Cologne/Deutz station is the most important station in Cologne after the
main station on the opposite side of the Rhine. Almost all trains travelling to the main station and crossing the Rhine also stop at Cologne-Deutz. In addition, the station is connected to the long-distance Intercity Express lines via a separate track system, which in turn do not have to cross the bottleneck of the
Hohenzollern Bridge.
The fact that two different railway lines cross at different levels in the station makes Cologne-Deutz station a tower station. This corresponds to the origins of the railway facilities at this location. When the expansion of the railway network began in the 19th century, two competing railway companies, the Köln-Mindener Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft and the Bergisch-Märkische Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft, met in Deutz. The facilities were remodelled with the construction of the cathedral bridge in 1859 and the associated connection to what was then Cologne's central railway station. This was followed by further conversions of the stations into one facility, until finally in 1913 the nationalisation of the railways also led to the standardisation of Deutz station. A large part of the external and internal building elements of the station site are listed buildings.
The historic railway station has grown steadily and has developed into a hub in parallel with its surroundings. Whether for trade fairs or congresses, sporting events or concerts, local recreation on the Rhine or in the park, or a visit to the Veedel, people usually arrive in Cologne-Deutz and / or depart from there, as is the case with a railway station.