On July 16, 2026, the City Council of the pilgrimage town of Kevelaer decided to continue Bus Route 73 (Weeze Airport – Geldern/Kevelaer) through the end of 2027 as part of the basic public transit service. Route 73 remains an important connection, particularly for children and teenagers from Wemb and Twisteden, to the elementary school in Twisteden and the secondary schools in Geldern. In the future, Route 73 will focus on the trips necessary for the school commute on school days. Early morning and late evening trips, as well as trips on weekends, holidays, and during school breaks, will be discontinued.
The connection between the Kevelaer train station and Weeze Airport will remain in service, but will be concentrated during times of particularly high demand. In addition, passengers can still use the SB 46 express bus line from Kevelaer Station and the SW 1 line from Weeze Station to reach the airport.
With this resolution, the Council is ensuring mobility, particularly for students from Wemb and Twisteden, as well as maintaining connections to the Twisteden district and Weeze Airport. At the same time, service will be adjusted in areas where demand is lower, while minimizing the impact on accessibility as much as possible. This will significantly reduce expenses for the pilgrimage town of Kevelaer and support the goals of the budget stabilization plan.
“This decision is the result of careful consideration. Our goal was to ensure school transportation—which is important to many families—while also implementing the necessary budget cuts. With the adjusted Route 73, we have succeeded in striking this balance,” emphasizes Mayor Dr. Dominik Pichler.
The current schedules for Line 73 will remain unchanged through mid-December 2026. The changes will take effect with the schedule change in mid-December 2026.
Until then, the new schedules will be coordinated with the transit agencies and the district government. The goal is to introduce the new schedule in the fall of 2026.
In addition, further developments in local public transportation in the Lower Rhine region—particularly those related to the SB 46 express bus route and the planned X 31 route—will be monitored over the coming year. Based on this, the pilgrimage town of Kevelaer will consult with the relevant partners on the future structure of public transportation services in the Wemb, Twisteden, Kevelaer, and Geldern areas.