The original starting point of the Cologne–Aachen railway was a terminal station of the Rhenish Railway Company (Rheinische Eisenbahn).
When the Cathedral Bridge made it possible for trains to cross the Rhine in 1859, the line ran to the Centralbahnhof (central station).
This was a combined terminus and through station.
The trains of the Rhenish Railway Company from Aachen ended at four terminal tracks.
Two thoroughfares mainly served trains of the Cologne-Minden Railway Company (Cöln-Mindener Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft).
Today's Cologne Hauptbahnhof (main station) was built from 1892 to 1894 because the capacity of the station was no longer able to cope with the increased traffic.
The station was badly damaged during the Second World War and the station building had to be demolished and replaced by a new building.
Around 1990, two tracks were added on the north side for S-Bahn traffic, which are independent of the rest of the infrastructure.
Today's station is one of the busiest stations in Germany because all trains that use the Cologne–Aachen high-speed line stop here.
The original starting point of the Cologne–Aachen railway was a terminal station of the Rhenish Railway Company (Rheinische Eisenbahn). When the Cathedral Bridge made it possible for trains to cross the Rhine in 1859, the line ran to the Centralbahnhof (central station). This was a combined terminus and through station. The trains of the Rhenish Railway Company from Aachen ended at four terminal tracks. Two thoroughfares mainly served trains of the Cologne-Minden Railway Company (Cöln-Mindener Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft). Today's Cologne Hauptbahnhof (main station) was built from 1892 to 1894 because the capacity of the station was no longer able to cope with the increased traffic. The station was badly damaged during the Second World War and the station building had to be demolished and replaced by a new building. Around 1990, two tracks were added on the north side for S-Bahn traffic, which are independent of the rest of the infrastructure. Today's station is one of the busiest stations in Germany because all trains that use the Cologne–Aachen high-speed line stop here.
Cologne–Aachen high-speed railway