Since shortly after 1 p.m., rail traffic in central Germany was paralyzed on Saturday. Deutsche Bahn (DB) announced: “An IT disruption is massively affecting rail traffic in central Germany. Affected trains are waiting for the disruption to resolve. We are working hard to resolve the issue.”
According to the information, the entire S-Bahn Rhein-Main and DB Regio operations were affected. The expected duration of the disruption is not yet known. Travelers are advised to switch to subways and trams.
Due to the delays, passengers were stranded at many train stations in Germany
► But long-distance traffic also came to a standstill. Several passengers on ICE trains confirmed to BILD that nothing was working on their routes.
Although the disruption has now been resolved, as the railway company has announced via ticker tapes on the display boards, long-distance trains are still experiencing delays of up to 130 minutes – or even cancellations.
Passengers are faced with long waiting times
Photo: Claudia Detsch
A railway spokeswoman told BILD that it is not yet possible to estimate how many passengers are affected by the major disruption. However, passengers were not forced to remain seated in the affected trains. The spokeswoman said: “No train stopped on the open track. All passengers were able to get off at stations.”
Frankfurt is one of the most important hubs in Europe
According to Hessischer Rundfunk (hr), the incident was caused by a malfunction in the railway’s GSM-R radio system. If this is not working, then the train is not allowed to travel.
The main station in Frankfurt is an extremely important hub for rail traffic throughout Europe. Around 1,200 local and long-distance trains pass through here every day.
