Brussels - Cologne problems

[BahrainLad]

(This is being discussed in various places but I thought a specific thread would help others looking for information).

There has been a freight train derailment between Aachen and Cologne, leading to a disruption to services. This has been going on for well over a week and shows no sign of improvement.

DB themselves say

Due to a line closure between Cologne and Aachen, there are train cancellations and delays in Deutsche Bahn's long-distance services.
The following long-distance connections are affected:

• ICE trains between Frankfurt (Main) and Brussels are being diverted between Cologne and Aachen and are delayed by around 20 minutes. There are occasional train cancellations.
• ICE trains between Aachen and Berlin are cancelled between Aachen and Cologne
• NJ trains between Cologne and Brussels are delayed by about 90 minutes

All passengers with tickets for these affected trains who wish to postpone their journey can use their ticket at a later date. The train connection is no longer valid. The ticket is valid for the journey to the original destination, even if the route is changed. Seat reservations can be cancelled free of charge. New reservations must be booked for any trains that require a reservation. This new reservation is free of charge and will be issued subject to availability. Please contact your DB sales point/DB travel center for this.
In the event of a train cancellation or a delay of more than 60 minutes at the destination station, passengers can also cancel their trip and receive a full refund of the fare for their ticket without deductions.

However although they say "delays of 20 minutes" to the ICE by looking at the live traffic information it seems to be the case that most ICE services between Aachen and Cologne are suspended with trains operating a 'shuttle' from Brussels to Aachen only (e.g. ICE 315 and ICE 17 from BXL today only getting as far as Aachen). Eurostar (ex Thalys) services from BXL to Germany are also disrupted, for example today (2/12) 2 of the 4 services are cancelled entirely and the ones that are running are not going any further than Cologne. It seems some regional trains are operating from Cologne to Aachen but with extended journey times.

Is there any information when this might be resolved? I am due to travel Dusseldorf (RE 5) - Cologne (ICE 314) - BXL (EST) - London on Sunday 8th and my current plan is to take the RE 4 from Dusseldorf direct to Aachen, bypassing this problem, and picking up my onward ICE there. I presume this is a reasonably foolproof plan but would be interested in your thoughts.

 

[rvdborgt]

Last I read is that it will take until 23/12.
Going to Aachen directly should be better indeed. Do check a few hours in advance though that your RE4 will be running because they sometimes suffer from staff shortage.

 

[BahrainLad]

Thank you. The plan is to kill a couple of hours in Aachen at the Christmas market (when life gives you lemons etc.) so I should have sufficient buffer in case of any RE 4 problems!

 

[duesselmartin]

RE1 also runs but is prone to delays.

 

[iknowyeah]

I've avoided it today by going via Deventer and Rotterdam, however there are now problems at Rheine so DB not having much luck this week

 

[Orton]

I'm due to be travelling from Frankfurt - [Cologne] - Brussels - London this Sunday. My current plan is to just get on an earlier train from Frankfurt, allowing a couple of extra hours for the journey to Brussels, and trusting that some combination of suitable trains/buses turn up. Seem feasible? Anyone got any better suggestions?

The DB website is remarkably unhelpful - and indeed is still selling tickets for the ICE12 that I'm booked on and that seems very unlikely to run/run close enough to time to connect with Eurostar.

 

[rvdborgt]

I'm due to be travelling from Frankfurt - [Cologne] - Brussels - London this Sunday. My current plan is to just get on an earlier train from Frankfurt, allowing a couple of extra hours for the journey to Brussels, and trusting that some combination of suitable trains/buses turn up. Seem feasible? Anyone got any better suggestions?

I think that's a sensible approach.

The DB website is remarkably unhelpful - and indeed is still selling tickets for the ICE12 that I'm booked on and that seems very unlikely to run/run close enough to time to connect with Eurostar.

It looks to me like they still haven't implemented the temporary changes. Maybe that will happen tomorrow or Friday. Interestingly, ICE 12 seems to be one of the few trains that are diverted between Cologne and Aachen. Looking at its history on bahn.expert, it looks like it was diverted on all days except for one and arrived in Brussels with delays between half an hour and 2h15'.
The REs between Cologne and Aachen are running so if you look for journeys via Düren, you'll see more realistic options.

 

[30907]

If DB are to be believed, the last two trains each way today are running through with a delay - presumably the sets have to be swapped over for maintenance.

 

[rvdborgt]

If DB are to be believed, the last two trains each way today are running through with a delay - presumably the sets have to be swapped over for maintenance.

That was also my conclusion after seeing that. 2 sets normally stay overnight in Brussels and if the other trains are just Brussels <-> Aachen, then they need to swap them regularly. These trains seem to be planned via Düren, with a 20-minute delay.

 

[Jon C]

I went Cologne-Aachen-Brussels yesterday and it was alright, you’ve just got to allow extra time for the journey on the RE train between Cologne and Aachen before getting onto the ICE there. The only slight issue was that there were loads of people with luggage then using the RE train, and not much space to put that luggage!

 

[wellhouse]

Currently (1930 Wednesday 4/12) sitting at Aachen on ES9459 heading for Cologne. Ultimate destination Wuppertal, and I did consider a direct RB/RE from here. DB App says fastest way is to stay on this train, but judging by the number of passengers who left the train at Aachen, I suspect the DB App isn't providing the best information.

 

[rvdborgt]

DB now says ETA in Köln Hbf 21:05, which means diversion via Rheydt. A change in Aachen would have meant RE9, current ETA Köln Hbf 20:17...

 

[wellhouse]

DB do seem to be making it up as they go along. The guard predicted 2000 arrival at Rheydt, but we were at least 10 minutes later than that. Now on a direct(?) S8 service to reach Wuppertal.

 

[rvdborgt]

DB do seem to be making it up as they go along. The guard predicted 2000 arrival at Rheydt, but we were at least 10 minutes later than that. Now on a direct(?) S8 service to reach Wuppertal.

They let you off at Rheydt? Interesting. FYI, ICE 19 took the direct line and got to Cologne before your ThalysEurostar...

 

[wellhouse]

We'll see what happens on our return journey on 10 days' time
We've allowed time for a leisurely lunch at n Brussels, but the DB planner makes us join at Cologne Ehrenfeld rather than Hbf

 

[rvdborgt]

We'll see what happens on our return journey on 10 days' time
We've allowed time for a leisurely lunch at n Brussels, but the DB planner makes us join at Cologne Ehrenfeld rather than Hbf

Yes there may be engineering works (again). Do check on the day how the trains will actually run.

 

[wellhouse]

Perhaps DB are giving their ICE services preferential treatment over Eurostar for precious paths

 

[30907]

Perhaps DB are giving their ICE services preferential treatment over Eurostar for precious paths

Normally they are an hour apart but the ES was delayed from Brussels and seemingly an hour late by Aachen.

 

[Gerald Fiennes]

Is there any information when this might be resolved? I am due to travel Dusseldorf (RE 5) - Cologne (ICE 314) - BXL (EST) - London on Sunday 8th and my current plan is to take the RE 4 from Dusseldorf direct to Aachen, bypassing this problem, and picking up my onward ICE there. I presume this is a reasonably foolproof plan but would be interested in your thoughts.

Yes, seems sensible. As others have said maybe best to allow an extra hour on the RE4, ie. leave earlier than you planned. If going to the Weihnachtsmarket in Aachen, note that it is about a 15 min bus ride/25 mins walk from the Hbf down the hill to it. Always check the DB Navigator app for latest information given the fragile state of many of DB's routes at present....

The RE4 route is fine, although maybe not quite so interesting in terms of scenery as the route via Dueren....

If you miss the Eurostar connection to London from Brussels, it's a good idea to have some confirmation in writing of the delay from a DB train conductor and they will put you on the next train without supplement. Given that this disruption has been very extensive, one would imagine that the Eurostar staff at the Channel Terminal are very familiar with the issue!

 

[wellhouse]

Normally they are an hour apart but the ES was delayed from Brussels and seemingly an hour late by Aachen.

The ES was already over 20 minutes late when it arrived at Bruxelles-Midi

 

[TravellingPhil]

I've just recieved confirmation that our ICE 15 we have seat reservations for on Monday morning can no longer run from Brussels to Koln. So Aachen it is. Not too much of a problem as that's the only journey we're making that day and we're travelling on FIP coupons.

The only thing we need to be mindful of is that we wait for RE9 to complete our journey into Cologne as that's the only regional service run by DB. Our coupons won't be valid on other regional services ran by private operators.

But we have all day. And Aachen is a place I've never explored before. So we'll make the best of it.

 

[Thames99]

I've just recieved confirmation that our ICE 15 we have seat reservations for on Monday morning can no longer run from Brussels to Koln. So Aachen it is. Not too much of a problem as that's the only journey we're making that day and we're travelling on FIP coupons.

The only thing we need to be mindful of is that we wait for RE9 to complete our journey into Cologne as that's the only regional service run by DB. Our coupons won't be valid on other regional services ran by private operators.

But we have all day. And Aachen is a place I've never explored before. So we'll make the best of it.

Aachen is well worth spending a day looking round. It's a compact town and not a long walk from the station to the historic centre. There's a very pleasant Mediterranean/ Turkish restaurant called Magellan which I'd recommend for lunch or dinner.

 

[Beebman]

A retro-tech YouTuber I follow called Techmoan has posted a vlog of a Rhine river cruise he went on recently and he's included quite a lot of footage of his train journey from Wigan to Cologne including delays caused by the incident. In particular at 10:24 there's view of a map on his phone which appears to show his position as being (possibly) near Monchengladbach. On the return he arrived early at the Hbf at 40:36 and was given a piece of paper advising him to take an RE to Aachen where he changes to an ICE, presumably delayed. At 41:34 outside Brussels Midi he talks in more detail about his experience - it looks like he may have been first advised to take a different train but that was 'delayed' and was then put on the RE. I don't fully make sense of what he says but obviously he's not an expert in rail travel. Anyway he was able to take an earlier Eurostar to London so he was happy in the end.

Of course much of his video is off-topic here and covers his Rhine cruise to the Netherlands and back but hopefully there's enough rail footage to be of interest:

These are the main timestamps:

Outward:
03:58 arrives at St.Pancras
05:50 boards a E300
08:32 arrives Brussels
10:00 boards a red Eurostar
10:35 after arrival at Cologne he talks about the diversion (looks like he was 90 minutes late)

Return:
40:35 on board the RE
40:52 on board the ICE at Aachen
41:33 arrives Brussels
42:37 on board an E320
42:55 arrives at St.Pancras

(as I said the video also includes his Avanti journeys to and from his hometown of Wigan)

 

[ThisIsSurbiton]

I went to the Mainz area and back last week. The luck of the draw, the "replacement" RE on the way out was heaving but on the way back was very quiet (and a new train). We were late (no surprise in Germany any more) and the Aachen - Brussels ICE left without us, it must have been quite empty. The guard on the RE1 made sure we were very clear that National Express weren't responsible for that decision! Just made it with minus seconds to spare onto SNCB for a trip on the old route via Verviers, which was quite pleasant. I never bothered with queueing up to get bits of paper as I was sure that the disruption was well known enough and I wouldn't have any trouble, and I didn't at all.

The DB Navigator app was essential (when it wasn't putting me in an infinite loop of logging in to get my "alternatives") but did surprise me with this impossible journey on the way out. I think the departure from Cologne was possible via the RE, but it missed out that leg completely. Instead I had to ignore this suggestion and plan a new trip and bookmark that. The "use any train" rule is needed in GB, it removes a lot of the stress

 

[rvdborgt]

The DB Navigator app was essential (when it wasn't putting me in an infinite loop of logging in to get my "alternatives") but did surprise me with this impossible journey on the way out. I think the departure from Cologne was possible via the RE, but it missed out that leg completely. Instead I had to ignore this suggestion and plan a new trip and bookmark that.

Until a few days ago, the changes had not been incorporated into the online timetable. It was just notes added to the timetable, which is not the same thing. You could force the planner by e.g. adding "via Düren".
Since then, possibly on Friday, the cancellations and diversions have been added properly until 15/12. I suspect the rest will follow soon.

 

[wellhouse]

I've just recieved confirmation that our ICE 15 we have seat reservations for on Monday morning can no longer run from Brussels to Koln. So Aachen it is. Not too much of a problem as that's the only journey we're making that day and we're travelling on FIP coupons.

The only thing we need to be mindful of is that we wait for RE9 to complete our journey into Cologne as that's the only regional service run by DB. Our coupons won't be valid on other regional services ran by private operators.

But we have all day. And Aachen is a place I've never explored before. So we'll make the best of it.

Similarly, we've had a message telling us to rebook our Thursday morning journey on ICE 316 from Cologne to Brussels. For some reason it is rescheduled to reach Brussels at 1316 instead of 1135, just 19 minutes ahead of ICE 16, which is starting from Aachen rather than Frankfurt. I'd allowed for a leisurely lunch in Brussels before our Eurostar, so we should be OK whichever ICE we catch. We now have seat reservations on both ICE 316 and ICE 16, but the DB email included a link for refunding our original reservations

 

[BahrainLad]

Well yesterday went smoothly, kind of. To digress slightly, I spent the weekend in Dusseldorf and Cologne with friends. We flew out from Heathrow on Friday afternoon without incident. On Saturday, it was clear that the approaching storm was going to cause havoc with BA's operations and at around 3pm Cologne time the cancellations for those people returning by air on Sunday started to come through. One of our party, booked to fly DUS-LHR, LHR-CDG with a break in the middle to go home to unpack from holiday/repack for a work trip, ended up giving up on flying altogether and booked the ICE to Brussels, a Eurostar to London and then another Eurostar to Paris. He routed Dusseldorf - Cologne - Aachen on the RE and even at 8am the re-timed service ended up being 20+ minutes late into Aachen. Fortunately DB held the connecting ICE but this was only apparent when they arrived in the station, there was no prior information on the RE which was poor. So if you are planning this route, take extra time.

From my experience: I got the 1021 RE from Dusseldorf to Aachen via Monchengladbach, arriving at 1135. Plenty of time to explore the markets (which are great btw, well worth a visit and much less crowded than Dusseldorf and Cologne in particular). I then wandered back to the station for 1421 and the ICE to Brussels. This was a ICE 3neo with the new interior and super nice. Helped that in my F carriage, it was 20% full if that.

However once we got to Brussels the fun started. I rolled up to the Channel Terminal entrance at 1600 for the 1651 train (in advance of 1606 as requested on my Eurostar Plus ticket) and the queue for formalities was out of the terminal, into the concourse, round the corner and all along the shops. And it was hardly moving. I took solace that I was surrounded by fellow passengers but it took until 1630 (i.e. 21 minutes before departure) from anyone from Eurostar to appear along the queue and we were told that the train would be delayed. Once in the terminal I saw that 1 of the 3 security machines was inoperative but there didn't seem to be any other problem. It took until 1720 for me to get onto the train, and we didn't depart until 1735 (so 45 minutes late). I see from Eurostar's website that both subsequent departures were also heavily delayed by this congestion.

Of the E* staff that I spoke to, one said "It's very busy. We have 800 passengers to process." and the other said "It's security and immigration's problem, it's nothing to do with Eurostar." Helpful.

So all in all the trip was fine, if a bit elongated. But Eurostar at Brussels is a shambles. They simply need more processing space. Perhaps they could rip out that shiny new duty free shop (that nobody has time to visit) and put in some more scanners.

Some pics.

 

[wellhouse]

I'll be exceedingly disappointed if our Eurostar is delayed. It's our last Interrail day, and we're booked for GWR Pullman Dining to Cardiff!

 

[BahrainLad]

It seems that when a train is full, the Brussels facilities can't cope. Hopefully at early afternoon on a Thursday the train won't be full.

 

[cloudy]

Hi I am due to travel from Bremen - Brussels on December 19th. I am booked on the 18:51 eurostar to London, so aiming to be at Bruxelles-midi by 17:45. I haven't done this journey before so am a bit nervous ensuring i get to brussels in time. Does anyone have any experience or advice?

My current plan is to depart Bremen at 07:44. Do you think this allows enough buffer time with the delays?

Bremen - Cologne. ICE105.
Cologne - Aachen. RE1 or RE9.
Aachen - Bruxelles-midi. ICE16/ICE314/ICE14.

Thank you in advance!

And would you recommend making seat reservations on multiple connections to be safe? Are they often very busy/full?
Thanks!