The historic inner city area with its more than 200 listed buildings does not permit any other traffic routing. The pilgrimage town of Kevelaer has therefore set up a new stop for tourist buses. In future, coaches and pilgrimage buses will only be allowed to stop on the parking lane along the street "Am Bahnhof" to get on and off the bus. There will be space for up to four coaches at a time. The new stop is to be used from May 1, 2024 and will replace the previous boarding and alighting point at Peter-Plümpe-Platz.
Ensuring smooth handling of coach traffic
All coaches will only be able to enter via Europaplatz. From this point onwards, passage via Antoniusstraße is reserved for regular bus services as well as delivery and car traffic. In order to minimize traffic jams backing up to Europaplatz, a speedy continuation of the journey must be ensured once the guests have disembarked. The subsequent exit of the coaches is via the street "Am Bahnhof", turning right onto Bahnstraße. It is not possible to turn left onto Bahnstraße in the direction of the city center. During their stay, coach drivers can park their vehicles in the "Am Europaplatz" coach parking lot. After their visit to Kevelaer, passengers will be picked up by the buses at an agreed time on the street "Am Bahnhof". Benches and shady trees are available there. There are also public toilets and drinks facilities in the station building.
New stop opens up new planning options
The route to the pilgrimage center is slightly longer due to the new stop, but also offers new perspectives for planning a group trip. "Visitors can start their stay in Kevelaer with a guided tour of the town or a themed tour, for example. Our tour guides are happy to meet the groups directly at the bus stop and take them into the town center with interesting information about the pilgrimage town of Kevelaer," reports Andrea Kirk, Head of Tourism at Kevelaer Marketing. It is also possible to walk the Stations of the Cross together. This starts on an alley-like paved path at St. Klara-Platz not far from the city center and ends at the 15th station - the Chapel of Work in Marienpark. After a festive final prayer or song in Marienpark, the bus stop is already in sight.
Parking spaces have to make way for bus arrivals
It is necessary to convert car parking spaces in order to set up the new bus stop in the street "Am Bahnhof". In the long term, some parking spaces at the station will therefore be removed. These spaces are now available for tourists to get on and off the train.
Transparent communication channels
All bus companies and groups registered with the pilgrimage city of Kevelaer have already been informed about the upcoming change. Up-to-date information can also be found on the website www.kevelaer-marketing.de. If you have any further questions, please contact the Tourist Information team in the town hall on Peter-Plümpe-Platz or in the information building in the St. Jakob brine garden in person, by telephone on 02832 122-991 or -992 or by email at tourismus@kevelaer.de. "We hope that all guests will have a pleasant stay in our beautiful pilgrimage town despite the changeover," says Verena Rohde, Business Development Manager and Head of Kevelaer Marketing.