Train traffic on the Cologne-Aachen high-speed line remains blocked after a truck fell from a bridge onto the tracks. According to Deutsche Bahn, experts are assessing the extent of the damage. “It’s mainly about the overhead line,” a railway spokeswoman told the German Press Agency. It is hoped that at least one track will be open for local traffic again in the evening.
Z+ (subscription required content); Deutsche Bahn: What the Hamburg-Berlin line closure means for rail travelers
Z+ (subscription required); Berlin: Left-wing extremist attack is said to have caused cable fire at the railway
Z+ (subscription required); Hamburg podcast “Elbvertiefung”: Hamburg in railway chaos
At a train station in Kerpen, west of Cologne, a truck fell from a bridge onto the tracks below on Friday afternoon. According to the railway, the badly damaged truck was recovered from the tracks on Saturday night. The entire vehicle was removed from the tracks by early morning. Fortunately, no trains were damaged by the truck when it suddenly fell.
Wide-ranging closure
According to the railway company, the closure of the important railway line will affect ICE trains and Eurostar trains as well as regional trains and S-Bahn trains. Long-distance trains will be diverted. A shuttle service has been set up for local transport, it said.
According to initial police reports, the 42-year-old truck driver suffered such severe injuries in the accident that he had to be treated in intensive care in a hospital. A preliminary drug test carried out on him was positive and a blood sample was ordered, the police said. The cause of the accident was not known on Friday. According to police findings, the truck was carrying 40 tons of granulate. The impact damaged the truck’s tank and caused fuel to leak out.
Train traffic on the Cologne-Aachen high-speed line remains blocked after a truck fell from a bridge onto the tracks. According to Deutsche Bahn, experts are assessing the extent of the damage. “It’s mainly about the overhead line,” a railway spokeswoman told the German Press Agency. It is hoped that at least one track will be open for local traffic again in the evening.
At a train station in Kerpen, west of Cologne, a truck fell from a bridge onto the tracks below on Friday afternoon. According to the railway, the badly damaged truck was recovered from the tracks on Saturday night. The entire vehicle was removed from the tracks by early morning. Fortunately, no trains were damaged by the truck when it suddenly fell.