Travellers passing through Cologne Hauptbahnhof and the surrounding S-Bahn corridor this weekend will face airport-style security rules. At 06:51 on 25 September the Federal Police issued an “Allgemeinverfügung” prohibiting the carrying of firearms, knives, batons, pepper spray and similar items in and around the station and on the commuter line up to Köln-Chorweiler Nord. The order runs from 25 to 27 September and is enforceable with on-the-spot searches and confiscations. The measure forms part of a nationwide railway safety operation announced a day earlier by Bundespolizeipräsidium Potsdam, targeting more than ten stations with above-average violent-crime statistics. Cologne was chosen after a spate of knife assaults and robberies on late-night regional services. Under Germany’s Railway Security Act (§5 BOStrainG) the police may impose temporary exclusion zones and weapon bans when public order is at risk. For commuters and corporate travellers, the practical impact is twofold. First, routine bag checks will slow down platform access, so DB recommends arriving at least 15 minutes earlier for long-distance ICE departures. Second, everyday tools such as multitools with blades or crew equipment carried by service engineers can be classified as prohibited weapons; employers should instruct staff to use checked baggage or courier services instead. Individuals found with banned items face fines up to €10,000 and possible criminal charges. The crackdown coincides with Oktoberfest travel peaks and a surge in weekend leisure traffic. Mobility managers running group moves through Cologne should monitor DB’s station messages and consider alternative routings via Bonn/Siegburg or Düsseldorf if tight connections are critical. While the ban is temporary, police unions are lobbying to keep similar “knife-free zones” at major transport nodes year-round, arguing that violence on trains has risen 22 % since 2024. Companies should update travel-risk briefings and remind employees that even legal pocketknives or pepper sprays are disallowed in the defined zone until midnight on 27 September. The Federal Police will review incident data next week to decide whether follow-up bans will be issued over the Christmas market period.
