rail transport
Rail Chaos in the North: Fixed glitches
A technical fault led to a complete standstill in long-distance traffic in northern Germany. photo
© Bodo Marks/dpa
A technical malfunction of the train radio led to chaos on the train at the start of the weekend. In large parts of northern Germany, all long-distance and, in some cases, regional traffic came to a standstill.
According to the company, the severe disruption to the railway in northern Germany has been resolved. As a result, impairments are still possible during the day, said a railway spokesman on Saturday morning.
At around 10:00 a.m., the first local trains left Hamburg’s main train station, and at 10:49 a.m. the first ICE to Munich left the Hanseatic city, half an hour late. This was reported by a reporter from the German Press Agency. More and more late trains would be announced for departure.
Rail traffic in large parts of northern Germany had been paralyzed since the morning due to a disruption in the digital train radio system.
Countless travelers were previously stranded at the train stations because all long-distance traffic and some regional traffic were stopped in large parts of northern Germany. Bremen, Hamburg, Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein were affected, as Deutsche Bahn wrote on Twitter.
The cause of the radio interference is still unclear
According to Deutsche Bahn, the reason for the chaos was a technical fault in the digital train radio GSM-R (Global System for Mobile Communications – Rail), according to a spokeswoman for Deutsche Bahn. “It is used for communication between the control centers that control the train traffic and the trains and is therefore an indispensable component for smooth train traffic.”
When asked about a possible targeted disruption, security circles only said to the German Press Agency on Saturday morning that the investigations were ongoing and the cause was still unknown.
In general, Deutsche Bahn recommended that its travelers inform themselves shortly before planned trips via www.bahn.de/reiseauskunft, via the “DB Navigator” app or by calling 030/2970. The Bahn website said: “As soon as we have new information, we will keep you updated here.”
Alternative connections overcrowded
The company recommended travelers traveling between Berlin and North Rhine-Westphalia and between Berlin and Baden-Württemberg or Switzerland to use connections via Erfurt and Frankfurt/Main.
Many travelers who wanted to travel from Berlin to North Rhine-Westphalia, for example, followed the train’s recommendation and took the detour with a change in Frankfurt. The result was completely overcrowded trains, as a dpa reporter from the ICE 934 reported on the journey to Frankfurt. “No getting through in the aisles because everything is blocked with passengers sitting or standing there,” he said.
Many travelers in Hanover are waiting to continue their journey
At the Hanover railway junction, where important north-south and east-west rail connections meet, the waiting rail passengers were largely calm, as another dpa reporter reported. Many of them would have stood shaking their heads in front of the large display board that informed about the train cancellations. But there was no aggressive mood.
In Hanover, for example, long queues formed in front of information desks. Bahn employees distributed coffee and tea in the station hall. In the meantime, the regional trains also stood still. In Norddeich-Mole, a regional express to Hanover left five minutes late on Saturday morning, and no further trains were initially expected.
That’s why small groups formed outside at the taxi rank, trying to get by in small car pools by taxi to the next big city.
According to Deutsche Bahn, IC trains from/to Berlin in the direction of Amsterdam were completely canceled in international train traffic. IC train journeys from/to Copenhagen or Aarhus end/start in Padborg.