https://www1.wdr.de/nachrichten/koeln-ice-london-koeln-zukunftsmusik-100.html |archive-date=2018-02-11 |access-date=2026-01-11 |language=de}}</ref> In December 2025, DB and Eurostar signed a letter of intent with the goal of offering direct connections using Eurostar trains starting in the early 2030s.<ref>{{Citation |title=Köln Hauptbahnhof |date=2025-12-28 |work=Wikipedia |url=https://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=K%C3%B6ln_Hauptbahnhof&oldid=262795316 |access-date=2026-01-11 |language=de}}</ref> The necessary crossing of the western track area by trains departing towards London is considered operationally challenging.<ref name="rp-2011-04-14" />

== Rail services == Cologne Hauptbahnhof is one of the hubs of European long-distance traffic. Long-distance lines run on both sides of the Rhine via Cologne. Therefore, the station situated on the left (western) bank of the Rhine is connected to Köln Messe/Deutz station situated on the right (eastern) bank of the Rhine via the Hohenzollern Bridge. Long-distance trains connect in the station from the Ruhr region, southern Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Belgium. ''Köln Messe/Deutz (tief)'' station is used by two ICE services on the right bank route. In the past, therefore, a direct connection, such as a moving walkway over the Rhine was considered, but this controversial idea was rejected as too expensive for the time being.

The Cologne rail node is at the centre of eleven routes radiating in all directions. More than 280,000 arriving and departing passengers are estimated to use 1,200 trains daily.<ref name="nn-2012-4-7">{{cite journal |title="Nadelöhr" Köln macht sich fit für die Zukunft |journal=NetzNachrichten |issue=4/2012 |date=December 2012 |url=http://www.db-netz.de/file/3180232/data/netznachrichten_dezember_2012.pdf |format=PDF, 0,9 MB |pages=7 |access-date=23 November 2013 |language=de |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928001229/http://www.db-netz.de/file/3180232/data/netznachrichten_dezember_2012.pdf |archive-date=28 September 2013 }}</ref>

Cologne Hauptbahnhof, together with the Hohenzollern Bridge is a key bottleneck for rail transport in the Cologne region. Long-distance traffic load is concentrated to and from the east of the station, while regional trains mainly run to and from the west. The connecting lines from Hürth-Kalscheuren and Steinstraße are operating at capacity. Adding extra tracks is hardly possible. Changing the track layout is not possible with the existing signalling. The network will become increasingly congested up to 2030 and beyond.<ref name="znr-sma-2012-13">{{cite web |publisher=Zweckverband Nahverkehr Rheinland |editor=SMA und Partner AG |title=Knotenuntersuchung Köln (summary) |date=24 January 2012 |pages=5, 13 f, 22, 48 |url=http://www.nahverkehr-rheinland.de/download/5_1_BahnknotenKoeln_Infoflyer2012.pdf |access-date=23 November 2013 |language=de |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130925081627/http://www.nahverkehr-rheinland.de/download/5_1_BahnknotenKoeln_Infoflyer2012.pdf |archive-date=25 September 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Although its platforms are divided into three sections each, they are still remarkably crowded throughout the day, and a major extension of the station is impossible because of its historic surroundings. Connections to the local Cologne network Stadtbahn are made by two subterranean stations, ''Dom/Hbf'' and ''Breslauer Platz/Hbf'' at the respective ends of the station. The station has 11 main line passenger track platforms, of which two are used for S-Bahn services; one of the two subterranean Stadtbahn has two tracks with side platforms (''Dom/Hbf'') the other (''Breslauer Platz/Hbf'') has two out of three tracks in service and one side platform and an island platform (both in use). Its IATA code is '''QKL'''.

{| class="wikitable" |- class="hintergrundfarbe5" ! colspan="2" | Left (western) bank ! align="center" | Rhine ! colspan="2" | Right (eastern) bank |- | * Lower Left Rhine line to Neuss * High-speed railway Aachen ** Line to Mönchengladbach * West Rhine Railway to Bonn ** Cologne freight bypass railway ** Eifel Railway to Euskirchen/Trier | Hbf | align="center" | Hohenzollern Bridge | Messe/Deutz | * Line to Düsseldorf ** Line to Bergisch Gladbach * Line to Wuppertal * Sieg Railway ** Agger Valley Railway ** Airport loop ** High speed line to Frankfurt/Wiesbaden ** East Rhine Railway to Linz (Rhein) |}

[[File:MET-Steuerwagen KK.jpg|thumb|Former Metropolitan IC service in Köln Hbf]] thumb|A Deutsche Bahn high-speed train

=== Long-distance services ===

Cologne Hauptbahnhof is the hub of many Intercity Express and Intercity lines, mostly serving Cologne every hour or every two hours:

Various high-speed services connect most cities in Germany as well as several neighbouring countries in a few hours. Eurostar high-speed trains run from Cologne to Paris via Aachen, Liege and Brussels. An international Intercity Express service also operates every two hours during the day on the Brussels–Liege—Aachen–Cologne line, continuing to Frankfurt.

With a combined 403 scheduled long-distance arrivals and departures each day at Cologne in the summer timetable of 1989, it was the most important node in the network of Deutsche Bundesbahn.<ref name="seidel-2005">{{cite book| author= Ralph Seidel | title= Der Einfluss veränderter Rahmenbedingungen auf Netzgestalt und Frequenzen im Schienenpersonenfernverkehr Deutschlands | location=Leipzig | year=2005 | pages= 46, 62 |language=de}} (Dissertation of the University of Leipzig)</ref> With 383 scheduled long-distance arrivals and departures, in Deutsche Bahn's timetable of summer 1996, it was the second most important node (after Hannover Hauptbahnhof).<ref name="seidel-2005" />

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |+ Normal travel time in 2011 from Cologne by Intercity-Express/Intercity to ... |- class="hintergrundfarbe5" ! Destination !! Travel time (ICE) !! Travel time (IC) !! Remarks |- | align="left" | Amsterdam || 2:37 || 3:57 || |- | align="left" | Basel || 3:52 || 4:44 || |- | align="left" | Berlin || 4:20 || 5:59 || |- | align="left" | Brussels || 1:48 || 3:21 || |- | align="left" | Frankfurt am Main || 1:04 || 2:20 || |- | align="left" | Hamburg || 3:59 || 3:59 || |- | align="left" | Hannover || 2:40 || 3:05 || |- | align="left" | Leipzig || 4:51 || 6:06 || |- | align="left" | Luxemburg || — || 3:21 || |- | align="left" | Munich || 4:20 || 5:58 || |- | align="left" | Paris || 3:15 || — || by Eurostar |- | align="left" | Stuttgart || 2:13 || 3:28 || |}

In the 2026 timetable, the following long-distance services stop at the station:<ref name="services">{{Cite web |title=Departures: Köln Hbf|url=https://www.bahnhof.de/downloads/schedule/Regeltafel_3320.pdf|access-date=30 January 2026|date=14 December 2025|publisher=Deutsche Bahn}}</ref> {| class="wikitable" |- ! Line ! colspan="2" | Route ! Frequency ! Operator |- | align=center|{{ric|DB Fernverkehr|ICE 1}} |colspan=2| {{stn|Hamburg-Altona}} – Hamburg – Essen – Duisburg – Düsseldorf – '''Cologne''' – Bonn – Koblenz – Mainz – Frankfurt Airport – Frankfurt – Würzburg – Nuremberg – ''Regensburg – Passau'' | Three times a day | rowspan="8"|DB Fernverkehr |- |rowspan=2 align=center|{{ric|DB Fernverkehr|ICE 9}} |rowspan=2| Bonn – Cologne – {{stn|Berlin-Spandau}} – Berlin – | Berlin Ostbahnhof |rowspan=2| Every six hours |- | {{stn|Berlin Südkreuz}} |- | rowspan="2" align=center|{{ric|DB Fernverkehr|ICE 10}} | rowspan="2" |Berlin East – Berlin – Hanover – Bielefeld – ''Hamm'' – | Dortmund – Bochum – Essen – Duisburg – {{nowrap|Düsseldorf Airport –}} Düsseldorf (– '''Cologne''') | Hourly |- | Hagen – Wuppertal – '''Cologne''' | Every 2 hours |- | align=center|{{ric|DB Fernverkehr|ICE 19}} | colspan="2" |Berlin East – Berlin – Hanover – Hamm – Hagen – Wuppertal – '''Cologne''' (– Bonn – Koblenz) | Every 2 hours |- | align=center|{{ric|DB Fernverkehr|ICE 33}} | colspan="2" |Westerland – Niebüll – Itzehoe – Hamburg – Bremen – Osnabrück – Münster – Gelsenkirchen – Essen – Duisburg – Düsseldorf – '''Cologne''' | 1 train pair |- | align=center|{{ric|DB Fernverkehr|IC 35}} | colspan="2" | Norddeich Mole – Emden – Münster – Recklinghausen – Wanne-Eickel – Gelsenkirchen – Oberhausen – Duisburg – Düsseldorf – '''Cologne''' | Every 2 hours |- | align=center|{{ric|DB Fernverkehr|IC 37}} | colspan="2" |Düsseldorf – '''Cologne''' – Bonn – Remagen – Andernach – Koblenz – Kobern-Gondorf – Treis-Karden – Cochem – Bullay – Wittlich – Schweich – Trier – Wasserbillig – Luxembourg | 1 train pair |CFL<ref>{{cite press release|url=https://www.deutschebahn.com/pr-duesseldorf-de/aktuell/presseinformationen/direktverbindung_luxemburg_duesseldorf-1342132 |title=Direkt und komfortabler im Westen unterwegs: Umsteigefrei von Luxemburg nach Düsseldorf |access-date=9 September 2019 |language=de}}</ref>/DB Fernverkehr |- | align=center|{{ric|DB Fernverkehr|ICE 42}} | colspan="2" | Hamburg – Bremen – Münster – Dortmund – Hagen – Wuppertal – Solingen – '''Cologne''' – Siegburg/Bonn – Frankfurt Airport – Mannheim – Stuttgart – Munich | Every 2 hours | rowspan="9" |DB Fernverkehr |- | align=center|{{ric|DB Fernverkehr|ICE 43}} | colspan="2" | Hamburg-Altona – Hamburg – Bremen – Münster – Dortmund – Essen – Düsseldorf – '''Cologne''' – Siegburg/Bonn – Frankfurt Airport – Mannheim – Karlsruhe – Basel |rowspan="3"|Some trains |- | align=center|{{ric|DB Fernverkehr|ICE 45}} | colspan="2" | '''Cologne''' – Cologne/Bonn Airport – Montabaur – Limburg Süd – Wiesbaden – Mainz – Heidelberg – Stuttgart |- | align=center|{{ric|DB Fernverkehr|ICE 49}} | colspan="2" | '''Cologne''' (– Cologne/Bonn Airport) – Siegburg/Bonn – Montabaur – Limburg Süd – Frankfurt Airport – Frankfurt |- | rowspan=2 align=center|{{ric|DB Fernverkehr|ICE 55}} {{ric|DB Fernverkehr|IC 55}} | colspan="2" | Dresden – Leipzig – Halle – Magdeburg – Hannover – Hamm – Dortmund – Wuppertal – '''Cologne''' – Bonn – Koblenz – Mainz – Mannheim – Heidelberg – {{stn|Vaihingen (Enz)}} – Stuttgart (– Reutlingen – Tübingen) | Every 2 hours |- | colspan="2" |Dortmund – Essen – Düsseldorf – '''Cologne''' – Bonn – Koblenz – Mainz – Mannheim – Heidelberg – Stuttgart – Ulm – {{stn|Oberstdorf}} | 1 train pair |- | align=center|{{ric|DB Fernverkehr|ICE 78}} | colspan="2" | Amsterdam – Arnhem – Oberhausen – Duisburg – Düsseldorf – '''Cologne''' – Frankfurt Airport – Frankfurt | rowspan="2" |Every 2 hours |- | align=center|{{ric|DB Fernverkehr|ICE 79}} | colspan="2" | Brussels – Aachen – '''Cologne''' – Frankfurt Airport – Frankfurt |- | align=center|{{ric|DB Fernverkehr|ICE 91}} | colspan="2" | Hamburg-Altona – Hamburg – Bremen – Osnabrück – Münster – Dortmund – Hagen – Wuppertal – Solingen – '''Cologne''' – Bonn – Koblenz – Mainz – Frankfurt Airport – Frankfurt – / Hanau – Würzburg – Nuremberg – Ingolstadt – Munich | Every 2 hours |- | align=center|{{rcb|Thalys|9400|inline=croute}} | colspan="2" | Dortmund – Essen – Duisburg – {{nowrap|Düsseldorf Airport –}} Düsseldorf – '''Cologne''' – Aachen – Liège-Guillemins – Brussels-South – Paris-Nord | | Eurostar |- | align=center|{{ric|FlixTrain|20}} | colspan="2" | Hamburg – Osnabrück – Münster – Gelsenkirchen – Essen – Duisburg – Düsseldorf – '''Cologne''' | 1-3 train pairs | rowspan=2|Bahntouristikexpress |- | align=center|{{ric|FlixTrain|30}} | colspan="2" | Leipzig – Lutherstadt Wittenberg – Berlin Südkreuz – Berlin – Berlin-Spandau – Hannover – Bielefeld – Dortmund – Essen – Duisburg – Düsseldorf – '''Cologne''' – Aachen | 1-2 train pairs |- | align=center|{{rcb|ÖBB|NJ Amsterdam-Zürich|inline=croute}} |colspan=2| Amsterdam – Utrecht – Arnhem – Düsseldorf – '''Cologne''' – Freiburg – Basel – Zürich | 1 train pair | rowspan="3" | ÖBB Nightjet |- | align=center|{{Bahnlinie|IRE||NJ 425|white|#0000CC}} | rowspan="2" | {{rws|Brussels-South}} – {{rws|Brussels-North}} – {{rws|Liège-Guillemins}} – Aachen – '''Cologne''' – {{nowrap|Bonn-Beuel}} – Koblenz – Mainz – {{nowrap|Frankfurt Airport}} – {{nowrap|Frankfurt South}} – Nuremberg – | Augsburg – Munich – {{rws|Kufstein}} – Wörgl – Jenbach – Innsbruck | |- | align=center|{{Bahnlinie|IRE||NJ 50425|white|#0000CC}} | Regensburg – Passau – Wels – Linz – Amstetten – {{nowrap|St. Pölten}} – {{nowrap|{{rws|Wien Meidling}}}} – {{rws|Wien Hauptbahnhof||Vienna}} | |}

===Regional services===

{{further|List of regional railway lines in North Rhine-Westphalia}} Cologne Hauptbahnhof is also a hub for numerous Regional-Express and Regionalbahn services, mostly serving the station in Cologne every half-hour or hour, but sometime only every two hours. In the 2026 timetable, the following regional services stop at the station:<ref name="services"/>

{| class="wikitable" |- class= ! Line !! Line name !! Frequency !! Route |- | align=center|{{ric|National Express Germany|RE 1}} | NRW-Express | rowspan=6|Hourly | Paderborn –) Hamm – Dortmund – Essen – Duisburg – Düsseldorf – '''Cologne''' – Düren – Aachen |- | align=center|{{ric|National Express Germany|RE 5}} | Rhein-Express | Emmerich – Wesel – Duisburg – Düsseldorf – '''Cologne''' – Bonn – Remagen – Andernach – Koblenz |- | align=center|{{ric|National Express Germany|RE 6}} | Rhein-Weser-Express | Minden – Herford – Bielefeld – Hamm – Dortmund – Essen – Duisburg – Düsseldorf Airport – Düsseldorf Hbf – Neuss – '''Cologne  Hbf''' – Cologne/Bonn Airport |- | align=center|{{ric|National Express Germany|RE 7}} | Rhein-Münsterland-Express | Rheine – Münster – Hamm – Hagen – Wuppertal – Solingen – '''Cologne''' – Neuss – Krefeld |- | align=center|{{ric|DB Regio NRW|RE 8}} | Rhein-Erft-Express | (Kaldenkirchen) – Mönchengladbach – Grevenbroich – Rommerskirchen – '''Cologne''' – Porz (Rhein) – Troisdorf – Bonn-Beuel – Linz am Rhein – Koblenz Stadtmitte – Koblenz |- | align=center|{{ric|DB Regio NRW|RE 9}} | Rhein-Sieg-Express | Aachen – Düren – '''Cologne''' – Troisdorf – Siegburg/Bonn – Au (Sieg) – Siegen |- | align=center|{{ric|DB Regio NRW|RE 12}} | Eifel-Mosel-Express | Some train pairs | Köln Messe/Deutz – '''Cologne''' – Euskirchen – Gerolstein – Trier |- | align=center|{{ric|DB Regio NRW|RE 22}}/ {{ric|DB Regio NRW|RB 22}} | Eifel-Express | Hourly | Köln Messe/Deutz – '''Cologne''' – Euskirchen – Gerolstein |- | align=center|{{ric|DB Regio NRW|RB 24}} | Eifel-Bahn | Hourly (Cologne–Kall); some trains (Kall–Gerolstein) | Köln Messe/Deutz – '''Cologne''' – Euskirchen – Kall – Gerolstein |- | align=center|{{ric|DB Regio NRW|RB 25}} | Oberbergische Bahn |30 mins (Cologne–Gummersbach); hourly (Gummersbach–Lüdenscheid) | Köln Hansaring – '''Cologne''' – Overath – Gummersbach – Marienheide - '''Meinerzhagen''' ''(Diesel-S-Bahn)'' |- | align=center|{{ric|Trans Regio|RB 26}} | MittelrheinBahn | rowspan=2|Hourly | Köln Messe/Deutz – '''Cologne''' – Bonn – Koblenz – Koblenz – Bingen – Mainz |- | align=center|{{ric|DB Regio NRW|RB 27}} | Rhein-Erft-Bahn | Mönchengladbach – Grevenbroich – Rommerskirchen – '''Cologne''' – Cologne/Bonn Airport – Troisdorf – Bonn-Beuel – Linz am Rhein – Neuwied – Engers – Koblenz-Ehrenbreitstein – Koblenz |- | align=center|{{ric|DB Regio NRW|RB 38}} | Erft-Bahn | Hourly; 30 min (Bedburg–Horrem on weekdays) | Düsseldorf – Neuss – Grevenbroich – Bedburg – Bergheim – '''Cologne''' – Köln Messe/Deutz |- | align=center|{{ric|National Express Germany|RB 48}} | Rhein-Wupper-Bahn | 30 min (W-Oberbarmen–Cologne) 30 (peak)/60 min (Cologne–Bonn) Hourly (Bonn–Bonn-Mehlem) | Wuppertal-Oberbarmen – Solingen – '''Cologne''' – Bonn – Bonn-Mehlem |}

[[File:146 019-5 Rheinexpressinkoelnhbf.jpg|thumb|Rhein-Express in the station]] [[File:Kölner Hauptbahnhof- auf Bahnsteig zu Gleis 1- Richtung West (RB Rhein-Wupper-Bahn 111 124-4) 15.9.2012.jpg|thumb|The Rhein-Wupper-Bahn hauled by a DB Class 111 on its way to Wuppertal]] thumb|Line plan of the Cologne S-Bahn network

===S-Bahn trains===

Köln Hauptbahnhof is integrated in the Cologne S-Bahn network. From Monday to Friday S-Bahn trains run at 20-minute intervals during the day and at other times usually every 30 minutes. Northwest of the Cologne Hauptbahnhof S-Bahn station is the Köln Hansaring S-Bahn station and to the east is the Köln Messe/Deutz S-Bahn station. All S-Bahn services serving the station, use these two stations. In the 2026 timetable, the following S-Bahn services stop at the station:<ref name="services"/>

{| class="wikitable" |- class="hintergrundfarbe5" ! Line !! Network !! Route |- | {{ric|Rhine-Ruhr S-Bahn|6}} | Rhine-Ruhr S-Bahn | Köln-Nippes – '''Köln Hbf''' – Langenfeld – Düsseldorf Hbf – Ratingen Ost – Essen Hbf |- | {{ric|Cologne S-Bahn|11}} | Cologne S-Bahn | Düsseldorf Flughafen Terminal – Düsseldorf – Neuss – Dormagen – '''Köln Hbf''' – Bergisch Gladbach |- | {{ric|Cologne S-Bahn|12}} | Cologne S-Bahn | (Horrem –) Köln-Ehrenfeld – '''Köln Hbf''' – Troisdorf – Siegburg/Bonn – Hennef (– Au) |- | {{ric|Cologne S-Bahn|19}} | Cologne S-Bahn | Düren – Horrem – '''Köln Hbf''' – Cologne/Bonn Airport – Troisdorf – Siegburg/Bonn – Hennef – Au |}

===Local services=== {{Main|Dom/Hauptbahnhof station|Breslauer Platz/Hauptbahnhof station}} Below Cologne Hauptbahnhof there are two stations of the Cologne Stadtbahn. Stadtbahn stations Dom/Hauptbahnhof station and Breslauer Platz/Hauptbahnhof station are on the same tunnel that runs under the main station making a turn of 120 degrees. The former one is located below the southern end, next to the cathedral, the latter at the northern end where it connects to the bus station. ''Breslauer Platz/Hauptbahnhof'' station was relocated and completely redesigned up December 2011. Line 5 has been rerouted from ''Dom/Hauptbahnhof'' to Rathaus station to connect with the first open part of the north-south Stadtbahn tunnel, which is currently under construction. One year later line 5 was lengthened one station from Rathaus to Heumarkt. Formerly, all trains stopped at ''Dom/Hbf'' and ''Breslauer Platz/Hbf'', but, as the junction for the new line will be between these stations, line 5 trains only stop at ''Dom/Hbf'', and line 16 trains will only stop at ''Breslauer Platz/Hbf'' when the line is opened.

Currently ''Dom/Hbf'' station is served by the following lines (during the day at ten-minute intervals, line 18 at five-minute intervals), but ''Breslauer Platz/Hbf'' station is served only by lines 16 and 18:

Services are offered by the Cologne Stadtbahn and the Bonn Stadtbahn, often referred to as ''Stadtbahn Rhein-Sieg'' after the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Sieg (VRS - Rhein-Sieg Transit Authority).

{| class="wikitable" |- class="hintergrundfarbe5" ! Line !! Route |- | {{ric|Cologne Stadtbahn|5}} || Heumarkt – Rathaus – '''Dom/Hauptbahnhof''' – Friesenplatz – Neuehrenfeld – Sparkasse Am Butzweilerhof |- | {{ric|Cologne Stadtbahn|16}} || Niehl – Reichenspergerplatz – '''Dom/Hauptbahnhof''' – Neumarkt – Ubierring – Rodenkirchen – Wesseling – Bonn Hbf – Bonn-Bad Godesberg |- | {{ric|Cologne Stadtbahn|18}} || Thielenbruch – Buchheim – Mülheim – Reichenspergerplatz – '''Dom/Hauptbahnhof''' – Neumarkt – Klettenberg – Hürth – Brühl – Bonn Hbf |}

==Future== ===London services=== {{update section|date=August 2025}} Since January 2010, a system of "open access" on European high-speed railway lines now permits different rail operators to apply to run high-speed passenger services. DB Fernverkehr have announced their intention to operate a direct ICE service from Cologne to London St Pancras via Brussels and the Channel Tunnel. The proposal, first put forward in 2007,<ref name="ES-DB1">{{cite news|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/hp/front/german-rival-for-eurostar-6653156.html |title=German rival for Eurostar |last=Murray |first=Dick |date=19 December 2007 |publisher=London Evening Standard |access-date=7 February 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605063102/http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23419061-german-rival-for-eurostar.do |archive-date= 5 June 2011 }}</ref> was delayed by Eurotunnel safety regulations which required operators to use trainsets which could be divided in the Tunnel in the event of an emergency, allowing passengers to be transported out of the tunnel in two directions. This regulation has now been relaxed, and it was envisaged that DB could begin direct London-Cologne services before the end of 2014. These plans have since been delayed, and services are not expected to start until at least 2018.

== References ==

===Notes=== {{reflist}}

===Bibliography=== {{refbegin}} *{{cite book|last1=Krings|first1=Ulrich|last2=Schmidt|first2=Rudolf|title=Hauptbahnhof Köln: Kathedrale der Mobilität & modernes Dienstleistungszentrum; Geschichte, Gegenwart, Zukunft|trans-title=Köln Hauptbahnhof: Cathedral of Mobility and Modern Service Centre; History, Present, Future|date=2009|publisher=Weimarer Verlagsgesellschaft|location=Weimar|isbn=9783941830035|language=de}} {{refend}}

== External links == {{commons category|Köln Hauptbahnhof}} * {{cite web|url=http://www.rheinische-industriekultur.de/objekte/koeln/Hauptbahnhof/Hauptbahnhof.html |publisher=Rheinische Industriekultur |title= Köln-Hauptbahnhof |access-date=23 November 2013 |language=de}} * {{cite web |url=http://cms-bahnhof.noncd-web.db.de/sites/default/files/pdf/koelnplandb_vst_a4web.pdf |title=Plan of Köln Hbf |publisher=Deutsche Bahn |format=PDF; 636.21 KB |access-date=23 November 2013 |language=de |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203023713/http://cms-bahnhof.noncd-web.db.de/sites/default/files/pdf/koelnplandb_vst_a4web.pdf |archive-date=3 December 2013 |url-status=dead }} * {{cite web |url=http://stredax.dbnetze.com/Dokumente/ISR/BS/NBS/K/KK_NBS.pdf |title=Track plan of Köln Hbf |publisher=Deutsche Bahn |access-date=23 November 2013 |language=de |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203002128/http://stredax.dbnetze.com/Dokumente/ISR/BS/NBS/K/KK_NBS.pdf |archive-date=3 December 2013 |url-status=dead }}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Koln Hauptbahnhof}} ! Category:Rhine-Ruhr S-Bahn stations Category:Buildings and structures in Cologne Category:Innenstadt, Cologne Category:S6 (Rhine-Ruhr S-Bahn) Category:S11 (Cologne S-Bahn) Category:S12 (Cologne S-Bahn) Category:S19 (Cologne S-Bahn) Category:Railway stations in Germany opened in 1859 Category:Cologne-Bonn Stadtbahn stations Category:1859 establishments in Prussia Category:Transit centers in Germany Category:Cologne S-Bahn stations