Cologne-Rhine/Main high-speed line

The dates shown are legally non-binding forecasts based on the current status. The forecasts are in no way intended to establish any kind of legal claim whatsoever that completion will take place by the specified date and that use will be possible. For these reasons, the information should also not be used to make or prepare business decisions, for example, but not conclusively, with regard to the vehicle equipment or the compatibility between the vehicles and the infrastructure. If you have any questions, particularly regarding technical network access or obtaining binding information, please contact your customer advisor.

Most of the infrastructure projects are still in the planning phase, which means that the information provided on these pages reflects the current planning status and is updated regularly.

The starter package, alongside the fast-track programme, marks the entry point for the rollout of Digitale Schiene Deutschland. With a target horizon of 2034, three projects will comprehensively digitise railway lines by equipping them with the European Train Control System (ETCS), a standardised train control system across Europe, and modern interlockings. In doing so, the programme replaces technologies that, in some cases, date back to the 19th century. The lessons learned from the starter package support the nationwide rollout of Digitale Schiene Deutschland and serve as a template for the entire German rail network.

The Cologne – Rhine/Main high-speed line (2690) is one of the three projects within the starter package. With a line length of approximately 180 km and speeds of up to 300 km/h, it connects the metropolitan cities of Cologne and Frankfurt am Main. The line includes 27 tunnels with a total length of around 40 km and 18 bridges with an aggregate length of approximately 6 km. Twenty years after its construction, an upgrade is now due: the digitisation of the control and safety technology (LST).

The line will be equipped with ETCS Level 2 without signals (ETCS L2oS). This involves replacing the three existing controlling electronic interlocking subcentres (ESTW-UZ) in Troisdorf I, Montabaur, and Frankfurt Airport long-distance station with modern interlocking technology. The project also encompasses the upgrading of telecommunications systems, as well as the construction of Digital Control Centres (DSZ) in Troisdorf and Frankfurt II, and Digital Technology Centres (DTZ) in Troisdorf and Limburg, in line with the operational control strategy (BSS).

The length of the line to be equipped with ETCS is approximately 173 km. Including the entry and exit sections to and from the ETCS technology, around 200 line kilometres are planned for implementation. Equipping lines with modern interlockings requires that a certain area (UZ) is fully converted. This means that an additional 100 line kilometres on other lines will need to be modernised with contemporary interlocking technology. These do not form part of the Cologne – Rhine/Main high-speed line and will be equipped with ETCS under a separate project (Corridor Rhine-Alpine). In total, approximately 300 line kilometres will be equipped with modern interlocking technology and ETCS.

In future, the control of the line will be managed from two Digital Control Centres: the Cologne network will be operated from DSZ Troisdorf, while the Frankfurt network will be operated from DSZ Frankfurt. The modern interlocking technology will be clustered in the Digital Technology Centres (DTZ) Troisdorf and Limburg. Thus, the current 1,237 control units (reduced to 1,089 after conversion), including 230 points, will be centrally managed.

Planning is currently (as of June 2026) at service phase 3 (Lph 3). For the LST, block optimisations and the creation of reversible tracks at previously unavailable locations are planned. Project planning is fundamentally BIM-capable, and the digital planning approach is also applied to the LST sector. This means that the entire planning process is mapped in virtual models of up to 5D. Construction is scheduled to start at the end of 2029. Commissioning of the modern interlocking in the Cologne area is planned for December 2031.

Commissioning of the modern interlocking in the Frankfurt area, as well as equipping the entire line with ETCS, is scheduled for December 2034.

This is a Deutsche Bahn project. We are building. So that people can build on us again. More information about the Bauende Bahn can be found here (in German only).

In the starter package, the lines will be equipped with ETCS technology and modern interlockings and thus comprehensively digitalised. The programme replaces existing technologies, some of which date back to the 19th century. The knowledge gained from the starter package will be used for the nationwide rollout of Digital Rail for Germany to the entire German rail network.

The following two projects are part of the starter package in addition to the Cologne-Rhine/Main high-speed line (SFS KRM):

• Corridor Scandinavian-Mediterranean (ScanMed) with adjoining DB Netz districts
• Stuttgart Digital Node (DKS)

• Non-binding market information ScanMed & high-speed line Cologne-Rhine/Main | 01/2023 (in German only)