Bonn. For those who have not been vaccinated yet, walk-in swill be available at the Bonn Stadthaus in the city centre as follows:

Monday, November 8 from 8 am - 1 pm

Tuesday, November 11 from 1 pm to 6 pm

Booster shots are not available here, these are only for people needing a first or second vaccination shot. More information can be found (in German) at bonn.de/impfen

(Original text: GA)

To coincide with the 26th World Climate Change Conference in Glasgow (COP26), the environmental movement Fridays for Future organised parallel rallies and demonstrations in many places around the world. The local group in Bonn also held a demonstration on Friday, marching from Münsterplatz in the city centre to United Nations Square.

According to the organisers, there were approximately 300 participants. Under the motto ‘Uproot the COP’, the campaign was intended to draw attention to the injustices of the climate crisis and highlight the responsibility of the industrialised nations.

The final rally, including speeches and live music, was held in the afternoon in front of the UN Climate Change Secretariat building. On their three-kilometre march to the UN campus, the demonstrators sang and loudly chanted their concerns and demands, causing a tailback of traffic in the city.

Many of the protesters are looking forward to the results of the climate conference with a mixture of slight hope and great scepticism. “I don't expect much from the COP. Even the coalition talks in Berlin don't go far enough for us. The main focus still doesn't seem to be on climate protection,” said activist Jolyne Schmitt.

(Original text: dja)

Bonn/Cologne.

For a four-week period from Friday 12 November until Friday December 10, rail travellers in Cologne and Bonn will be affected by considerable restrictions. Deutsche Bahn announced on Friday that it will be constructing, among other things, three signal bridges over the tracks between Cologne and Brühl.

Rail operations between Cologne and Bonn will be single-track only during the week. The RB 48 regional train will be cancelled completely in both directions between Cologne Central Station and Bonn-Mehlem during this period. The regional express RE 5 (RRX) towards Bonn, as well as the RB 26, RE 22 and RB 24 towards Euskirchen will no longer stop at Köln Sud station on weekdays.

From 9 p.m. and at weekends, the RE5 will not be running between Cologne and Bonn central stations. During this time, the RB 26 will not be running between Cologne-Dellbrück or Cologne/Bonn Airport and Brühl. A bus replacement service will be operating between Cologne Central Station and Brühl. During the week, RB 48 users can switch to the RE 5 and the RB 25 for part of the route. On weekends, the number 16 and 18 tram lines will also be running more frequently than usual.

There will also be disruptions for users of the ICE, IC and EC express trains. Long-distance trains between Cologne and Bonn will be diverted to the right side of the river Rhine, which means that they will not be stopping at Cologne and Bonn central stations. Instead, long-distance trains will call at Cologne Messe/Deutz and Bonn-Beuel. Anyone wanting to travel from Bonn to Berlin will have to change to regional services between Bonn and Cologne.

(Original text: Nina Bärschneider)

Beuel. Part of the centre of Beuel will be closed to traffic again from next week. Bonn city authorities are having part of Friedrich-Breuer-Straße renewed. The work on the road surface will take about two weeks, according to the city, affecting the section between Gustav-Kessler-Straße and Doktor-Weis-Platz. The road closure means that drivers will have to be prepared for detours and longer waiting times from Monday, 8 November.

The construction work will also affect the following bus lines: 603, 607, 608, 609, 529, 537, 632, 636, N4 and N8. Stadtwerke Bonn (SWB) is setting up several reroutes with alternative stops, which will be in place until 3 p.m. on Friday, November 19. Further information can be found on the SWB Bus und Bahn website (in German and English): swb-busundbahn.de.

The city is currently expecting the renewal work to cost around 75,000 euros. It will be carried out by an external company on behalf of the city.

(Original text: Rajkumar Mukherjee)

(Translations: Caroline Kusch)