Train chaos in Paderborn: construction site causes delays and trouble!

Train chaos in Paderborn: construction site causes delays and trouble!

Paderborn and the surrounding area are confronted with significant restrictions on rail traffic in October and November. From October 17th to November 13th, the connection from Paderborn and Altenbeken to the important ICE train station Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe will be interrupted. This situation results in longer travel times and has alarmed the Pro Bahn passenger association, which criticizes the lack of information provided by the railway.

Rainer Engel, deputy state chairman of Pro Bahn, expressed concern: “Passengers who want to travel from the Paderborn or Höxter district to Warburg, Kassel and the south of Germany will be confronted with unpleasant surprises at the railway track.” The problems begin with the fact that the current timetables did not contain any information about the impending restrictions a week before construction work began.

Construction work due to dam slip

The closure became necessary to renovate a railway embankment in the region. This shows significant damage following a dam slide that occurred at the end of last year. Deutsche Bahn had already announced in the summer that it would implement “as much construction as possible” during the 26-day total closure. According to Engel, only the timetables for two of the long-distance trains had been adjusted prior to the announcement, which presented travelers with unforeseen problems.

The diversions for long-distance trains via Hameln, Hanover-Linden and Göttingen extend journey times by up to 80 minutes, while travelers who want to use the Rhine-Ruhr Express have to change in Willebadessen and have to allow a total of an hour longer for their journey.

Only after Pro Bahn published a press release did the rail replacement service appear in the official timetables and in apps such as DB Navigator, but initially only for the month of October. This delayed publication shows how inconsistent the dissemination of information is in this area.

Reasons for late dissemination of information

Deutsche Bahn explained that it could only enter the information about rail replacement services after it had received the relevant information from the railway company concerned. National Express, the company responsible for the RE11 line, alleged attacks on Deutsche Bahn and its communication about the construction work, which led to the delay in timetable updates.

National Express said DB InfraGO's delayed announcement of the construction work had damaged the original planning process. Crucial times were missing from the timetable documents submitted, which is essential for planning. During the final design of the timetables, the wishes of the responsible authorities are also taken into account, which takes additional time due to the complexity of the construction project. The publication of the new travel times is also tied to the fixed cycles of the railway timetable center.

The disappointment over poor communication continues as passengers suffering from the changes will not be able to return their tickets until the day after the ticket expires. In the event of delays of more than one hour, you can also request compensation, whereby the original timetable from the time the ticket was booked is crucial.

The current situation on the railway track is causing dissatisfaction among travelers. In recent weeks it has become clear that the railway's information policy during such construction work urgently needs to be revised. Paderborn commuters and travelers rely on comprehensive and timely information in order to be able to plan their trips accordingly.

You can find details about ongoing reporting view here.

Overall, it remains to be seen whether the railway will become better at passing on information in the future in order to avoid such difficulties for passengers.