Vehicular movement - A landslide causes wagons to derail, but the track is still single and passable.
A 98-foot landslide led to two carriages of a high-speed train filled with 185 individuals veering off the tracks in Schwäbisch Gmünd. No one was injured, as per German Railways (DB)'s account on Sunday. After the Saturday night incident, passengers were transported by buses, as informed by a spokesperson from the company. The train was headed from Cologne to Munich when the derailment occurred. The track had to be closed for hours due to the cleanup operation.
Passenger Elena Fabian spoke to dpa, saying, "It made a little noise. Then everything was well organized, no panic, everyone was calm. The emergency services were there quickly and took good care of us."
Schwäbisch Gmünd is approximately 31 miles east of Stuttgart. Heavy rainfall has been reported in the area since Friday. The railway spokesman revealed that around 11:20 p.m., the first two carriages of the ICE 510, traveling from Munich to Colognia, derailed. They, however, did not tip. Passengers were initially sheltered at a nearby kindergarten, later taken to Plüderhausen (Rems-Murr-District) and Stuttgart using buses. The railway declared in the afternoon on Sunday that the track had been made single-track. At first, swift journeys weren't possible. This line is essential for long-distance trains between Stuttgart and Munich.
Investigations were underway at the site early in the morning on Sunday, involving both railway and police personnel, as per the city of Schwäbisch Gmünd. The ICE train was going to be towed away. The true extent of the damage was initially unclear, as the spokeswoman stated. A thorough examination was required to establish this, she added. The fire department had 85 emergency responders on site, while the German Red Cross provided around 70 personnel.
At the site of the landslide, the affected county road and the railway line ran parallel. Consequently, a vehicle was also affected by the landslide. Fortunately, its driver was unharmed.
