knowledge Overview
The station was opened in 1859 as the "Centralbahnhof" together with the Dombrücke; today's station building opened in 1957 after wartime destruction. It is a through station in the immediate vicinity of Cologne Cathedral and belongs to Preisklasse 1. Around 350,000 travellers and visitors use the station daily, with about 1,200 train movements.
Services
- Long-distance rail: ICE 10, ICE 42, ICE 43; plus further ICE lines and ICE International/Thalys to Amsterdam, Brussels and Paris, IC/EC connections and ÖBB Nightjet
- S-Bahn: Connected to the S-Bahn Rhein-Sieg network via tracks 10 and 11
- Regional rail: RE 1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 22 as well as several RB lines
Station layout
The station has 11 tracks (9 for long-distance and regional traffic and 2 S-Bahn tracks) at covered platforms. Two underground stops of the Cologne Stadtbahn — Dom/Hauptbahnhof and Breslauer Platz/Hauptbahnhof — serve the station from below.