Dialogue event on March 29 on the light rail extension to Buschdorf

06.03.2025

The City of Bonn already has a well-developed public transport network. As part of the mobility turnaround, new connections are to improve the bus and rail services in future. The city administration is therefore working at full speed with Stadtwerke Bonn on major infrastructure projects.

Four people are talking, slightly bent over, at a table on which an overview map of the Buschdorf light rail extension is lying.

Explaining the plans for the planned light rail extension to Buschdorf at a press event: (from right) City Planning Officer Helmut Wiesner, Björn Schmidt-Markoski (Tiebauamt), Mayor Katja Dörner and Regina Kühr (Stadtwerke Bonn).

One of the central expansion projects is the light rail extension to Buschdorf. "This will significantly improve public transport connections to the north of Bonn compared to today," emphasizes Mayor of Bonn Katja Dörner. And the citizens will benefit significantly in terms of convenience: "The journey time from Bonn's main railway station to the planned new stops will be roughly halved compared to the current bus connection."

The city will continue on the path it has begun to strengthen local transport. "Attractive and comprehensive local transport is an essential service if we want to convince Bonn residents and commuters from the surrounding area of the benefits of eco-friendly transport." The city of Bonn is currently planning more local transport projects than it has for decades. Katja Dörner cited the Buschdorf light rail extension, the cable car, the Westbahn and the conversion of the central bus station as examples of major projects. New streetcars have also been in operation in the city since the turn of the year and new light rail vehicles have been ordered and will follow.

The Mayor of Bonn is looking forward to the upcoming exchange with citizens and is excited about the dialog event on Saturday, March 29, 2025, from 9:30 a.m. at the Am Apfelgarten elementary school, Peter-Klein-Straße 4, in Buschdorf. The event is open to all interested parties, adults as well as children and young people, and is primarily intended to involve local residents from the outset. "We are deliberately approaching local residents at an early stage in order to involve them and to find out now what tips and suggestions they can give us for further planning." The dialog is embedded in a series of participatory events on local public transport.

Overview map of the 2.6-kilometer section of the line with its four stops.

Four stops are planned along the 2.6-kilometer route.

The planning

The Buschdorf light rail extension makes economic sense and is eligible for funding. The so-called standardized assessment has resulted in a positive benefit-cost factor of 1.4. In light of this, the state of North Rhine-Westphalia included the measure in its public transport requirements plan and its public transport infrastructure financing plan in January 2025.

"The special thing about this project is that we will partly use the route of the decommissioned Rheinuferbahn, which still runs through Buschdorf today and has not been built on," explained Helmut Wiesner, Head of Transport and Public Works. "This not only simplifies planning, but also allows us to create an attractive service more quickly and cost-effectively compared to other major infrastructure projects."

As an extension of the existing light rail line 63, the four new stops Friedlandstraße, Schlesienstraße, Gewerbepark Buschdorf/In den Dauen and Friedrich-Wöhler-Straße/Nordbahnhof are to be developed over a length of 2.6 kilometers in Buschdorf. Due to the old existing track system of the former Rheinuferbahn, most of the extension can be implemented on the existing route. Between Buschdorf and Hersel, the line will be connected in a curve with the existing light rail line towards the Buschdorf stop. The costs are estimated at around 31 million euros (2016 prices) and will be updated as planning progresses.

According to an independent analysis, up to 4,200 passengers per day will use the new connection. As the population in the north of Bonn is growing, a higher number of passengers can be expected in the future. The climate-friendly rail connection can therefore make an important contribution to relieving congestion on Bonn's roads.

"By being included in the NRW public transport requirement plan, the project has basically reached the next stage. We are looking forward to discussing the next steps with local residents at the end of March. We will be making them an offer to find out about the route and will be available to answer their questions. Our new light rail vehicles from the Spanish manufacturer CAF could also run on the former Cologne-Bonn railroad line in the future," emphasizes Anja Wenmakers, Managing Director of SWB Bus und Bahn.

The dialog event on March 29

The dialog event on Saturday, 29 March, at the Am Apfelgarten elementary school, entrance Peter-Klein-Straße 4, is aimed at residents living along the route as well as interested citizens. You are invited to discuss the project with external and municipal experts. After a welcome address by Mayor Katja Dörner and Anja Wenmakers from SWB, the project will be presented. Participants can then discuss specific areas of the project at four topic islands. The groups will change every half hour so that all participants will be able to discuss the four topics within two hours. Citizens have the opportunity to express their ideas, suggestions and concerns on the spot.

Registration necessary

Participation is only possible by registering on the website of the municipal participation portal https://bonn-macht-mit.de/anmeldung-stadtbahn-buschdorf (opens in a new tab). The registration deadline is Sunday, March 23, 2025. As the number of participants is limited, the event will initially be offered from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm. If there is a great deal of interest, the professional exchange will be offered a second https://bonn-macht-mit.de/anmeldung-stadtbahn-buschdorf (opens in a new tab). The registration deadline is Sunday, March 23, 2025. As the number of participants is limited, the event will initially be offered from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm. If there is a great deal of interest, the professional exchange will be offered a second time from 1:15 pm to 4 pm. With the registration procedure, the City of Bonn wants to ensure a good discussion size for the topic islands in addition to better planning.

About Buschdorf

Buschdorf is located in the north of Bonn, directly on the city border with Bornheim, between Tannenbusch and Auerberg. Around 4,900 people live there (as of January 1, 2025). An integrated development concept for Buschdorf was adopted in 2023. This identifies 32 individual measures that can be assigned to six overarching themes: Housing and urban design, infrastructure and supply, community, tradition and club life, open space and sport, transport and mobility as well as climate-adapted neighborhood development.

Buschdorf is a growing district. Various projects are to be implemented in the coming years, first and foremost the sustainable, climate-neutral and low-car residential area "Im Rosenfeld", including a daycare center and elementary school. Other planned neighborhoods include Otto-Hahn-Straße/Kölnstraße and Schlesienstraße (Godau-Gelände/Petrusacker), which will benefit from a direct connection to the light rail extension.