Bahnhof Gremberg
One of Germany's nine largest marshalling yards of national importance: at Gremberg, freight trains are re-sorted in two separate shunting systems.
The yard takes its name from the Gremberger Wäldchen, a small woodland that begins just a few metres to the north. Unlike the yard, however, the woodland lies in what is now the district of Humboldt/Gremberg.
Source: Wikipedia
At a Glance
- Type
- Double-ended marshalling yard
- Location
- Ensen district, Porz borough, in southeast Cologne
- Area
- 1.12 km²
- Built
- 1917 to 1924
- Classification tracks
- 64 in the northbound-to-southbound system, 32 in the southbound-to-northbound system
- Affiliation
- Duisburg/Hagen production centre of DB Cargo AG, together with Köln-Kalk, Hagen, Hamm, Oberhausen and Wanne-Eickel
The Porzer Ringstraße level crossing at the western end of the marshalling yard crosses 13 tracks and, because of heavy shunting, is so regularly closed for long periods that special information signs were put up beside the barriers.
Shunting Operations in 2015
The yard is divided into a north–south and a south–north system, and the north–south system has two humps. In 2015, around 70 trains with a combined total of roughly 2,800 wagons were re-sorted at Gremberg every day. At the time, about 200,000 freight trains a year passed through the production centre, accounting for 22 percent of all freight traffic. Gremberg employed around 600 people, including 175 in shunting and 200 locomotive drivers for long-distance services.
History and Modernisation
Construction began in 1917, during the First World War. As the yard quickly grew in importance, it was extended in 1942. Further expansions followed after the Second World War, during the repair of war damage, and again in the 1960s. Modernisation began once more in 2004: the first phase cost around €40 million and was completed in 2007. Since then, a central computer at the north–south hump has assembled trains fully automatically. The second phase, for the south–north system, cost a further €58 million or so and was finished by the end of 2015.
Surroundings and Connections
The Gremberghoven railway workers' housing estate surrounds the yard. Westhoven and Ensen adjoin it directly to the west. From the north, the Mülheim-Speldorf–Gremberg freight line effectively ends here. Via the Südbrücke, the yard is linked westward to Köln Eifeltor station and the network on the left bank of the Rhine. To the southeast, it joins the right-bank Rhine line and the Sieg Railway, which carries mainly freight as far as Troisdorf.
Level Crossing and Locomotive Depot
At the western end, the Porzer Ringstraße level crossing spans 13 tracks. Because of the heavy freight and shunting traffic, it is often closed for long periods, as signs beside the barriers warn. Since traffic on the road is light, a replacement such as a tunnel is not currently planned. At the southeastern exit lies the Gremberg locomotive depot, with a large locomotive workshop with eleven tracks, a big open-air storage yard and two transfer tables.
Timeline
- 1917Construction of Gremberg station begins during World War I
- 1924Marshalling yard completed
- 1942Station expanded due to its great importance
- 1960erFurther expansion and modernisation
- 2004Start of another modernisation
- 2007First modernisation stage (approx. €40m) completed, automated train formation
- 2015Second stage in the south-north system (approx. €58m) completed
Map
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Sources & links
Auto-generated, last verified: 2026-11-08
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