Suche
Mein Konto
Sabotage causes chaos in rail traffic: commuters in the Elbe Valley affected!
Massive disruptions in train traffic in the Elbe Valley: Sabotage at Obervogelgesang led to outages lasting hours. Tips for commuters.
Sabotage causes chaos in rail traffic: commuters in the Elbe Valley affected!
On Sunday evening there were massive disruptions to train traffic on the highly frequented route between Dresden and Prague. Commuters and travelers were surprised by a sudden failure of the S1 S-Bahn line when an unknown perpetrator cut a signal cable near Obervogelgesang. From around 6 p.m., not only the S-Bahn, but also all rail traffic was paralyzed for many hours.
According to information from Sächsische.de, the situation was particularly critical for commuters traveling between Heidenau and Bad Schandau. A considerable number of trains are used here. A total of 37 trains were affected: 20 local and long-distance trains and 17 freight trains. The delays added up to a shocking 3,500 minutes.
Sabotage as the cause
Frank Rehbein, the spokesman for the federal police in Berggiesshübel, clearly confirmed the act of sabotage. Cutting the signal cable caused several signals controlled by a central signal box in Leipzig to fail. This type of disruption is not only annoying, but also raises questions about security and infrastructure protection.
But this disorder is not an isolated case. There was a similar technical disruption in northern Germany on October 8, 2022. Back then, too, Deutsche Bahn suspended long-distance traffic for several hours after unknown saboteurs damaged fiber optic cables in cities such as Dortmund and Berlin. Since then, the federal police's investigations have not lost any of their urgency, as such attacks on the infrastructure can have serious consequences. Passengers were asked at 24rhein.de to find out about their connections via the railway's website or app.
The reaction of the railway
Deutsche Bahn responded to the events by introducing a special goodwill regulation. Travelers can use their tickets flexibly and cancel seat reservations free of charge up to seven days after the disruptions end. This regulation is intended to help mitigate passengers' disappointment in the event of unexpected cancellations.
In summary, it should be noted that Deutsche Bahn's infrastructure not only has its downsides, but that the safety of travelers is also constantly at risk. Recent incidents have highlighted how important it is to strengthen security measures and act proactively.