Fire paralyzes Berlin's railway traffic
Many Berliners need strong nerves today. Between two S-Bahn stations, five meters of cable are on fire. In parts of the city, signals and switches can no longer be operated, parts of long-distance, regional, and S-Bahn traffic are disrupted. The police are speaking of arson.
There are major disruptions in long-distance, regional, and S-Bahn traffic in Berlin during rush hour. As the German Railway reports, several signals, switches, and switch controllers cannot be operated due to a cable fire. The section between Berlin Hauptbahnhof in the city center and Berlin-Spandau in the westernmost part of the city is affected. The cause of the fire is unknown. The Berlin S-Bahn suggests in their statement on the disruptions that vandalism is to blame. The train traffic is expected to remain disrupted at least until the afternoon.
This morning, a fire was discovered between the Berlin S-Bahn stations of Beusselstraße and Jungfernheide in the Moabit area. According to the fire department, five meters of cable on the railway embankment between the stations were on fire. The fire was extinguished. A spokesperson for the Federal Police told RBB that investigations are ongoing due to suspicion of arson.
On the affected sections, trains are being rerouted, delayed, or stations are not being served. In long-distance traffic, the stop in Berlin-Spandau is cancelled. The trains are being rerouted via the northern outer ring. For the S-Bahn, a replacement bus service has been set up.
Railway Sabotage also in France
Last week, just hours before the opening of the Olympic Games in Paris, a "massive attack" was carried out on several strategically important points of the French railway network. Many high-speed TGV connections were disrupted, affecting around 800,000 passengers who had to find alternative connections.
French investigators blame left-wing extremists for the act of sabotage. A suspect is already in custody. The police claim to have found keys to technical installations of the French railway, cutting pliers, and left-wing extremist literature at his residence.
The fire between Beusselstraße and Jungfernheide stations on Berlin's S-Bahn is suspected to be an act of vandalism, causing major disruptions in rail transport. Similarly, last week in France, left-wing extremists are alleged to have carried out a sabotage attack on several key parts of the high-speed TGV network, disrupting numerous connections and affecting hundreds of thousands of passengers.
