14.01.2025 | Press Release

Stops and stops in the HGK AG public transport network are now barrier-free accessible

Cologne. The year 2025 begins with good news for light rail customers travelling by public transport on the Häfen und Güterverkehr Köln AG (HGK) network: the completion of the platform on line 16 in Wesseling-Urfeld in the direction of Bonn means that the stops and stations on the HGK network are now barrier-free.

The EU requirements for accessibility have thus been largely implemented throughout the entire HGK network. The only exceptions are three stops on Line 7, which are only considered accessible to a limited extent due to the freight transport that also takes place there.

Over the past two years, HGK AG has renovated a total of eight platforms at the Urfeld, Widdig, Uedorf and Hersel stops on line 16. The platforms were raised from their previous height of 35 centimetres to a height of 90 centimetres to enable passengers to board and alight at the same level. This is of particular benefit to customers with limited mobility, such as senior citizens or wheelchair users, as well as parents with pushchairs.

"HGK AG is committed to providing people who use public transport on our network with safe and pleasant transport without barriers," explains HGK COO Dr Jens-Albert Oppel. In this way, HGK is fulfilling its responsibility as a municipal company and the legal requirements to remove barriers and enable everyone to participate in public life, according to the responsible HGK board member.

The total costs amounted to around 7 million euros, with a large proportion being subsidised by the GoRheinland special-purpose association. "The planning and construction period lasted around four years. For us, it's nice to see that customers, especially those with limited mobility, benefit personally and directly from our measures. This is not immediately noticeable when building a new bridge or replacing a switch, for example," says railway operations manager Berthold Suermann with satisfaction.

In addition to adapting the platforms, new passenger shelters were also built, tactile guide strips for the visually impaired were installed and the lighting was improved. In addition to the actual construction work on the platforms and ramps, there was also considerable expenditure on ecological construction monitoring, for example to protect the sand lizards that live there.