Bomb defusing and embankment fires disrupt rail traffic in northern Germany

Bomb defusing and embankment fires disrupt rail traffic in northern Germany

In northern Germany, a combination of several embankment fires, an overhead line failure and the defusing of a World War II bomb is causing significant disruption to rail traffic. Long-distance traffic is particularly affected, as the disruptions will last until the end of the day, as haller-kreisblatt.de reports.

The situation in the city of Osnabrück is particularly dramatic. Around 20,000 people had to leave their homes here today to make room for the defusing of a 500 kilogram bomb that was discovered during construction work in the Lokviertel. The evacuation zone includes not only the main train station, but also two hospitals, the Niels Stensen Clinics Marienhospital and the Christian Children's Hospital. The evacuation should be completed by 3:00 p.m., but the effects are expected to remain noticeable for several hours, as zdfheute.de adds.

Delays and diversions

As a result of the evacuation and the burning embankment fires in Hamburg, Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt, Deutsche Bahn has already announced train diversions and delays for numerous connections. ICE trains between Mannheim, Frankfurt (M), Braunschweig and Berlin were delayed by around 70 minutes, while connections between Hanover and Berlin were even delayed by up to 90 minutes. Stops in Wolfsburg Hbf were completely canceled, reports tag24.de.

The diversions affect both long-distance and regional trains. Travelers are advised to consider alternative routes via the train stations in Hanover and Hamburg for Bremen and via Düsseldorf, Duisburg, Essen and Gelsenkirchen for Münster. There are no stops in important cities such as Bremen, Osnabrück and Recklinghausen, making travel planning a challenge for many passengers.

A known problem

This bomb defusal is not the first incident in Osnabrück this year. A similar defusing was necessary about two weeks ago, affecting 11,000 people. In recent months, the city has repeatedly struggled with the disposal of unexploded World War II bombs; The last operations took place in the previous months, due to the strategically important location of the main station during the Second World War. zdfheute.de shows that the train station in Osnabrück is constantly coming into focus.

In this current situation, it is to be hoped that the defusing will take place quickly and without any problems so that the rail connections can soon run smoothly again. Until then, patience is required, both from commuters and from travelers who are traveling through northern Germany these days.