Track layout adjustment at Düsseldorf-Gerresheim station in Germany
Düsseldorf-Gerresheim station is located on one of the most important railway lines in North Rhine-Westphalia, route 2525.
Due to the expansion of rail traffic under the integral timetable concept NRW (ITNW) and increased operational quality requirements, the existing track layout needed to be adapted.
Düsseldorf-Gerresheim Station
At Düsseldorf-Gerresheim station, three S-Bahn lines stop, and most regional and long-distance trains between the major cities of Düsseldorf and Wuppertal pass through.
The adjustment of the track layout at the station enables increased train frequency, additional stops, and improved timetable efficiency, resulting in greater punctuality for passengers.
New track connections optimize rail traffic
The previous layout no longer met operational needs. Arrivals and departures of S-Bahn line 28 to/from Mettmann had to be routed via a single track, which regularly led to delays and conflicts with other rail services.
With the new layout, additional switches and route options increase node capacity and timetable robustness.
Reconstruction of railway facilities including technical equipment
- Construction of 10 new switches within the station area
- Renewal of approximately 1,800 m of track
- Reconstruction of the overhead line system, including installation of 23 new masts
- Modification of the signal box with adjustments to routes and signalling systems
- Construction of a new track drainage system with a 900 m transport pipeline leading to a stormwater retention facility consisting of a sedimentation basin and a 600 m² soil filter basin
- Construction of a pumping station with a capacity of 220 l/s and a pumping height of 6 m to route the transport pipeline across the River Düssel
Multidisciplinary planning and studies
AFRY was responsible for planning almost all of the disciplines involved in the project, including:
- Transportation facilities (tracks, service routes, and cable civil works)
- Control and signalling systems (signals and signal box modifications)
- Overhead contact line systems
- 50 Hz electrical engineering (switch heating systems and power supply for the pumping station)
- Drainage systems and structures (drainage pipelines, track crossings using pipe jacking, stormwater retention basin, and pumping station)
- Mechanical engineering for the pumping station
Additional services provided:
- Design surveying
- Environmental studies and planning (landscape management plan, faunal assessment, species protection report)
- Noise assessment studies
Construction implementation under extensive closures
The adjustment was characterized by complex switch sequences and route planning. Existing platforms, bridges, third-party utilities, nearby residential areas in the Gerresheim district and the integration of parallel or preceding measures had to be taken into account.
Construction was divided into preliminary works during ongoing operation (transport pipeline, retention basin, dismantling of peripheral track installations) and the main phase within a six-week full closure of the line.
