Train chaos between Nennhausen and Rathenow: passengers are stuck for hours!

Train chaos between Nennhausen and Rathenow: passengers are stuck for hours!

On the hottest day of the year, July 4, 2025, there was an unexpected incident on the important train route between Nennhausen and Rathenow. The regional express RE 4 to Stendal stopped shortly after 9 p.m. due to a technical fault. This caused considerable inconvenience for passengers, who had to wait on the train for almost three hours. What was particularly annoying was that the air conditioning had also failed, which made the situation even more difficult. A passenger, who remained anonymous, expressed sharp criticism of the lack of information and support from Deutsche Bahn during the waiting time, as maz-online.de reports.

At 11:45 p.m. the train was finally towed away by a replacement locomotive. However, the delivery of this locomotive was made even more difficult by switch disruptions in the Berlin-Spandau area. The stranded passengers only reached Rathenow station at 11:56 p.m., where they were directed to the scheduled replacement rail service at 12:40 a.m. Many travelers were under time pressure: a passenger whose service began at 10 p.m. could only arrive in Stendal at 1:22 a.m., more than 160 minutes late.

Alternative transportation options

In desperation, some passengers decided to take a taxi. Taxi Meier in Rathenow confirmed that several stranded passengers were transported during the night. The situation on the RE 4 route is tense: Current construction work between Rathenow and Stendal requires the use of a replacement rail service by July 29th. The route is also affected on certain nights, so travelers should inform themselves in good time.

These incidents are part of a larger problem in German rail traffic. According to the “Disruptions in Rail Traffic” initiative, which operates independently, disruptions in the route network are unavoidable. Common causes include fallen trees, damage to vehicles and overhead lines. Deutsche Bahn strives to keep passengers up to date with current information. Travelers can find useful resources on bahn.de, where an interactive disruption map, train radar and the delay alarm are available, as db-fahrplan.com shows.

In times like these, it is crucial that rail travelers are well informed. To avoid unnecessary waiting times and frustration, it is recommended to regularly consult the disruption maps and be informed of possible delays via push notifications. Because, as the initiative to disrupt rail traffic underlines, a good hand in planning can all too often work wonders.