The plan is for light rail line 63 to continue from the Buschdorf stop to Friedrich-Wöhler-Straße/Am Josephinum. The future route branches off from the existing Bonn-Hersel light rail line north of the "Buschdorf Straße" service road bridge and is connected to the route of the Hersel-Bonn-Nord siding, the former route of the Köln-Bonner-Eisenbahn, via a track curve. This route is then used as far as the junction with Friedrich-Wöhler-Straße/Am Josephinum. In this way, the Buschdorf district, the Buschdorf industrial estate and the north-western part of Auerberg will be connected to the light rail system. Politicians have suggested naming the terminus "(Bonn) Nordbahnhof" in reminiscence of the former Bonn Nord station.
Thanks to the planned extension, local transport in the north of Bonn will be significantly strengthened. The journey time from Bonn Central Station to the planned new stops will be approximately halved compared to the current bus connection. The four locations Friedlandstraße, Otto-Hahn-Straße, Schlesienstraße (industrial park) and Friedrich-Wöhler-Straße (north station) were initially specified as future stops.
Alternatively, a variant with three stops was examined, i.e. with the elimination of the Otto-Hahn-Straße stop. In this variant, the Friedlandstraße stop would be positioned on the southern side of the Friedlandstraße level crossing so that it covers the catchment area of both stops. Fewer stops would not only mean lower construction costs, but also shorter travel times for future passengers.
Background and next steps
The basis for the planning that has now taken place is a resolution passed by the Bonn City Council on September 1, 2020, in which a requirements profile for the planning of a new light rail line from the Buschdorf stop to Friedrich-Wöhler-Straße was adopted. At a later date, an extension of line 61 via the current terminus "Kopenhagener Straße" is also possible. The necessary precautions for this have already been taken into account in the planning of the Buschdorf light rail extension.
After being discussed by the Mobility and Transport Committee, the issue will be on the agenda of the Bonn district council and the city council at the end of August. The next step will involve further planning steps and specialist reports. The project is to be included in the public transport requirements plan of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia in 2024. Early public participation is also planned.
The draft resolution with the standardized assessment is published here (opens in a new tab).
Information on the extension of light rail line 63 can be found on the city's website at www.bonn.de/stadtbahn-buschdorf (opens in a new tab)