Christian Lorenz
Press Officer
Telephone 0221 / 390 11 90
E-mail lorenzc(at)hgk.de
Häfen und Güterverkehr Köln AG
Press Office
Am Niehler Hafen 2
50735 Cologne
Green light for HGK AG’s new railway network depot
In future, expertise in railway infrastructure and maintenance will be centralised at the Brühl-Vochem site
Cologne / Brühl. Häfen und Güterverkehr Köln AG (HGK) has launched the construction of its new depot in Brühl-Vochem with a symbolic ground-breaking ceremony. Over the coming years, a central operational base for HGK’s Infrastructure and Maintenance division will be built at the ‘Am Volkspark’ site.In future, around 180 employees will be based here, who are currently spread across three different locations: Cologne-Godorf, Wesseling and Brühl-Vochem. The new depot will thus bring together infrastructure and maintenance tasks in one place.
A symbolic ground-breaking ceremony marked the start of construction on the new HGK depot. Pictured (from left to right): Severin Scheib (SCHEMAA Architects), Dirk Michel (Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board of HGK AG), Dr Jens-Albert Oppel (COO of HGK AG), Sarah Mainz (SCHEMAA Architects), Dr Marc Prokop (Mayor of Brühl) and Steffen Bauer (CEO of HGK AG). © HGK AG
Dr Jens-Albert Oppel, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of HGK AG, emphasised the importance of the project for public services in the region during the official ceremony.
“By bringing our railway network and workshop sites together, we can organise our operational processes more efficiently. With the new depot, we are laying the groundwork for the continued reliable operation and further expansion of our rail network in the Cologne/Bonn area. In doing so, we are making an important contribution to sustainable mobility and public services.”
The planned new facility will bring together modern office and workshop spaces, as well as staff facilities for employees in the Infrastructure division, under one roof, thereby creating state-of-the-art conditions for the planning, operation and maintenance of the HGK rail network.
For Dr Marc Prokop, Mayor of Brühl, the construction project brings additional benefits: “The new depot strengthens Brühl as a business location and creates modern jobs. We are delighted with the trusting collaboration with HGK and that this important infrastructure project is being realised in our town.”
A central hub for rail infrastructure and rolling stock maintenance
HGK is responsible for the operation and management of rail and light rail services across approximately 250 kilometres of its own track network in Cologne and the surrounding area. This rail network provides numerous connections between major industrial estates and Cologne’s ports, which serve as logistics hubs on the Rhine. At the same time, the HGK network also carries tram lines 16 and 18, which serve as important commuter links between Cologne and Bonn.
Specific maintenance work on rail vehicles is carried out in the locomotive and carriage workshops already established on site. The staff are also qualified to carry out vehicle inspections, including brake overhauls and work on signalling and train radio systems.
Construction work began in the first quarter of 2026, with handover scheduled for summer 2027. HGK is investing around seven million euros in the construction project.
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