Bus service line 400 and CityTaktPlus commence post-autumn break
Dortmund, Germany - Exciting changes are coming to the city's public transportation system. Here's a rundown of the key developments that residents and visitors can look forward to in the near future.
Construction work on Von-der-Goltz-Straße, originally scheduled to start this summer, has been delayed due to a large construction site where the central water pipe is being renewed. The construction work is expected to take approximately two months.
The local transport plan of the city of Dortmund is currently undergoing updates and requires approval by the council before DSW21 can apply for the concession at the Arnsberg regional government. This plan is crucial for the implementation of the new bus line and other improvements.
DSW21, the city's transport operator, has announced that the new Ringbus line 400/401 will start operation after the autumn holidays, not after the summer holidays. This innovative bus line, often described as the "innovation bus line," will offer a reliable 10-minute interval across the city center.
Tram lines U40 and U49 will be optimized to best support the introduction of the fast "CityTaktPlus". From April 2026, there will be a tightening of intervals on line U41 between Fredenbaum, main station, city center, Märkische Straße, and Höerde, with trams coming every five minutes there. However, the exact timeline for the introduction of CityTaktPlus is yet to be determined, as the latest information does not cover this project's timeline.
The new bus line 400 will have a reliable 10-minute interval across the city center, and in the long term, there are plans to have no fixed departure times. Passengers can assume that a bus comes every ten minutes and will be informed via the display boards and in the timetable app.
The new structures in the bus network mean the end of lines 455 and 456, but the routes of lines 452 and 453 will change so that all bus stops remain easily accessible - either via the new line 400 or the tram. Line U45 from Fredenbaum to the stadium will be discontinued and will merge into the new interval of line U41, running all the way to Höerde - all day long.
From already after Easter, a tram will come every five minutes on line U43 between Dorstfeld and Brackel. The project components, however, are not available at the start.
In addition, a bike lane with mixed traffic is to be created on the inner ring of the Königswall, while a bus lane will be established on the outer ring. Separate bus lanes will not be available on the Mallinckrodtstraße between Münster- and Bornstraße, as well as the Heiligenweg, in the foreseeable future.
Enforcing existing parking regulations in small steps is planned to address congestion-prone sections and numerous parking violations. The corresponding digital display boards that are supposed to show the arrival of the next buses to the minute are not yet present.
According to Lars Hirschfeld, head of traffic planning at DSW21, the new bus line and tram improvements aim to provide a denser and more direct local transport offer. A demand forecast by the renowned consulting firm PTV confirms that these measures will significantly expand the local transport offer.
For the latest updates on the CityTaktPlus project and the introduction of 5-minute intervals on tram lines in Dortmund, checking official Dortmund public transit sources or recent local government announcements would be necessary.
The denser and more direct local transport offer, including the innovative bus line 400/401 and optimized tram lines, is part of the finance and industry-backed updates in Dortmund's transportation system. The implementation of the new bus line is expected to impact the routes of bus lines 452, 453, and U45, while the creation of a bike lane with mixed traffic on the inner ring of the Königswall is also a part of the transportation updating in core sectors such as transportation and finance.
