Wuppertal cut off rail service for six weeks

[U-Bahnfreund]

DB is completing its works on the new electronic signalbox in Wuppertal, that has accounted for many weekend closures in the past few years, which means that, again, the complete main line from Wuppertal-Oberbarmen via Wuppertal Hbf (main station), Wuppertal-Vohwinkel and further to Düsseldorf, Solingen and Velbert-Langenberg will be closed during the North Rhine-Westphalian school holidays from the 16th of July to the 29th of August.

This has the following effect on the different train services:
S-Bahn

• S7 Wuppertal–Remscheid–Solingen: will not operate between Wuppertal-Oberbarmen and Wuppertal Hbf
• S8 Hagen–Mönchengladbach: will not operate between Wuppertal-Oberbarmen and Düsseldorf-Gerresheim
• S9 Wuppertal–Essen–Haltern am See: will not operate between Wuppertal Hbf and Velbert-Langenberg
• S68 Wuppertal–Langenfeld (Rheinl): will not operate between Wuppertal Hbf and Düsseldorf Hbf

Regionalbahn and Regional-Express

• RE4 Dortmund–Aachen: will not operate between Wuppertal-Oberbarmen and Düsseldorf Hbf
• RE7 Rheine–Krefeld: will not operate between Wuppertal-Oberbarmen and Solingen Hbf
• RE13 Hamm (Westf)–Venlo: will not operate between Wuppertal-Oberbarben and Düsseldorf Hbf
• RB48 Wuppertal–Bonn: will not operate between Wuppertal-Oberbarmen and Solingen Hbf

Intercity and Intercity-Express

• ICE Cologne–Berlin: will operate via Düsseldorf, Essen, Duisburg and Dortmund instead
• ICE Dortmund–Munich: will not operate between Dortmund and Cologne
• IC Hamburg–Nuremberg: will not operate between Dortmund and Cologne
• IC Cologne–Dresden: will not operate between Dortmund and Cologne

There are several replacement bus services:

• RE4/RE13: Wuppertal-Oberbarmen – Düsseldorf Hbf (non-stop, every 15 minutes)
• RE4/RE13: Wuppertal Hbf – Düsseldorf Hbf (also stopping at Wuppertal-Sonnborn, every 15 minutes)
• RE7: Wuppertal Hbf – Solingen Hbf (non-stop, every 60 minutes)
• RE7: Wuppertal-Oberbarmen – Solingen Hbf (non-stop, every 60 minutes)
• SB9: Wuppertal Hbf – Velbert-Langenberg (non-stop, every 60 minutes)
• RB48: Wuppertal-Oberbarmen – Solingen Hbf (stopping at regular RB48 stations, every 30 to 60 minutes)
• S7/S9: Wuppertal-Oberbarmen – Velbert-Langenberg (stopping at regular S7 and S9 stations, every 20 to 30 minutes)
• S8/S68: Wuppertal-Oberbarmen – Düsseldorf-Gerresheim (stopping at regular S8 and S68 stations, every 20 to 30 minutes)
• in the peak: Wuppertal-Vohwinkel – Mettmann-Stadtwald, with connection with the S28 service to Düsseldorf, where seven additional trains will run per day

The following stations are completely without any rail services:

• Wuppertal Hbf
• Wuppertal-Barmen
• Wuppertal-Unterbarmen
• Wuppertal-Steinbeck
• Wuppertal-Zoologischer Garten
• Wuppertal-Sonnborn
• Wuppertal-Vohwinkel
• Haan
• Gruiten
• Erkrath
• Erkrath-Hochdahl
• Hochdahl-Millrath
• Velbert-Neviges
• Velbert-Rosenhügel
• Wülfrath-Aprath

DB and the other TOCs affected (namely, Abellio, Keolis Eurobahn and National Express) have published a 104 pages long ‘flyer’ with all the bus times:
https://bauinfos.deutschebahn.com/docs/nrw/infos/RE4_S8_9_68_1607-30082017_fahrplan.pdf
https://bauinfos.deutschebahn.com/docs/nrw/infos/RE4_S8_9_1607-29082017.pdf (poster)

The famous Wuppertal Schwebebahn and the local bus services are also expecting disruption, as the replacement buses are usually not really attractive and many people tend to use the Schwebebahn for inner-Wuppertal travel instead.

This is also bad for the neighbouring cities of Hagen and Solingen as all of their long-distance trains (IC, ICE) are rerouted and don’t stop at their stations.

I feel very sorry for the planners of DB as this must be a logistical nightmare, with the important cross-town road (B 7) having reopened just a few weeks ago, and I hope that is the last time they have to close the route for so long; I mean, I can’t imagine that installing this new signalbox takes more than two-three years…

 

[duesselmartin]

For commuters to Düsseldorf it is a nightmare.
The option via Mettmann is sadly badly advertised.

 

[Groningen]

Did they not have recently no trains in Wuppertal?! Yes; it was with Easter.

 

[AlexNL]

Why do they need a six week closure to commission a new signal box? Do they first have to tear one down or something?

 

[Bald Rick]

But hold on, things like this don't happen in other countries!

 

[duesselmartin]

Why do they need a six week closure to commission a new signal box? Do they first have to tear one down or something?

Tbis period is also used for other major infrastructure projects such as road bridge repairs above the line.

 

[gordonthemoron]

have they finished rebuilding Wuppertal Hbf? When we went through it in early 2016 there was a large hole where the old station building used to be

 

[duesselmartin]

have they finished rebuilding Wuppertal Hbf? When we went through it in early 2016 there was a large hole where the old station building used to be

not yet, but getting into the final phase.
The tracks and cantinary at Wuppertal Hbf will also be re-aligned in the next 6 weeks.

 

[U-Bahnfreund]

have they finished rebuilding Wuppertal Hbf? When we went through it in early 2016 there was a large hole where the old station building used to be

What are you talking about, the old station building is still there It dates from around 1850, thank god they didn’t torn it down. But they completely rebuild the B7 throughfare and the bus station and constructed a new shopping centre, whose foundations where probably the ‘large hole’ you saw.

 

[gordonthemoron]

What are you talking about, the old station building is still there It dates from around 1850, thank god they didn’t torn it down. But they completely rebuild the B7 throughfare and the bus station and constructed a new shopping centre, whose foundations where probably the ‘large hole’ you saw.

I was referring to the building which housed a bar/restaurant above the underpass

 

[duesselmartin]

What are you talking about, the old station building is still there It dates from around 1850, thank god they didn’t torn it down. But they completely rebuild the B7 throughfare and the bus station and constructed a new shopping centre, whose foundations where probably the ‘large hole’ you saw.

as far as I know it, the 1850 building is not used for "station purposes" anymore. No passenger access. But I am open to correction.
So I would see the former building with McDonalds, booking office and the Döppersberg underpass as the station building that was demolished.
Does anyone know what the 1850 building will be used for?

 

[AlexNL]

The Wuppertaler Rundschau has published a story about the ongoing works around Wuppertal.

Not only are DB installing a new signalling box, they're also changing the infrastructure. The layout of pointwork will be optimised and new signal gantries are being erected. Other works also take place, they piggyback on the resignalling works.

 

[dutchflyer]

Andf a customer report: had a VRR-monthly ticket 2000 for july and went twice via the SEV-buses onward, one of the 2 quite late, around midnight.
They probably especially planned it all in the local Schulferien (=hol.s), as about any available ''schlenki''=artic bus from all over NRW-province was in use, from as far as Xanten, Aachen and beyond Dortmund. The express bus from DUS-HBF, via ''Autobahn'' ran ev 15 mins. but was delayed for over 20 mins due to Autobahn also being in repair (3 lanes now 2 narrow ones, common in DE). It was all timetabled and with clear signs, there was a thick temporary timetablebook and also the usual german timetable stop-posts showing timings etc-a real difference to what NS here in NL usually is able to produce (often with drivers not even knowing the route-or having to rely on their tomtom, which is not set to big buses).
AND there was another fairly long branch also with SEV for a few weeks: the S3 branch beyond Essen-Steele as far as Hattingen, where the Dahlhausen eisenbahn museum and its weekends-only ''Schienenbus'' now also cannot run (to Hagen via a goods-only line).

 

[duesselmartin]

sadly the additional S28 trains Düsseldorf to Mettmann Stadtwald with bus connection to Wuppertal Vohwinkel are hardly used as their existance seems to be top secret.
With all that info on how to get to Düsseldorf, how are Opladen / Cologne bound passengers catered for?

 

[duesselmartin]

services in Wuppertal are scheduled to re-open tomorrow 30. August from 4 am. Hope all systems work!