S6 (Rhine-Ruhr S-Bahn)

Route of S6
Legend
0.0 Essen Hbf S1S2S3S9 1.5 Essen Süd 3.5 Essen Stadtwald 5.9 Essen-Hügel 8.6 Essen-Werden 13.2 Kettwig 14.5 Kettwig Stausee 18.4 Hösel 23.8 Ratingen Ost 26.8 Düsseldorf-Rath 27.9 Düsseldorf-Rath Mitte 30.7 Düsseldorf-Derendorf S1S11 Düsseldorf Zoo S1S11 32.8 Düsseldorf Wehrhahn S1S11 33.9 Düsseldorf Hbf S1S8S11S28S68 Düsseldorf Volksgarten S1S68 Düsseldorf-Oberbilk S1S68 39.9 Düsseldorf-Eller Süd S68 42.5 Düsseldorf-Reisholz S68 44.9 Düsseldorf-Benrath S68 47.4 Düsseldorf-Garath S68 48.7 Düsseldorf-Hellerhof S68 50.7 Langenfeld-Berghausen S68 53.2 Langenfeld S68 Network change from VRR to VRS 57.4 Leverkusen-Rheindorf 60.1 Leverkusen-Küppersteg 61.7 Leverkusen Mitte 64.0 Leverkusen Chempark 65.9 Köln-Stammheim 69.9 Köln-Mülheim S11 Köln-Buchforst S11 73.4 Köln Messe/Deutz S11S12S13S19 73.6 Köln Hbf S11S12S13S19 74.4 Köln Hansaring S11S12S13S19 75.9 Köln-Nippes S11
Source: German railway atlas[1]

Line S 6 is a S-Bahn line in the Rhein-Ruhr network. It calls, among others, at the cities of Essen, Düsseldorf and Cologne and was the first S-Bahn line in the Rhine-Ruhr network, becoming operational on 28 September 1967 between Ratingen Ost and Düsseldorf-Garath. It is operated at 20-minute intervals using coupled sets of class 422 four-car electrical multiple units.

Line S 6 runs over lines built by various railway companies:

• from Essen Hauptbahnhof to Essen-Werden over the Essen-Werden–Essen railway, opened by the Bergisch-Märkische Railway Company in 1877,
• from Essen-Werden to Düsseldorf Hauptbahnhof over the Ruhr Valley Railway, opened by the Bergisch-Märkische Railway Company in 1872 and 1874,
• from Düsseldorf to Cologne over the Cologne–Duisburg railway, opened by the Cologne-Minden Railway Company in 1845 and
• from Cologne to Köln-Nippes over the West Lower Rhine Railway opened by the Cologne-Crefeld Railway Company in 1855.

It was opened on 28 September 1967 between Ratingen Ost and Düsseldorf-Garath. It was extended from Ratingen Ost to Essen on 26 May 1968 and from Garath to Langenfeld (Rheinl) on 12 December 1968, from Langenfeld to Köln Hansaring on 2 June 1991 and from Hansaring to Köln-Nippes on 13 June 2004.