Status: 02.12.2022 17:01
After the train accident near Leiferde in the district of Gifhorn, the clean-up work is progressing faster than initially thought. From December 11th, the route between Hanover and Berlin should be free again.
According to information from the NDR in Lower Saxony, the tracks are currently being repaired on a section of around 600 meters. A so-called track tamping machine is used for this purpose. It lifts the rails, vibrates and compacts the ballast, bringing the tracks back into shape. From Saturday, catenary masts are to be set up again and more than one and a half kilometers of overhead lines are to be repaired. When that is done, the cables for the signaling and lighting systems will be re-laid over a length of two kilometers in the last step. In addition to the track, soil also has to be removed because a total of 2,000 liters of hydraulic oil seeped away after the accident. Deutsche Bahn has not yet provided any information on the costs of the repair work. That will only happen afterwards, it said.
Clean up after freight train accident: Bahn praises commitment
According to a spokesman for the railway subsidiary DB Netz, the fact that the route is to be released five days earlier is due to the fact that the salvage of the crashed wagons went better than expected. “The great commitment of all employees and the support of the Technical Relief Agency and the fire brigade ensured that the complicated rescue work could be completed faster than planned,” said the railway. Originally, the company had planned not to put the line back into service until December 16th.
Significant travel time extensions for the time being
Until the route is released, many rail travelers have to plan two hours longer to Berlin: Long-distance traffic between Berlin and North Rhine-Westphalia will be diverted via Uelzen on the Hanover – Berlin section, the railway said. “This leads to a travel time extension of at least 120 minutes.”
Propane gas in tank wagons made salvage difficult
The rescue of the crashed freight trains was completed on Thursday. Finally, specialists loaded the crashed locomotive onto a special wagon and transported it away. The last overturned tank wagon had already been removed on Wednesday. During the train accident in the district of Gifhorn on the night of November 17, a freight train with 25 tank wagons filled with propane gas ran into a stationary freight train. The four overturned or damaged tank wagons, which contained a total of 200 tons of propane gas, had been completely emptied less than a week ago and flushed out with liquid nitrogen to be safe. When working with the gas, there was always a risk of an explosion – so the recovery took longer.
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